Digital diversity – Perceivable

Perceivable

We all perceive information in different ways. Many years ago, when I was teaching, the concept of learning styles was very important. Even quite young children were encouraged to reflect on how they learned, and whether they were visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learners. Before we even factor in the effects of disability, we all have preferences as to how we like to take in information.

Way back in 2002, I developed  a sudden onset sight impairment. Although it was corrected by surgery in 2004, I needed considerable help and adaptations to continue teaching with sight loss. Even that many years ago, I remember being extremely grateful for the modern day computer, which allowed me to zoom in and access information in a way that would have been impossible via print.

Maybe my memories of that time contribute to my absolute determination to make digital information accessible for those who cannot see clearly enough to perceive the information the way I do. Nowadays, we have screen readers, a lifeline for many blind people. Screen readers literally read the screen. Of course this is easy with text but there are so many nontext items which pose potential problems to people using a screen reader.

As a person with a definite preference for auditory information, I hope it's not a sign of inevitable things to come, that my parents and in-laws are all going deaf in their old age. The whistling of hearing aids is a familiar sound in our family. When watching TV, the subtitles are almost always on. With online content, it's a bit hit and miss but when videos have closed captions available, it definitely helps people with hearing loss to take in the information.

Diversity

So we all perceive digital information in different ways. For those with visual impairments, they may use any of the following:

• screen reader
  
• screen magnifier
  
• zoom
  
• Braille transcriber
  
• enhanced contrast.
  

We can make it much easier for people to perceive information by giving images text descriptions, allowing content to be changed (font, size, colour, etc.)

For people with hearing impairments, we can make sure that captions are provided for any auditory content. We could even consider providing sign language where that is possible. I achieved my BSL level 1 several years ago and rarely get a chance to practice, so I'm unlikely to be able to provide a fully signed video. However it would be quite possible for me to introduce myself at the beginning of my video using sign language, and that might be quite a nice touch. Maybe I'll look at doing that for my next video.

In general, most people see diversity as a positive thing. However many people begin to see it less positively if they have to do actually do something differently. Skin colour, gender, age, sexuality can all be valued without actually having to do anything. Disability is different. You can't value diversity whilst also excluding people from accessing your content. For designers, this is a challenge. For good designers, it is an opportunity – an opportunity to become more expert in your craft, to use digital tools at an advanced level, to combine creativity with accessibility.

Digital diversity

I spent some time pondering the theme, 'freedom to participate', in relation to a possible logo design. In thinking around this theme, I felt that it had more of a connection to the physical world and less the digital world. So for now, I've parked this one. 

Another theme I had identified is 'digital diversity'. Maybe that will generate some better ideas.

Training

In preparation for starting my new job next week, I completed a short course that covered web accessibility. Most of it was stuff I already know, particularly the different types of assistive technology and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). What I found really interesting, was the first module, about how people access online content. It showed lots of videos of people actually using their assistive technology. They talked through the methods they use, what works well and where they face barriers.

POUR

WCAG is divided into four main sections:

• Perceivable
  
• Operable
  
• Understandable
  
• Robust.
  

I find these easy to remember using the acronym POUR.

In each of these sections, there is a wealth of diversity. So over the next few posts, I'm going to think a little about each one and explore some ideas around digital diversity.

Freedom to do a job

I've spent a lot of time this week, producing training materials to help my client and my team to ensure that their content is accessible once I'm gone. I am so excited about my new job but I'm also sad to be leaving SSCL. Just yesterday, I had a calendar invitation for a meeting on 4th Jan (after I've left) where they want me to review plans for an office renovation and input on accessibility. I declined the invitation and explained why. Then they asked the inevitable question... who will do this kind of thing once I leave? 

Rewind the clocks

I'm going back three years. I started this new job and my dream was to produce amazing eLearning, learn design skills and become skilled in using Storyline (software). 

What has stuck in my mind though, is the first email I got from a learner at the client organisation. They were trying to access a piece of eLearning with their assistive technology, JAWS. They had to complete this eLearning by a particular date but it wasn't built in such a way that it would read with JAWS. That was the beginning of a journey into the lives of real people, people like me, people who just wanted the freedom to do a job.

Barriers

I face physical barriers every day. Most of them are not in the workplace. Most of them are not deliberate, in that there was no intention to prevent me from doing stuff. However, most of them are avoidable. For me though, they might as well put up this sign:

I remember feeling an overwhelming sense of compassion for the unnamed angry blind man at the other end of the email. My heart broke for him because I understood something of what he was experiencing. 

Freedom to do a job

In theory, disabled people can work. We have the right to work. However, there are many barriers. The barriers have historically been so big that some disabled people have given up trying. It's just too difficult!

I remember meeting many disabled people when I was in adult learning. I remember them struggling to explain to me why they couldn't work because of their disability. They struggled because I was the listener, sitting in a wheelchair, working. I was one of the lucky ones. I had people fighting for my freedom to do a job. But I absolutely understood all the reasons why they felt they couldn't do it. They had seen themselves too many times in the centre of that NO ENTRY sign. 

We have to tear down these barriers. It wouldn't be acceptable to deny access to any other minority group... not in this day and age. It shouldn't be acceptable to deny disabled people access either. We have to fight for the freedom to do a job.

I hope somebody at SSCL steps up to do all these extra accessibility tasks. I hope that one day, they will employ somebody specially to do it. For now though, I have to make this my focus. There are too many people facing no entry signs in life and work. It's not okay. We have to fight for freedom.

Freedom

I've been following a course (by Gareth David Studios) on logo design. I was applying his methods to a possible logo I might want to create in the future, around online/digital accessibility. In the session I watched today, we were developing themes to work with. I came up with a few, but my current favourite is this one:

Freedom to participate

It's based on the idea that everyone should have a basic human right to participate in all aspects of life without facing barriers or exclusions. 

