My Way Access

16/03/2026

My Way Access has published a working draft of our response to the Northern Ireland Executive’s Draft Disability Strategy 2025–2035.

We were part of the original co-design group and believe Deaf and Disabled people deserve a strategy that delivers real change.

Read the draft response here: cutt.ly/WtUi8uBI

15/03/2026

My Way Access was part of the original co-design panel for the Disability Strategy.

So reading the current draft has been deeply frustrating and, if I’m honest, very disappointing.

Many across the disability sector feel exactly the same. Deaf and disabled people, organisations, advocates and families have spent years sharing our lived experience and helping shape what a meaningful strategy should look like.

We did that work in good faith. We believed it would lead to real change.

But this draft falls far short of what was promised. It reads like weak aspirations rather than a plan for real action.

Deaf and disabled people deserve more than warm words and empty promises. We deserve a strategy with clear commitments, accountability and outcomes that actually improve our lives.

If you believe Deaf and disabled people in Northern Ireland deserve better, please sign and share the petition.

Your voice matters. The more people who speak up, the harder it will be to ignore.

Please take a moment to sign and share.

I've signed this open letter calling on the NI Executive to revise the Draft Disability Strategy - will you add your name too?

15/03/2026

Mother’s Day can be joyful for some people and complicated for others.

Today I want to recognise disabled mothers who raise families while dealing with barriers society still throws in their way.

I also want to thank the mothers who stand beside disabled children and adults every day. Many of them become advocates, fighters and campaigners simply because the system leaves their loved ones behind.

And for many of us, Mother’s Day is also a day of remembrance. Thinking of the mothers who are no longer with us, but whose influence still shapes our lives.

Motherhood, disability and advocacy are deeply connected. Today we recognise them all.

08/03/2026

International Women’s Day celebrates equality.

But disabled women face ableism and sexism, and women carers are too often invisible.

Today I recognise disabled women and women carers.

Equality means all women.

01/03/2026

Happy International Wheelchair Day 2026.

"My wheelchair is not a sign of my weakness, it allows me to reach the potential of my strength.

I am not bound my chair, but it gives me the key to see the world.

Do not pity me, my chair or look at me for inspiration.

See the man in the chair - I am Dermot."

28/02/2026

My life as a wheelchair user driving over cobbles streets

23/02/2026

My Way Access was part of the original co-design panel for Disability Strategy.

We are deeply disappointed by what’s in this current draft. So are many across the wider disability sector.

Please sign and share. We need a strategy that delivers real change, not weak aspirations.

Please sign and share this petition widely. Deaf and Disabled people across Northern Ireland deserve more than a token gesture.

The current Draft Disability Strategy is woefully inadequate and fails to deliver the change our communities need.

We’re calling on Executive Ministers to listen, work with Deaf and Disabled people, and produce a strategy that will genuinely improve our lives.

Add your name and share:
👉 cutt.ly/Wtme6wqP

19/02/2026

An MLA pay rise of £14,000.

At the same time, post-18 education funding for young people with SEN isn’t available.

Disabled people’s services are being cut.

And the proposed Disability Strategy?
No meaningful financial commitment to make a tangible difference to Deaf and disabled people’s lives.

So what are we left with?

A document full of warm words.
Hopes.
Aspirations.

But no funded action.

How can elected representatives justify awarding themselves a substantial pay rise while telling disabled people there’s “no money” for education, support services, or real implementation of rights?

A strategy without financial backing is not a strategy. It’s a brochure.

Post-18 support is the difference between opportunity and isolation. Between independence and being pushed back into dependency. Between dignity and exclusion.

This isn’t about envy. It’s about priorities.

When politicians secure £14,000 more each, while disabled people are handed cuts and unfunded promises, it sends a clear message about whose lives are valued.

Disabled people deserve more than recycled commitments and empty frameworks.

We deserve funded change.

Right now, the priorities are fundamentally wrong.

18/02/2026

Another productive meeting with IMTAC this afternoon on Zoom.

We discussed a lot of important issues that impact a lot of deaf and disabled people.

If you are interested in joining IMTAC: imtac.org.uk/member-recruitment

Recruitment closes on Thursday 26th February 2026 at 5pm.

14/02/2026

Valentine’s Day can feel like a strange one when you’re single, especially as a disabled person.

So much of what we see today is built around the idea that love looks one specific way. Fancy dinners. Big gestures. Perfect couples in perfect places. But for many disabled people, life doesn’t always fit into that neat little picture.

Dating can come with extra barriers. Inaccessible venues. Assumptions about what we can or can’t do. The quiet prejudice that says disabled people are somehow less desirable, less independent, or less worthy of romance. Those attitudes still exist, even if people don’t always say them out loud.

But here’s the truth. Being single doesn’t mean being incomplete. It doesn’t mean you’re waiting for your life to start. And it certainly doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of love.

Love isn’t just about couples. It’s about friends who check in. Family who care. Neighbours who help. Communities that include you. And it’s about the kind of self-respect and resilience that gets you through difficult days.

As a single disabled man, I’ve learned that independence, dignity, and connection matter far more than the picture-perfect version of romance sold to us every February.

So today, whether you’re coupled up or on your own, I hope you’re treated with kindness. And more importantly, I hope you treat yourself with it too.

Because everyone deserves love. And that includes you.

mywayaccess.com/not-half-a-person-reflections-on-valentines-day

04/02/2026

Today I popped out for tea with a friend and came home with my powered wheelchair wheels covered in dog p**p.

It is not just unpleasant. It means cleaning wheels, floors and carpets and bringing that mess straight into my home.

For wheelchair users, this is a hygiene issue and an accessibility barrier.

If you have a dog, please scoop the p**p. 💜

02/02/2026

As Convener of People, Streets and Places Working Group at IMTAC, I encourage all deaf and disabled people to join IMTAC, especially those from rural communities.

Your voice is important in making our travel and streets accessible and inclusive for all.

Closing date for applications is the 26th February 2026.

Please share.

imtac.org.uk/member-recruitment