Stewart Lamb Cromar has achieved a lifelong ambition after Lego turned one of his designs into an official set. It is an ambition he feared might never become reality after a detached retina left him with a visual impairment in 2020, a complication linked to his Type 1 diabetes. What followed was a series of surgeries and ongoing challenges, leaving him with permanent sight loss in one eye. Lego has always been an important part of Stewart's life. During some of the mos

Annabelle and Harrison Davis will be the Main Stage speakers at September’s inaugural Naidex Roadshow South. The high achieving brother and sister will share their story, experiences and insights as the children of their famous father, Warwick Davis. Annabelle is an actress, casting director and artist, best known for her prominent roles in The Dumping Ground, Willow and Hollyoaks. She has also appeared in major film franchises including Star Wars and Harry Potter. Actor an

Visually impaired secret shoppers are going undercover at Edinburgh Festival Fringe venues to put accessibility to the test. The volunteers, who have helped deliver accessibility training to Fringe staff and performers over the past two years, have been carrying out unannounced visits across the city to identify what's working, highlight barriers, and help drive further improvements for disabled audiences. The secret shoppers, who are members of Sight Loss Councils Scotla

Do you know an inspiring athlete, coach, volunteer, team, or organisation making a real difference in disability sport? The Variety Disability Sports Awards celebrate the incredible achievements, dedication, and impact of individuals and groups across the disability sports community. This is a fantastic opportunity to recognise those who go above and beyond to break down barriers, inspire others, and champion inclusion through sport. Whether it’s a rising star, a committed vo

A leading UK manufacturer of inclusive play equipment which seeks to ensure that no child, regardless of ability, is excluded from play has joined Made in Britain. Inclusive Play manufactured the world's first wheelchair-accessible roundabout, enabling wheelchair users to play alongside friends, family and peers. The innovation laid the foundations for the company's mission to make playgrounds more inclusive and has now seen it join the growing community of manufacturers reco

Scotland’s iconic Pitlochry Festival Theatre is celebrating its 75th anniversary season with award-winning actor, filmmaker and presenter Alan Cumming as Artistic Director. He also stars in the theatre’s current production, ‘A History of Paper’, alongside renowned actress Shirley Henderson, honoured in 2023 with a BAFTA Scotland Award for Outstanding Contribution to Film and Television. A musical about joy, grief, and all the little things that make up a life, ‘A History

One of the UK's leading providers of specialist support for people with learning disabilities, autistic people and those with complex needs, is taking community bookings for its specialist hydrotherapy pool and activity space. Achieve together opened The Third Space to support the wellbeing, independence and personal development of people across Sussex last year. Since then, it has become a valued community hub, providing opportunities for people to connect, learn new

Author and University of Winchester PhD research student Martin White has received backing from a United Nations expert for his thesis on albinism. ‘The Evil Albino Trope: The Depiction of Albinism in Modern and Contemporary Fiction’, Martin’s PhD focusing on an often-demonised section of society has already been welcomed by a number of major charities and it now has the backing of the UN. Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond, the UN’s Independent Expert on the enjoyment of rights by

Researchers at the University of Chichester have produced findings that strengthen the case for holistic, family-centred early intervention for children under six with neuromotor disabilities. After just six months into the UK Research and Innovation-funded Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Dame Vera Lynn Children's Charity (DVLCC), hopes are high of identifying opportunities to improve access to early intervention services and strengthen support for families across

A woman with a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition today told how spending time with horses has built her confidence and helped her to find a job. Lillie Allen, 20, from Molesey, Surrey, was born with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), caused by exposure to alcohol in the womb that affects a child's brain, growth and behaviour. Lillie (pictured above), who also has dyslexia, was badly bullied at secondary school, which impacted her mental health and wrecked her

To celebrate International Assistance Dog Week (May 2-8) the charity Canine Partners has pulled together some of the most hotly contested statements connected to assistance dogs and the vital support they provide. So, paws at the ready, do you think the following statements are TAIL (true) or TALE (lie). · All Assistance Dogs are Labradors. · Assistance dogs are only working when wearing a branded jacket. · You should always approach the owner before going to stroke an assi

Lauren Rowles OBE has received an honorary doctorate from Birmingham City University. Described by British Rowing as the ‘greatest Paralympic rower of all time’ when she announced her retirement from the sport last year, Lauren is a two-time World champion and three-time European champion. “To be recognised by a university in the city where I grew up makes it even more special,” said 28-year-old Lauren, who has confirmed she will be returning to competitive sport as a wheelch

Emily White is clearly a writer who cares about a wide range of issues, from climate change to care homes, from single parenthood to society’s inequalities, from alcoholism to abortion to disarmament. She has taken on the gargantuan task of dealing with them all in just 2hrs 20 minutes in Atlantis, an award-winning new play produced in association with Theatre Clywd, now on at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre in West Sussex until Saturday August 15. The sheer number of those issu

This year’s Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland will feature 43 accessible performances, including the highest number of captioned performances, at 21. The world-famous, annual celebration of the performing arts held every August features a curated program of top international artists and ensembles specializing in opera, music, theatre, and dance. Also providing early-career musicians with high-level professional development opportunities, the Festival’s Rising

South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust has become the first NHS Trust in the northeast of England to achieve the Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) Visibly Better Employer Standard (VBE). The Trust, which runs a major new eye hospital in Sunderland, will display a plaque for the award which demonstrates that it offers an inclusive and accessible workplace for blind and partially sighted people. The new Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital is set t

A 28-year-old charity volunteer with a rare condition that means he can’t smile or blink has written a book about his experience of ‘growing up different’. Jack Marshall’s debut book, The Boy Who Can’t Smile, is a raw, honest, and often funny account of growing up with Moebius Syndrome, a neurological condition that means he has no facial nerves. Jack was also born without some of the cerebellum part of his brain, affecting his balance and coordination. He is blind in one

Your Story Matters – Help Shape the Future of Living with Disability! Everyone has a story worth telling. At Living with Disability, we've always believed that disabled people should be leading this conversation — not just featured in it. So we're on the hunt for new writers to join us, and to help make our community of voices bigger, richer and more varied than ever. We're growing. We're putting more into our content than we ever have before. And we'd genuinely love for you

Long-distance train operator CrossCountry has launched an industry-first digital Priority Seating Card. The new initiative will make it easier for customers who need additional support to discreetly communicate that they require a priority seat onboard. Free to download and compatible with devices that use Apple Wallet or Android Wallet, the new digital card represents a new option for customers who may benefit from priority seating where available. The initiative complements

Learning disabled artists in Leeds have rallied to secure the future of a charity amidst rising costs and funding cuts. Pyramid, which supports nearly 60 people with learning disabilities and autism to discover the arts and develop as artists every year, delivers more than 1,500 hours of creative workshops while contributing to leading research on inclusive arts. Despite the significance of this work, Pyramid finds itself at a crossroads as it faces an increasingly cha

Lerner and Loewe's beloved masterpiece My Fair Lady will already be familiar to most of the audience coming to see this summer’s show at Chichester Festival Theatre. Its success, therefore, depends on elegance, wit, impeccable vocal performances and the actors’ ability to deliver timeless comedy with the subtext of surprisingly sharp social commentary. So, the first major plaudit has to go to Stuart Burt CDG CSA, the show’s Casting Director, who has assembled an absolute drea