Sounds like a given, right? Well before I go any further with the idea, I thought I'd explore the concepts of freedom and participation a little further. This might take several days of shortish posts.

Freedom to go for a walk

I'll start with this one because last year, this was one of the basic freedoms that was curtailed due to Covid lockdown. In this country, for my entire life, there has been a basic assumption that anyone can go for a walk whenever they like, with whoever they like, and, within certain boundaries, wherever they like. Then, suddenly, we were only allowed out once a day, alone or with one other person, and various people tried to put time/distance restrictions on this... though they thankfully faded away pretty quickly.

Having any kind of restrictions placed on my freedom to go for a walk felt so intrusive and wrong! But actually, for me and many others, there are already quite a lot of restrictions placed on our ability to go for a walk. 

Again, for now, I'll keep it close and short... a quick dog walk around the cemetery...

Free to walk

Almost every day, I walk Liggy around the cemetery. It's a pretty place to enjoy peace and quiet and get away from the traffic. The paths are not perfect, but relatively easy to get along in a wheelchair. 

The cemetery is nice and flat. This adds to my sense of freedom. Going for a walk is relaxing and doesn't feel like a major ordeal. 

Less free

There are some things that curtail my freedom to enjoy walking my dog...

I would love to go up on the river bank and walk along there but most of the entry points have steps... all but one and that one has a grass bank. So that's a pretty big barrier for any wheelchair user.

This one is the bane of my life! Today, I spotted it before wheeling through it. Other days, I'm less fortunate. The worst occasion, I wheeled through, got someone else's dog poo all over my wheel, which then spread onto my glove and coat sleeve. The first I realised, I used that hand to push my glasses up my nose. I leave the rest to your imagination. People who don't pick up create a barrier for me. It might not prevent access but it certainly spoils it!

There is just enough room to get Liggy and me along this path because the hedge has recently been trimmed. The owners do this approximately three times a year. At it's worst, I have to go on the grass. Not so bad when it is dry but when wet, my wheels get stuck and very muddy and Liggy (attached to my left side) gets soaked walking through the hedge.

It's often the little things that make a difference to my freedom to go for a little walk:

• Bin day
• Weather
• Parking
• Road works
• State of paving.

The question is, to what extent should we have the right to go for a walk? The next question might be, who should be responsible for removing barriers?

Fighting for rights in a post-Covid era

Firstly, for me, the jury is definitely still out as to whether we are post-Covid. It hasn't gone away. Sure, we have to learn to live with it but that's easy to say for someone like me, who is healthy and particularly has a strong immune system. I have family, friends and general contacts though who are clinically extremely vulnerable... who have been vaccinated but still have no immunity... who are afraid. I can't even imagine what post-Covid means to them.

International day of people with disabilities

Today is International Day for People With Disabilities. (I'm sure we could shorten that a little!)

The company I currently work for, SSCL, and its parent company, Sopra Steria, have both been working really hard this year to improve online accessibility. Now that more people are working from home, it has become even more important, as people can't just ask a colleague at the next desk when they get stuck. 

On Wednesday, we held a Lunch and Learn event, in preparation for today. The aim was to show people a few simple things they can do in their daily communications to make content more accessible for all. It covered a range of impairments and the barriers that prevent people with them from accessing content, and we showed how to remove some of those barriers. At the end, we asked everyone to pledge to take action from today and either start or stop doing something. The response was amazing! So many people pledged to add alt text to images... to check the reading order of their PowerPoints... to reduce jargon and speak in plain English. For me, the one I liked best though was: I pledge to start asking people for feedback on the accessibility of my content. This came from an idea related to lorries having a sticker on the back saying, how is my driving? What a fab idea!

A few reminders

So, with no further ado, here are my top five tips for making your normal, daily content accessible:

• Provide alt text for all images - usually, right-click and then add a description of your image. On social media, this is usually done through an EDIT button when you upload your image.
• Check colour contrast is sufficient - ideally, start using a free tool such as the WebAIM contrast checker.
• Give your hyperlinks meaningful text - the text on the page should tell the user what they are going to see. The URL (web address) should be hidden in the background.
• Check the reading order - this is especially important with things like PowerPoint, where you create content in a random order and then rearrange it on the page. A screenreader doesn't know how it should be read unless you check the reading order. This is often in the Review menu under Check Accessibility.
• Structure your content correctly - use headings and subheadings so that your content is easy to follow and understand. Don't just change the size and style of the font. Change it in the Styles section of your software.

If you don't know how to do any of the above and want some help, please let me know. I have videos to show how some of these work in practice, but I'm happy to make more and look at different applications if it helps.

What makes a place accessible?

I rang a pub yesterday to find out whether they are accessible or not. As I asked the question, it occurred to me that it was a somewhat vague question to ask. I mean, what makes a place accessible or inaccessible for me might be different than for other people, even with similar conditions. So here are some thoughts on accessibility of places.

Getting in

For a wheelchair user, getting into the venue is usually the first hurdle. Steps make this pretty much impossible, so some kind of ramp is usually used to give buildings level entry. Ramps vary though. There are the kind of ramps that have actually become part of the fabric of the building... concrete, sensible and compliant slope (1 in 12 or less) and that generally bring you into the main entrance of the building. There are other permanent ramps that are installed somewhere to enable wheelchair users to get in, though maybe not at the same entrance as everyone else. Then there are the temporary/portable ramps, which may or may not have a usable gradient. I've been presented with some that are at a 45^o angle and downright impossible to use.

I believe that the vast majority of venues, if they really wanted to, could provide some form of level entry. Many blame listed building status for not providing it but I've been to many historic houses, old buildings and so on, that have managed to adapt their entrance area and allow wheelchair users to get in. 

