Back Blogging, Who Am I?

I’m not sure how to begin this blog post; welcome back, hello or any other friendly introduction. The reason for the uncertainty is because this is a rebirth of my blog A Journey In My Wheels as I first started it in 2016. I had just graduated university and I was starting to look for a job but struggled to find one near to where I live. After being in education my whole life I was a bit lost and didn’t know what to do with myself. That’s when my mum and her friend suggested I start a blog as I always share stories with friends and family about accessibility problems I face and stigma about my disability so why don’t I share them with the world. So that’s what I started to do, October 2016 A Journey In My Wheels began.

Unfortunately though, at the beginning of 2020 the security of my blog was affected, and I lost all my content. I wasn’t sure what to do. Due to starting my new job at the end of 2019 and of course the start of a global pandemic at the start of 2020, I wasn’t really feeling the motivation to write anything. What would I write about? It’s not like I’m doing anything interesting. I did begin a series of lockdown diaries, but it was getting a little bit repetitive. I’m back now though with a slightly new look to my website and hopefully more riveting content that’s more than just “I watched another movie today, went on another walk and done another face mask.” Although I mean has anything changed much since this time last year? A lot has for me but I will speak about that in the next blog post where I’ll also talk more about how I’m feeling about this strange new world we live in. As well as new blog posts, I’ll also share similar posts from my previous blog as I feel I talked about some really good topics and I have some saved on my laptop.

For now though, I thought I’d briefly share why I started A Journey In My Wheels for new readers that have just come across my blog. So, I probably should have reintroduced myself by now but my name is Claire and I am a full time electric wheelchair user. As I’m writing this post I am 26 years old and I was born with Congenital Muscular Dystrophy. My acceptance towards my disability has always been a rollercoaster of a journey and still is sometimes, but I think that’s due to how disabilities are portrayed in society. We’re seen as these poor souls that are unwell and unable to live their lives. It’s a miracle that we can get up in the morning and I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been told “aw it’s so good you’re out and about” when I’m doing simple things like shopping in Primark. I don’t have much confidence though when I come face to face with those sorts of situations, I usually just smile and say “thank you”. That’s why I started this blog to show people that my disability doesn’t define me, I am just like everyone else and like everyone else I just want to live my life the way I want. I come across many barriers in my day-to-day life but like my logo shows, I just knock them down and move on. Throughout my life I’ve wanted people to see past the wheelchair and just see me as a person. Society is definitely improving in term of how disabilities are perceived but there’s still a lot to be changed and I just hope the work I do through A Journey In My Wheels helps with that.

I look forward to continuing my journey with this new blog and if there is anything in the future you would like me to speak about on my blog, please do not hesitate to contact me.