Posts

When Support Becomes Separation: Why Families Need Help Before Harm:

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When Support Becomes Separation: Why Families Need Help Before Harm: Every time I read another story about a mother having her newborn removed, it breaks my heart. I am not naïve about safeguarding. I know there are situations where children genuinely need protection, and when a child is at immediate risk, intervention is necessary. But safeguarding should not mean automatically jumping to separation when support, assessment, rehabilitation and practical help could make a family safe. I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of systems that can be frightening, dismissive and deeply harmful when they get things wrong. I fought for my rights. I challenged decisions. I kept going. I did what I had to do. Reading about women who have not been so lucky absolutely destroys me. What especially troubles me is seeing somebody’s past used as though it permanently defines their future. A woman may have experienced trauma, addiction, mental ill-health, abuse, homelessness, exploitatio...
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Why don't you just get paid work:

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“Why don’t you just get paid work?” Ah yes… because apparently nobody facing disability, inaccessible workplaces or discrimination has ever thought of that one before. 🤣 This is exactly why I talk about systemic ableism. The assumption that someone who isn’t in conventional paid employment simply isn’t trying completely ignores the barriers disabled people can face when trying to access, remain in, or create sustainable work. I am trying to build paid work for myself. I create, advocate, support people, develop projects and work towards making what I do financially sustainable. The issue isn’t a lack of effort. It’s the confidence some people have in judging a life they haven’t taken five minutes to understand. Ask questions. Have a different perspective. Discuss difficult subjects. But assumptions aren’t facts — and “just get a job” isn’t a solution to systemic barriers. 💪🏻✨ #DisabilityAdvocacy #Ableism #SystemicAbleism #DisabledAndWorking #DisabilityAwareness #AccessibilityMatters...
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Book Review: What He Couldn’t Take by Ayshea Osman — 8/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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 @osmanayshea | Ayshea Osman | Mike Davies  Book Review: What He Couldn’t Take by Ayshea Osman — 8/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ What He Couldn’t Take by Ayshea Osman is a raw, reflective and deeply personal memoir about survival, the patterns that shape us, and the long, complicated process of reclaiming yourself after domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a cause very close to my heart, and as a survivor myself, I read this book with a level of understanding that went beyond simply reviewing the words on the page. There are parts of Ayshea’s story that will feel painfully familiar to people who have lived through controlling, frightening or damaging relationships: the gradual erosion of boundaries, the instinct to keep the peace, the hope that love and patience might somehow be enough, and the painful realisation that surviving can sometimes mean having to choose yourself. What gives this memoir strength is the way Ayshea looks beyond a single relationship and reflects on the patterns that began...
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THIS ATTITUDE IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TRYING TO CHANGE.

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THIS ATTITUDE IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TRYING TO CHANGE. There is a very important difference between disagreeing with somebody and making personal assumptions about their disability, finances, ability to work, relationship, motives and character. An alternative opinion is not bullying. Defending yourself is not bullying either. But repeatedly presenting assumptions as “facts” without actually checking whether they are true is not constructive discussion. The original issue here was disability, benefits and the harmful assumptions disabled people are routinely subjected to. Somehow that became speculation about my partner, my income, whether I “should” be working full-time, accusations of having an “agenda”, references to racism that were completely unrelated to the discussion, and judgement about how I spend my time. That is precisely the attitude I advocate against. Disabled people do not owe strangers a breakdown of their medical history, finances, capacity for employment or personal ci...
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MOO!

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MOO!! 😬🐮🐄🐮🐄✨🐄🐮🐄🐮🐄 Fancy thinking this is an appropriate response to someone advocating for disability rights. 😬 Apparently asking for fairness, dignity and respect now warrants being called a “hag”, a “stupid cow”, being told I “don’t work”, and having a complete stranger claim they’ve personally told me off “200 times” despite the fact I don’t even know them. At this point, should I just start MOO-ing at people? 🐄🐮😂 What gets me is how confidently people present assumptions as facts. They decide they know my life, my work, my circumstances, my motivations and even apparently our entire fictional history together — and then use all of that to justify being abusive. I genuinely do not want to know people who behave like this. Why would I want to be affiliated with people who create problems instead of solutions, mock disabled people, make things up and then act as though cruelty is somehow evidence? YIKES. 😬 The irony is that all I keep asking for is pretty simple: rights...
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Paying Tax Doesn’t Mean You Own People:

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Paying Tax Doesn’t Mean You Own People: Apparently doing advocacy, articulating yourself properly and explaining the facts still isn’t enough to stop some people behaving as though they personally own anyone who receives benefits. 😅 Paying tax does not mean you’re personally “paying for” another human being, nor does it give you authority over how they live, what they say, or whether they’re entitled to support. We all contribute to society in different ways throughout our lives, and public money funds countless services that all of us may use — healthcare, education, roads, emergency services, pensions, benefits and much more. And disabled people aren’t suddenly exempt from having worked, paid tax, contributed to their communities or supported other people simply because they happen to need assistance themselves. That’s exactly why I challenge this rhetoric. Advocacy isn’t about being endlessly agreeable so everybody likes you. Sometimes it means calmly saying, “No. That assumption i...
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K•Doll makes Juggalo History:

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Juggalo History 🎪🪓 in the making 2026: Image credit: Google. K•Doll is believed to be the UK’s first female Juggalo rapper, carving out a rare space for British women within Juggalo and horrorcore music. I never imagined that the music I vibed with as a teenager would eventually help shape the K•Doll persona I have today, and I’m genuinely surprised to realise that my own music journey may have made a little piece of Juggalo history along the way. Back in 1998, younger me had absolutely no idea where that love of horrorcore, underground music and the Dark Carnival would lead. She didn’t know she’d grow up to create her own music, build her own identity as an artist, blend that influence with her own style and eventually carve out her own space within the UK scene. And I think younger me would be so damn proud. 🖤🤡 It’s surreal looking back and realising that something that once simply made me feel understood, entertained and connected has become part of my own creative identity all ...
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