To be fair though, I have also been to some places, like the church where my son recently got married, where I fail to see how they could provide safe level entry to the grounds. This is usually due to being built into a very steep hill and not having enough space. I have more sympathy when this is the case, rather than just blaming listed building status and the local council.

Of course, there is one option I haven't mentioned... and that is the alternative entrance. This can work well but not if it takes you, e.g. through the bins in a rear yard, then through a busy kitchen with people running around with knives and hot pans, to get you into the restaurant.

Getting into a building shouldn't be stressful, scary, make you feel like an inconvenience or reliant on another person for assistance. 

Getting around

Many people assume that if you can get into the building, that's the job done. Not so! Moving around is also important. This means that the doorways can't be narrower than my wheelchair. I have to physically fit through. It also means not having to negotiate steps once inside. 

Of course, there are ways of making a multilevel building accessible. Lifts are the obvious... either a normal lift or one of those platform lifts that gets you there eventually. Stairlifts are an option too but often don't work for people who use heavy electric wheelchairs or scooters. We were at Castle Howard yesterday and they have a platform stairlift. You wheel on and then it takes you up the stair case just like a normal stairlift. It was painfully slow but it did the job and was probably cheaper and easier to install than a lift (in a listed building). 

Once we've dealt with physical barriers such as doors and stairs, other things that make moving around difficult include: 

• Layout - are tables and chairs blocking the walkways so that you have to keep asking people to move to allow you through? Are the aisles too narrow? Do they have items such as temporary promotions blocking them?
• Flooring - thick pile carpet is really hard work to wheel on, rather like wading through knee-deep treacle! Uneven flooring and things like cables and hoses can also make it difficult. My dream is nice smooth tiles, though flat pile carpet is also nice.
• Queuing systems - it used to just be the post office that used those zigzag queues but now they are everywhere. It stands to reason that the posts (including their bases) need to be far enough apart to allow a wheelchair to pass between them. 

Accessible toilets

This is the most important thing for me after getting into the building, and yet it is the thing nobody ever thinks about. I get that with some places. Why would you need to go to the toilet on a trip to the supermarket? Most people don't. I often do.

Pubs and restaurants though? Come on!!! Most people, when inputting liquid at the top will eventually have to empty it out at the bottom. Me more than most, it seems. 

An accessible toilet is essential, but what do I need? I preferably need to be able to go in with my wheelchair. I can walk enough to go in without it but I worry about my chair or my bag or phone being stolen. I can't walk and carry, so I have to leave everything outside. 

Rails are extremely important. At a push, I can fall onto the toilet without them but I can't get back up. If there are no grab rails, I have to use something else to pull myself up... something that wasn't intended for that purpose. I don't want to break stuff - your fittings or my body. 

A lowish mirror and clean shelf is also handy for when I need to self-catheterise. This is nearly always forgotten. Another thing that is forgotten, is that incontinence pads can be huge - way bigger than sanitary towels, more like nappies - so a bin to dispose of them is useful. It is handy, given that some disabled people can't use their feet at all, if the bin isn't foot pedal only. It also helps if it can be reached from the toilet. The opposite side of the room presents some difficulties.

No dogs allowed/dog friendly

My heart sort of sinks a little when I see either of these signs on a door. Let me explain why.

Many indoor venues have a sign that bans all dogs. The sensible ones then say underneath, "except assistance dogs". There are very few places that have a legal right to ban assistance dogs. Even those that do have that legal right, often choose not to exercise it. Basically the only reason for banning assistance dogs is if you have ground nesting birds that could be harmed by the presence of a dog. 

I love birds! They have birds at Potteric Carr in Doncaster. I've been there years ago, in the bird hides, watching the birds in their natural environment. It was amazing! They could legitimately ban all dogs. However, they choose to allow assistance dogs. I, however, choose not to take Liggy there. I'm pretty sure she would be fine but she hasn't had much practice with bird work and I'm conscious that she's a labrador retriever and something deep inside her might make her inclined to pull towards birds. I don't need to go to such a place to live a normal independent life. I'm happy to do other things and leave the birdies in peace. 

I'm beginning to lose count of the number of places that ask us on arrival whether we intend to view the house/museum/shop/etc separately because dogs aren't allowed. I usually start by stating that she's an assistance dog but even then, it's amazing how many staff members don't know the law or their own policies. Even yesterday, the ticket lady had to go and check with a manager, having told us she very much doubted that assistance dogs were allowed into the house. She came back quite pleased that she would now know the answer... but no apology for the stress, embarrassment or confusion caused. And that was in spite of it being very clear on their own website that no dogs were allowed in the house, except assistance dogs.

Some people still use the sign that says... except guide dogs. I generally assume that covers all assistance dogs but I find the sign a little irritating. It adds to the general misconception that all assistance dogs are with blind people.

You would expect me to prefer places that are "Dog Friendly", I guess. Well, it depends what it is. If it's an outdoor attraction, gardens, park, informal cafe, etc, then yes, dog friendly is usually great. When it comes to restaurants, pubs, other places where I'm going to expect Liggy to lie quietly, be on best behaviour and transfer situational rules across, then I prefer to be seated away from pet dogs. 

It's not that I don't like dogs. Far from it! I love dogs! However, Liggy gets to go into places that don't want dogs and that comes with expectations on her behaviour. So, for example, when we sit down to eat a meal, she always (and mean always) has to lie quietly on her bed and stay still. She does this really well and I am frequently complimented on her behaviour in restaurants because her training is very clear. If I then have to sit near someone else with another dog, that might be playful, aggressive, just have different food rules, etc, then Liggy might be tempted to relax her excellent meal time behaviour. That would be fine in that dog friendly place but she doesn't know that different places have different rules, even for the same situation. So it is just easier if we can be separate for those activities.

