Exploring the Art of Occupation

Regular readers of my blog will know I love a good reflection on a professional event like a conference or learning day. It’s been some time since I’ve had the chance to write about a face-to-face event, so when RCOT announced their Members’ Day, I was looking forward to it.…

Today, through the post, I received my NHS Long Service Award for 25 years of work. It’s just a small certificate and a Love2shop voucher, but it marks something significant. I began my journey at 18 as a part-time Occupational Therapy Assistant, working weekends in an old mental health hospital.…

At the core of occupational therapy, we often reflect on the many ways we engage with the world around us, how the things we choose to do, or find ourselves doing, shape who we are. These occupations are not just actions. They connect to our sense of being, becoming, and…

It has been a long time since a book made me sit in the car after arriving somewhere, just to listen to a few more minutes. Over the past two weeks, I listened to the audiobook version of Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girl’s Guide to Life by Frances Ryan, read by…

Language is powerful, it shapes how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how included or excluded we feel in everyday life. This week, I found myself reflecting on something that might seem small at first glance, but is actually quite important, the phrase “able bodied”. Until recently, I…

A big thank you to @thischronicstruggle for sharing an Instagram post recently that stuck with me, and inspired this blog post. It was a simple but powerful reminder that using different mobility aids on different days is completely valid. For those of us with dynamic or fluctuating disabilities, that flexibility…

I’ve been thinking about this ruling throughout the bank holiday weekend. Like many, I’ve been sitting with a mixture of frustration, sadness, and deep concern of real hurt and damage this causes to a community that already faces disproportionate injustice and exclusion. Writing blogs is an occupation I engage in…

This week, I had the opportunity to attend a four-day Module 3 course with ASI Wise, held at the Re Co Co (Recovery College Collective) building in Newcastle. This was the next step in my journey towards completing the ASI Wise and CLASI Certificate in Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI), having…

Listening to Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, deliver her speech on welfare reform today, I was struck by the contrast between political rhetoric and the lived realities of disabled people. Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of recognising disability rights beyond economic productivity and challenging the narrative that frames disabled people as…

Tomorrow, (18th March 2025) the UK government is set to announce proposed changes to disability-related benefits. While the details are not yet confirmed, the discussions leading up to this announcement suggest a significant shift in how disabled people’s needs are assessed and supported. As both an occupational therapist and a…