Disabled writer Archives | Philippa Writes

26Aug 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Talking about the Paralympics on BBC Radio Sheffield

I was on Paulette Edwards' show on BBC Radio Sheffield again, this time talking about the Paralympic Games and the visibility it gives to disabled people. There were a couple of other disabled people being interviewed, too, so I've clipped my bits here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRDUcxbbOHc Transcript Well, listen, I'm going to talk to Philippa now, Philippa Willitts freelance writer and blogger. So for the next couple of weeks, the Paralympics are going to be getting extensive coverage on TV and online. How important Philippa do you think that is? This X kind of exposure? Actually, I think it's brilliant because it brings a level of visibility that disabled people have normally have. We were not on TV 24 7, and when the Paralympic games is on the last, you know, two…

24Aug 2021 by Philippa Willitts

I was on BBC Radio Sussex talking disability discrimination against a disabled councillor

Disabled writer, Speaking

Claire Needs is a disabled local councillor but, because her council has now removed the option of attending meetings via Zoom, she is being excluded from participating in local democracy. I spoke to BBC Radio Sussex about it. https://youtu.be/f-eU2JmQDWw Transcript: Just the five Friday afternoon as we head towards the weekend. Hope you well. So as society opens up after COVID, for some it's shutting down, that's been the experience of one disabled Sussex counselor. Who's unable now to attend council meetings in person, Aaron district counselor, Claire needs lives in a residential care home and to protect other residents. She can't go out to crowded council. Chambers virtual meetings had been the perfect dancer, but since may, they haven't been allowed by the government. Our political reporter, Ben vice…

03Aug 2021 by Philippa Willitts

I was a guest on the Crippled Stomp podcast

Disabled writer, Podcast, Speaking

Last week, Shabaaz Mohammed invited me to be a guest on his intriguingly named podcast Crippled Stomp. Always keen to talk all things disability, I said yes. We had a great chat about white men failing upwards, abuse in ATUs, the French far right, having EMDR for PTSD. Amongst much, much more. The article I discussed is here. The transcript below was auto-transcribed, so expect errors. Hello, and welcome to another episode of crippled stomp. Today we have another guest. Oh you and Pippa will introduce yourself over the paper. Hi everybody, I'm Pippa or Philippa either goes, not pick that like that. But I'm Philippa Willitts I am a freelance writer and editor, and I have done a lot of disability rights campaigning and feminist campaigning and LGBTQ…

26Jul 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Just say no to unethical marketing: disablism in health copywriting

About Writing, Disabled writer

I got an email yesterday inviting me to be an affiliate for a health product. By complete coincidence, the product promised to rid its gullible audience of a condition I actually have, so I clicked with interest. The video sales letter, within three short minutes, was outrageously offensive. And I don't say that lightly. A man was offered life-saving surgery that involved amputating a leg. This is a big deal for anybody, of course. I would not downplay that. But the alternative was death. [caption id="attachment_2896" align="alignright" width="328"] An Indigenous Two-Spirit person ties their shoelaces while sitting in a chair. They are dressed in all black and have braided hair, tattoos, and a prosthetic leg.[/caption] Phew, you'd think. It will be a big change to my life to lose a…

20Jul 2021 by Philippa Willitts

I spoke on BBC Radio Sheffield about disability during lockdown and accessibility as we open up

Disabled writer, Speaking

Last week, I published an article with Now Then magazine about the strangeness of things becoming more accessible in many ways during the lockdowns, and the relentless accessibility checks I'm having to do again now that the world is opening back up. I was contacted by BBC Radio Sheffield to talk to them about it and this was my interview with Paulette Edwards. A transcript is below the video and the video also has subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocSnQuUglgc Okay to me, but he was nice enough to join me for a quick call. So July the 19th was fun for Dan. However, a lot of people, a lot of us still anxious. Philippa Willitts is a freelance writer from Sheffield. She says that lockdown, while brutal for people living with some people,…

12Jun 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Deadly Intersections presentation replay: disability and gender-based violence

Disabled writer, Speaking, Video

So I did my presentation on disability and gender-based violence for Festival of Debate and it went really well! It was great to have so many interested people attend and to be able to share my knowledge and experience with people who care and want to learn. Enjoy the video, and the transcript below (the transcript is automated so not always entirely accurate). The links I mention to attendees are here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJBj67-cqCI 00:00:00 Right. Well, first of all, welcome everybody. It's really nice to see so many people here. My name is Charlotte Mead and I'm the branch leader of the Women's Equality Party branch in Sheffield. It's really love to see, let me see. Well, so I'm just really, really here just to introduce the wonderful and amazing Philippa…

11May 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Festival of Debate: my upcoming presentation on disability and violence against women and girls

Disabled writer, Speaking

Earlier this year, I presented a webinar called Deadly Intersections: Disability and Gender-Based Violence. It was really well-attended and the questions and discussion at the end showed me that people had really absorbed the message I was trying to get across. It's full of facts and figures but also real stories of disabled women's experiences of domestic abuse, sexual abuse and sexual violence. The great news is that for Festival of Debate, in association with the Sheffield branch of the Women's Equality Party again, I am repeating the presentation again on 2nd June. It will be broadly the same as the February event, with a few added extras. Some people who came to the original expressed interest in seeing it again so they could fully grasp the numbers, so you…

04Feb 2021 by Philippa Willitts

Deadly Intersections: Disability and Gender-Based Violence

Disabled writer, Speaking

I'm involved in the Women's Equality Party and I am part of the comms team for my local branch. I'm also a member of the Disability and LGBTQI caucuses. [caption id="attachment_2613" align="alignright" width="352"] My dress is not a yes[/caption] I'm excited to be leading an event next week and, if you're interested in disability, feminism, gender-based violence and the intersections between them, you need to check it out! The blurb: Disabled women are twice as likely as non-disabled women to experience domestic abuse, but less likely to be able to access a refuge. 40% of disabled women have been sexually assaulted or raped and 50% of Deaf girls have been sexually abused. There are even ways that disabled women can be abused that simply do not exist for non-disabled people.…

01Dec 2020 by Philippa Willitts

Book: Food Snobbery: An Intersectional Analysis of Fat, Feminism, Poverty, Disability & Health

Disabled writer, Freelance Self-Promotion

I always forget to promote this, though I should. [tweetherder]I published an extended essay that looked at the privilege of food snobs and how the reality of food and eating affects various groups[/tweetherder]: Food Snobbery: An Intersectional Analysis of Fat, Feminism, Poverty, Disability & Health. It's been available on Amazon for some time now. I wrote it because [tweetherder]I was frustrated at the ignorance of people insisting that there was no excuse to not eat vegan, or eat 'clean', or eat keto, or whatever the trend of the day is[/tweetherder]. I was also annoyed at a discussion I'd had on social media with someone about the fact that the more 'ethical' food shops tend to be inaccessible to disabled people, making them actually unethical businesses. That person said that I…

17Jul 2019 by Philippa Willitts

Disabled Access at Music Festivals in the UK

Disabled writer

This was originally published on DisabledGo, which is now AccessAble. This article does not seem to be online since that change so I am reproducing it here. The sun is shining, there are clouds in the sky… where better to be than in a remote field, veggie burger in hand, listening to live music in the open air? Whether you prefer the vastness of a huge event like Glastonbury or somewhere more intimate, there are festivals to suit every mood and preference. Campaigns like Attitude is Everything and Stay Up Late work hard to ensure that Deaf and disabled people can attend live music events, but what are festivals really like for disabled attendees? Is accessibility provision good or will you be stranded without the ability to charge your chair…

Category: Disabled writer