Also, dog friendly places often have a dog friendly area and a dog-free area. Many are good and let us sit in the dog-free area, which helps me a lot, but some don't understand why I want to sit away from other dogs. They don't understand that Liggy isn't a pet. Sure, she has times to be a normal dog and she is very well behaved around other dogs but she is different. She is a working dog and carries extra responsibilities and expectations.

Euan's Guide

So having talked a little about what accessibility means for me, I want to recommend a review site. Euan's Guide is kind of like Trip Advisor for disabled people. It is full of reviews of different places, all done by or on behalf of disabled people. I've been reviewing for them for a while now and I use it a lot to plan visits and days out. 

One of the things I really like about it, is that each review tells you about the reviewer and their disability. So I often look for information given by other wheelchair users and people with assistance dogs. 

If you have a disability, please consider reviewing places. The more people write reviews, the better it becomes. All reviews get moderated before publishing, so you don't have to worry about whether it was okay to write this or that. Just say what you found and how you managed, be honest and know that others will find it useful.

Soft rye bread rolls

I visited my Godmother yesterday and she treated me to some banana muffins, which she had baked using the recipe I'd put on here a couple of years ago. So that encouraged me that people do actually read this and some people even find odd bits of it useful. Also, I have to say, the muffins were delicious!

So today, whilst Neil is at his mum's house, painting doors, I'm having a baking and cleaning day... with a fair bit of relaxing in between. I'm starting with bread. I just love home-baked bread and my favourites are these rye bread rolls. They are soft and are great for packed lunches, bacon sandwiches, as a dipper for soup... you name it... perfect!

This recipe makes 12 decent sized rolls.

Ingredients

400g strong white flour
350g dark rye flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp easy blend yeast
6 tbsp rapeseed oil
450ml warm water

Equipment

• In an ideal world, a Neff oven with retractable door, a proving setting and a large baking tray that works like an oven shelf. If you haven't got this, you're gonna have to improvise a bit, and use what you've got.
• Greaseproof paper, cut or neatly torn to the size of your baking tray.
• Stand mixer with dough hook.
• A cloth napkin.
• The plastic lid from your last takeaway (washed... obviously) and coated quite liberally with oil.

Method

1. Turn the oven onto the proving setting (40^oC).
   
   
   
   
   
2. Sieve the flour into the mixer bowl. Hold the sieve as high as you can to get lots of air in but if you've got a tremor (like me) it more important to get the flour in the bowl and lose a bit of air.
3. Add the salt, sugar and yeast and mix all the dry ingredients together well.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Make a well in the middle and add the oil.
   
   
   
   
   
5. Add the warm water.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Put the bowl on the stand and mix on a slow setting first, before turning up to whatever your max dough hook setting is. I start on 1 and increase to 4. Let the mixer do its work for about 5 minutes.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Meanwhile, find another biggish bowl, preferable something ovenproof but the oven isn't going to be that hot, so don't stress if you've only got plastic. Pour a tiny bit of oil in and use your hands to rub it all around the bowl.
   
   
   
   
   
8. When the dough has all come together and is a little bit sticky but looks like dough, transfer it into the oiled bowl.
   
   
   
   
   
9. Cover the bowl with the napkin (I used to use a tea towel but it overhangs the bowl too much and touches the sides of the oven) and put the bowl on a low shelf to prove. It should take about 45 mins to double in size. If you are letting it prove in a warm room, it will take a fair bit longer. Wait until it has doubled in size and smells immense!
   
   

   

   Before

   
   
   

   

   After

   
   
10. Pour a bit of oil on your work surface and rub it around with your hand. 
    
11. Transfer the dough onto the work surface and punch it back.
    
    
    
    
    
12. Break or cut off 105g portions. Weigh them on the takeaway lid on your scales so that all the rolls end up the right size and will fit on your tray.
    
    
    
    
    
13. Knead the 105g portion a little and then roll it in your hands to form a nice roll shape. 
14. Put the rolls on the lined baking tray in a 4 x 3 layout. They will rise again and touch each other but this is fine... commendable even.
    
    
    
    
    
15. Put the tray in the oven to prove for about 30 minutes. The rolls should be a good size now.
    
    
    
    
    
16. Take the tray out of the oven and preheat the oven to 180^oC fan.
17. Lightly dust the rolls with flour.
    
    
    
    
    
18. Bake the rolls for about 25 minutes. They should be nicely browning when they are done and should look like edible bread rolls. You can pull one off and turn it over to check if they are done. When you tap the bottom with your finger, it should sound hollow. Or, if you trust your oven and the recipe, you don't need to check.
19. Leave the rolls on the tray to cool, covered with the aforementioned napkin. I usually put the tray on a wooden board so that it doesn't burn anything.
    
20. When they are still warm but have cooled a bit, pull them apart and eat them all.

If you decide you can't eat them all at once (recommended actually) put the ones you don't want in freezer bags and suck the air out before tying a knot in the bag. These can be frozen and defrosted when you want them. 

The warm rolls are delicious, cut in half, buttered and lathered with honey. I also like them filled with mashed banana, or cheese and marmite, or bacon and mushrooms. Neil likes them with corned beef and cucumber.

Why don't you make a batch and let me know your favourite filling. 

The social model of disability

I may have mentioned this before. The social model states that a person isn't disabled by their medical condition, their body, their impairment or any difference in the way they have to do things. They are disabled by the barriers, attitudes, lack of adjustments, etc in society.

Waleswood

At the end of August, Liggy and I set out on our own and spent a few nights camping in the motorhome at Waleswood, near Rother Valley Country Park. Although I was initially nervous about the whole camping alone idea, it was something I wanted to be able to do and felt it should be possible. I chose Waleswood because it had awesome reviews, especially from disabled people. 

Everything about the site had been thought about from an accessibility perspective. I could even empty the toilet myself... something I can rarely contemplate. 

So I got settled, forgot I'm supposed to be disabled and just got on with life... using my wheelchair/mountain trike and with Liggy at my side... but not disabled. I could do everything I needed or wanted to do. 

Nice!

Teversal

Yesterday, we got back from a weekend camping in Teversal. It was a club site, so I expected it to be accessible. The woods and nature reserve opposite looked to be completely accessible. I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend... and then decided I'd like to stay on for a few days to work on a project that required concentration and no distractions.

I arrived there on Friday to find the entire site is pebble. I couldn't use my wheelchair at all. The front wheels just sank into the pebbles and even wheelying didn't really work. So I switched to my mountain trike. That got me around the site but I can't do precise manoevres in it. I have to disconnect the gears to go backwards. It's wider. It's designed for the open world, not shops, doorways, toilets etc.

I needed Neil to help with everything. 

Never mind, the woods and nature reserve were calling. I couldn't get in though. They must have problems with motorbikes or something, as all the entrances had barriers. They might as well have put up a huge sign saying "No crips allowed!" I felt excluded. People like me should just stay at home, out of sight and suffer quietly, so nobody else has to deal with us.

We managed to have a pleasant enough weekend and with Neil's help, eventually got in for a nice walk... but I was disabled... very disabled all weekend.

So what?

Design is rarely acciental. I'm a designer. Every aspect of design is a choice. We look at the problem and create a solution, deciding what is important and what doesn't matter. It's the same with everything.

Campsites are designed. A lot of time and money goes into layout, pitches, electrics, toilets, access for towing/long vehicles. 

Why would somebody decide to make all the roads and paths of pebbles? Okay, so pebbles are terrible for me, but I also noticed:

• They are noisy - every person that walked or cycled or drove past could be heard. At night, it was loud enough to wake me.
• They get kicked up by tyres and can damage vehicles.
• They are difficult to walk on, even for non-disabled people. 
• They hurt when a child falls over.

There are so many reasons why pebbles are not the ideal surface and yet someone made that decision. 

I wasn't the only disabled person there. I spoke to several others who were finding it difficult. I spoke to others who found accessing the woods difficult or impossible. I got the signs in my head again...

Wheelchair users only welcome with carer!

It feels like it's okay to send that message out because it's just the norm. The Waleswoods of this world are the exception, rather than the rule. Nobody is standing up, protesting, declaring the injustice of it all. It will happen. I know it will happen because once there were signs prohibiting black people, gay people, breastfeeding mums... anyone who isn't the majority. And they fought for justice. They demanded equality. One day, equality won't need to be demanded. We'll realise one day that it is the only way for society to be okay. Equality, on all levels, should be the norm.

Until then, I believe in the social model. It's not my impairment that disables me. It's the barriers and attitudes and difficulties that stop me because my way of living is different from yours.

Baking for people with allergies

My mum had a birthday this week, so yesterday, we had a family barbeque to celebrate. On the back of a pretty successful barbeque on a recent camping trip, we did the all-inclusive idea again. So we have a number of allergies in the family and the idea was, as far as possible, to make all food safe for all of us. 

But that can be quite tricky! Rewind to Saturday and the great bake-off!

The Allergies

Gluten

My dad is allergic to gluten but there are other family members who are coeliac and can't tolerate even small amounts of the stuff. The trouble is, gluten is in a lot of nice food! One of my dad's moans is that he often can't get what he fancies to eat in gluten-free and when he can, it's just not as nice.

I got a fantastic mother's day gift this year! My son and future daughter-in-law (who can't eat gluten) bought me this book:

How to make anything gluten free by Becky Excell

The author is gluten-intolerant and has spent her life creating recipes that are as near to the gluten equivalent as possible. From bread to cake to take aways, this book is full of fabulous recipes. So today, I'm baking two batches of bread rolls, one that I've made before and one that is a new recipe. I'm also baking a lemon drizzle cake. 

Lactose/dairy

Also dad but again, he's not alone in the family. In theory, dairy-free cooking shouldn't be too difficult. There are plenty of substitutes out there. When eating out though, the biggest issue is that most places do gluten-free and lactose-free but trying to find something on the menu that is both... well, that might leave you with just one option, which isn't really how a menu is supposed to work. 

For our family, the other problem with the dairy alternatives, is that most of them contain carotenes, and I'm allergic to them. So we basically have few options and some of them are so niche, they are difficult to get in small town supermarkets.

Soft butter: Vitalite 
Hard butter: Flora plant
Milk: Soya milk or coconut milk
Cream: Forget it! 
Double cream: Absolutely forget it!!!

Carotenes

My allergy frustrates me. I've known for many years that beta-carotene is the offender. I've never really been able to eat carrots and over the years, other foods have given me bad reactions and so we've gradually worked out that the common ingredient is beta-carotene... but basically, I now avoid all carotenes.

Having said that, until we moved to Finland, it was only a handful of veg and fruit that actually triggered an allergic response. So I couldn't eat carrot, suede, beetroot, mango, apricots... that kind of thing, but I could eat lots of other things. I don't really know what happened. Repeated exposure to carrot/suede on the 'special diets' bar at school didn't help but I suspect stress, age and some unknown factors have also played a part.

The upshot is that my allergy mutates from time to time, and things I could previously eat, I suddenly (often with dramatic effect) can't. A good example of this was kale. I'd eaten it without problems for years and then suddenly had it one day and burned up from head to toe and turned beetroot red... and now I can't eat it. It was the same with carotenes as an additive. So now, I can't eat anything that has even the smallest amount of carotenes as a colouring, e.g. margarine, most ice creams... in fact many processed goods.

The main problem with this allergy, is identifying where it might be hiding. It isn't on the list of allergens, so it is rarely in bold. It is almost never in the allergy book at restaurants. You can give a list of foods to be aware of, but the list is very long and it could also be just added as 'natural flavourings and colourings'. It is E160 with/without letters after its name, vitamin A, carotenes, or sometimes something as innocuous as pumpkin seeds. 

I can tell people I'm allergic to it and they will promise to check everything but I live with it and get it wrong. I really don't expect others to manage it with much accuracy!

Nuts

My brother and a cousin are allergic to nuts. One is more serious than the other and has resulted in a couple of facial transitions into the Elephant Man. Fortunately, neither of them have completely stared death in the face yet, but this is an allergy that gets worse with each exposure, so it's important not to get it wrong!

The bake-off

Burger buns

Last time, I made Becky Excell's brioche-style burger buns and they were quite nice but Neil found them a bit heavy going. So this time, I'm having a crack at her floured bread rolls. I made the first batch this morning, before waking Neil, so that if they were no good, we still had time to revert to plan B.

Once baked, I cut one in half, smeared it with butter and strawberry jam, and we had half each for breakfast. It was really nice but the middle was a little cakey. I wonder though, whether they'll be better when cool. Anyway, they were nice enough to attempt a second batch. 

The thing with gluten-free bread is that the dough has to be really sticky and wet. I find it quite tricky to handle, especially with having a tremor! I keep meaning to weigh my empty bowl, so that I can work out the total weight of dough and divide the buns evenly. Today, I went for 5 oz on the first batch but only got seven rolls... then 4 oz on the second batch but the eighth was still quite small. 

Lemon drizzle cake

We tried this last week for the first time and fell in love with it. It has got a really strong lemony flavour and smell. It takes me a while to prepare, as zesting and juicing four lemons takes time. 

The cake mix itself is quite a runny, batter-like mix but it cooks up really nicely. The lemon drizzle always feels like overkill. It drowns the cake in the tin but in the end, it all soaks up, giving an insensely lemony flavour. Lovely! 

Sticky toffee puddings

Well I was going to photograph these. They are very popular though and we had to intervene to stop my 13 year old niece from eating them all up! She surrounded them with spray cream and added a whole strawberry. 

I normally make a sticky toffee sauce to go on top but the recipe requires double cream and we can't find a dairy free alternative that doesn't also have carotenes in. Jolly poor show from the cream manufacturers! Never mind though, pouring cream is nice too and there are alternatives for that!

Tour of North Yorkshire and Northumberland - day 7

Morning

I woke this morning, to find myself in a remake of Watership Down. Bunnies everywhere!!!

Liggy is clearly making progress with the whole de-labradoring thing though, as she just looked delighted and wagged her tail and then had her wee and came back in for breakfast. No attempt to chase the bunnies at all!

We had a fairly leisurely morning before getting ready to go on a short hike.

High Force

This is a good example of enjoying what you can, in terms of access. High Force and Low Force are on the Pennine Way, popular walking routes and are set in some amazing scenery. However, in general, the paths are not wheelchair friendly. To be fair, at this time of year, there are so many nettles, they are most definitely not Nicki-friendly either... but there is a paid-for path down to High Force, which is maintained, and though still tricky, is at least doable. The only thing I wonder, is why they always use gravel for these paths. It is so slippy, even for walkers. On the way back, Neil helped push me a little, but with me also propelling, and he had to be really careful not to slip over on the gravel. Anyone pushing a transit wheelchair up there would have a really interesting time!

Anyway, having navigated the path down, which was stunning in places (and, for me, a little terrifying in places) we reached the viewing point. I took some photos while Neil took Liggy down some steps to get closer to the water. You can't go in, it's too dangerous, but you can get quite close. 

The waterfall is beautiful and makes that gushing noise that is really lovely unless you need the toilet. 

It would have been nice to stay there a while but the viewing point was only just big enough for my chair and we were conscious that others would be coming down soon and it would get busy. I wanted to have as much space as possible to slalom between the scariest points on the path and certainly didn't want to risk having to pull over into the nettles to let people pass. 

Phobias

At this point, I think it's worth mentioning how disabling phobias can be. For many months now, I've been in a Facebook group about needle phobia... largely full of people just like me who realised they had to get a Covid vaccination but had successfully avoided injections their entire lives. Reading their posts and knowing I'm not alone in this and being strengthened by their stories of success, really helped me to go through with my vaccinations. 

My other phobias are nettles and wasps. I can't remember the last time we had a holiday this far into summer, and to be honest, as I said at the beginning of these posts, it was never the plan. However, it is now early July and we haven't seen a single wasp all holiday. I don't know whether it is just a good year, divine protection to give me a week's break (or Neil), or just that they aren't out in force yet... but I have actually relaxed and enjoyed this holiday, which is good.

Nettles are actually my worst phobia. Obviously, they don't fly or chase you but they do sort of hide in unsuspecting places and they gather in large groups. Now, as a wheelchair user, they are often much taller than me and when it gets windy, they wave around and get all intimidating. Worst of all is when someone decided to either pick them or whack them. I think I would have maybe grown out of this phobia if it hadn't been for people picking them and using them to scare me as a child. 

I have a theory that sometimes cravings and fears, and even intense dislikes can actually be nature's way of protecting us. When I have, in the past got too close to nettles, usually in a vain attempt to overcome the fear, I've had serious allergic reactions... much worse than normal nettle rash. Plus the seeds/pollen from them trigger my hayfever and asthma quite badly. Even this week, I've had a couple of days where I had coughing attacks, related to hayfever and asthma, coincidently after being closer than I'd like to my enemies. And we all know how socially unacceptable coughing is right now! 

Anyway, if you have a phobia... something that sits there in the back of your mind, influencing every decision you make, every plan, every outing... just know you are not alone. It's rubbish! It might seem ridiculous to others but to you it is very real. Be kind to yourself and just do what you can and don't feel under pressure from others to overcome it instantly. My experience is that failure makes it worse and success certainly helps, so go at your pace and celebrate little successes. That's what I did today. I enjoyed the walk and the waterfall and, with a bit of help from Neil, I did something I thought I would never do.

NE39/21

Our journey south towards Ripon was lovely. We stopped off at another BritStop - a farm shop - just off the A66, to buy some bits and pieces for dinner, but thought how good that one would be for an overnight on the way to Scotland via Carlisle. 

Tonight's BritStop is an ice cream parlour, which was great for a mid-afternoon arrival in hot sun! I had a 2 scoop salted caramel, and rhubarb and custard ice cream tub. It was soooooo refreshing and tasty! Later, Neil went back and spent a small fortune stocking up on ice cream tubs to take home. Glad Zerubbabel has a decent sized freezer!

The place itself is on a busy road and there's nowhere to walk Liggy, but to be honest, she's had tonnes of exercise this week and there are chickens everywhere, so just practising ignoring the chickens is probably the best exercise for now.

Abrupt ending

The plan was to visit Fountain's Abbey tomorrow, however, the weather forecast is pretty wet and miserable... possibly even thunder storms, and then something happened to change our plans.

About eight in the evening, well after the ice cream place had closed, cars started arriving. At first, it looked like people were just pulling in for a rest and then leaving, but soon we realised, they were all dropping off young people, in strange dress (including fur coats... yes, all of them) and many carrying cans of beer. They were all going to the house over the road, which was gradually becoming noisy with chatter and music. 

Neil went to ask one of the new arrivals what was happening and whether we should expect a noisy night. He explained that it was an end of year party for sixth formers and he hoped it would be finished by midnight, as he was driving people home afterwards (and therefore couldn't even have a drink). We had a quick chat about the situation and decided that sleep was too important, and as tomorrow really only offered the opportunity to get soaked, and we have been to Fountain's Abbey many times before... we would call it a day, pack up and go home a night early.

Conscious that quick getaways are often the cause of mistakes... we were particularly careful to follow our leaving site checklist, to make sure we didn't forget anything. The journey home, though now quite late, was actually very pleasant and it was nice to be back in our own beds.

Liggy was extremely excited to be back home. She loves being on holiday but she is a definite home-bird and did zoomies round the garden and the living room to show how pleased she was to be back.

Tour of North Yorkshire and Northumberland - day 6

Morning

Knowing that we didn’t have far to drive, and an 11:00 entrance ticket, we took the opportunity to do a few little jobs… vacuum the motorhome out (how much hair can one dog produce?!!) and ensure that water was full to the brim and waste and toilet empty before leaving to go off grid again.

Our journey out was well planned to avoid the road closure, and it worked fine. I had hoped that the A road stretch would feel more, well, A-roady, which it didn’t. At some point, I must find out how they define and A and a B road, as some are decidedly similar.

Chester’s Fort and Hadrian’s Wall

I’d booked this one because it is an English Heritage site and so, as members, it’s free to us. The car park wasn’t huge but there was a section for coaches, so we parked there. Apparently, when we joined, we got a car sticker, which we should have put in the window. I can’t remember seeing one, though I may have stuck it in the car and forgot about it. Anyway, it wasn’t in the motorhome window, so Neil went to find out how helpful the staff were feeling. Thankfully he returned with a second sticker.

This was a definite mountain trike day, as most of the site is over grass. They have allowed some of it to grow into wild meadow areas but have mowed quite wide paths to show where to walk. It was very beautiful and interesting to look at the ruins of the fort and read about life there. Unfortunately, all the ruins were fenced and the entry points were by steps, so Neil could have a look round but I couldn’t. Whilst I would have preferred to be able to join him, I had half expected this, and was happy to just do what I could.

The path down to the river looked too steep and tricky, so I let Neil take Liggy down for a paddle. She seemed to really have enjoyed that, as she came bounding back to me, with all the enthusiasm of a small child, desperate to tell me about her adventures. Neil tried to persuade her to jump up on my lap with her wet paws and harness but she flatly refused. Clever girl!

Lunch

Lunch was a bit of a disaster. We decided to buy something from the tea rooms but they didn’t have a huge choice and weren’t very sure about allergy information, beyond the allergens book. This is the problem with having a non-standard allergy. Beta-carotene is in so many things, you can’t even begin to list them all. I ended up getting a sausage sandwich, and they said they’d use butter instead of marg. Unfortunately, when it came, it was on seeded bread, and that generally means pumpkin seeds, which I know from prior experience is not a good move. A bit disappointed, I ate the sausages, gave Neil the bread and then headed back to Zerubbabel to toast a couple of crumpets.

Museum

The museum was pretty basic, a collection of engraved stones and artefacts. It was nice to be out of the sun for a while though, as it was another hot day. The only thing that really struck me, when looking at the stones and their inscriptions, was that verse in Acts 17:23, where it says, “For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found and altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.” They really did have altars to every god you could possibly think of. The contrast between that and the monks at Lindisfarne and Whitby was quite stark.

NE98/21

Mrs Google had kindly offered us three options for our journey south. They all included long stretches on windy B roads and none looked particularly appealing, so, on the advice of a lady at Chester’s, we popped into Fourstones to fill up with diesel and then took the most direct route down the B6319.

The first part, whilst pretty, was very narrow and windy, and had a lot of trees over the road, making it feel quite dark and enclosed. After a while though, the trees thinned out and although the road was still narrow, the views were spectacular! We realised afterwards, we were driving right through the centre of the North Pennines.

At some point, Mrs Google decided we were becoming too familiar with B roads and took us on some (fortunately not too long) detour along what was little more than a farm track. It was one of those situations, where it looked a little narrow but still a road but soon had us wondering whether it was actually a real road. I have to confess feeling more than mild panic at one point, but then it spat us out, back onto B roads. By contrast, the B road suddenly felt quite wide!

Then we began to climb… higher… higher… over cattle grids (at least three)… higher. It was stunning! I was really hoping that when we reached the top, there might be a viewing point, but alas, no. However, Neil spotted a couple of Chinooks coming our way, and this motivated him to pull over and give me chance to take some photos.

The BritStop

I get the feeling this is one of the more popular BritStops. The car park is huge and you just give the staff your registration number and that allows you to park overnight without paying for parking. When we arrived, the car park had many day trippers parked up, some lying in the sun on the grass, just enjoying the atmosphere. By now, it was full afternoon heat, so we treated ourselves to an ice cream – expensive but much needed and very tasty.

The hotel isn’t wheelchair accessible, so that confirmed our decision to order a meal to take to the motorhome. There wasn’t a huge choice and again allergy information was lacking, so I ended up with a burger. It was okay… wouldn’t have been my first choice, but it was tasty and filled a hole… quite a big hole actually. In fact the hole might not have been quite as big as the meal! I swear, I’m going to start ordering my meals from the children’s menu!

After dinner, by early evening, we were alone in this huge car park, and we took Liggy for a little walk before retiring to a game of cards. It was fascinating, watching out of the window, as wild rabbits and even pheasant came out of hiding to reclaim their environment.

Tour of North Yorkshire and Northumberland - day 5

Morning

Well that was a surprise! I had heard the wind during the night, and it was chilly enough to add a blanket over my duvet, but I hadn’t expected rain! Then some $%^&*# had left a plastic bag of food out, rather than put it in the bins (by the entrance) and a seagull and several crows were ripping it apart on the path outside our pitch. I tried to intervene but I only had my stick and it was too far to walk to the bins. To get my chair out, I’d have needed Neil. Anyway, eventually, he woke to the noise and (bless him) got up and took the rubbish to the bin.

Unlike yesterday, we hadn’t planned an early getaway, so poor Neil… but hey ho! We got up and ready, and off we went.

Alnwick Castle

It wasn’t technically far to the castle but as Google Maps instructions go, this one was truly terrible! The car parking situation was a little unclear from the website, so I was hoping for some kind of human interaction to guide us… and maybe some local signage. Well the signage was only marginally more helpful than Google but it was at least sufficient to tell us that Mrs Google had got the whole thing completely wrong. Unfortunately, that only became clear once we had passed the entrance to the car park. So for once, it was me telling poor Neil to ‘make a U-turn as soon as possible’. Have you ever tried making a literal U-turn in a 7m vehicle? Well Neil has, and did a superb job of it.

I was looking for coach parking and/or accessible parking. Well there was accessible parking with a coach drop off, so we figured the place must be big enough for us and we could always perform another U-turn if necessary. Fortunately my friendly human was on the gate and told us where to park in the accessible car park.

From the car park, signage was still a little lacking in places but there were members of staff everywhere to ask and they were all lovely, though mostly just wanted to fuss Liggy.

This was the first attraction this week where dogs are not allowed… only assistance dogs. In some ways, I prefer this because there are no other dogs to distract Liggy. On the other hand, it is when she’s the lone wolf that everybody (yes, I mean everybody) wants to pet her, ask questions about her and tell me about their experience of being a puppy parent for Guide Dogs for the Blind (or whatever they call their puppy parents). To be fair, if we’re just having a day out, I don’t mind so much. Liggy loves all the fuss and as it’s her holiday too, I don’t mind her getting all the attention. Most people are actually very polite about it. Yesterday, several people asked before touching and asked if I minded telling them what she does to help me. It’s a great opportunity to sell Canine Partners.

The castle itself was semi-accessible. As at Beamish, I decided it was a Loopwheels/Freewheel kind of day. There were a few steps to get in but Neil helped me up and then carried my chair. Then there was a lift – the smallest lift I have ever seen! Good job I’m not remotely claustrophobic! Going round the castle was interesting. I hadn’t realised that somebody actually lived there. It was funny having a mixture of all the medieval stuff with modern things like a bar and foosball table.

In the grounds, there were various talks. We stopped to listen to one about the history and chemistry of soap. Picked up some interesting tips there! Then we listened to one about armour and weapons. No useful tips there, given we don’t live in a battle zone… but relatable to putting on the full armour of God, and all that.

From the castle, we wandered into the town of Alnwick, but it was just a normal town centre and was narrow and busy so we went back and had a hot chocolate in the grounds instead.

Bellingham Camping and Caravanning Club Site

By the time we left, we had forgiven Mrs Google for her earlier misdemeanours and gave her a second chance to prove herself. I popped in the site name and clicked Start, as you do, and off we went… past the U-turn place and through town. As I confirmed to Neil that yet, we are going straight on at the junction, I also saw the sign. Low bridge, height 9’ 6”. Let’s turn left instead, eh? Thankfully, it worked out fine.

The rest of the journey, she performed well… except that it was an hour and a bit’s drive along a B road. It was narrow, windy, hilly but through the Northumberland National Park, which is an area of outstanding national beauty… and it really is! It was a real balancing act between watching the road and being drawn to the amazing landscapes before us.

The campsite is totally different to Beadnell Bay… much quieter, even though it is full, and really pretty. We took Liggy for her acclimatisation walk once we were set up, and lots of people wanted to chat, do doggy introductions and so on. We’re sited right near the entrance, such that the motorhome service point is right in front of us, which will be dead handy in the morning!

After dinner, we decided to take a walk into the village, where we’d seen a Co-op. It looked like a half decent pavement, though quite narrow, so Neil took Liggy and I took my Freewheel. Apart from a couple of missing dropped curbs and a car parked blocking the pavement, it was an easy enough walk, about a mile and back into town. We also took the opportunity to take a look at our options for roads out, as the main road south is currently closed. We bumped into a couple of locals and one used to work for the highways agency and knew the exact height of a bridge on one of our options. He said it is 3.5 m. That’s going to be a little close for my liking so we’ll take the slightly longer route and avoid it.