By Beth Dillon You can also listen to this blog post here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-luna-project/episodes/Representation-in-Media-by-Beth-Dillon-e2gip4e It was being on the cusp of high school when I felt like I really started to need representation in media, and having been a keen reader all throughout my childhood, books were my first introduction. The first one I read, which …
This blog post is part of the Dear Teacher series we’re doing for Education month, where members of the LUNA community share the role teachers have had in their lives. We’ll be celebrating all the times they got this right and what we wish they knew and could have done differently to support the disabled, …
Updated: May 13, 2022 By Beth Dillon (she/her) Listen to the blog here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1cdvv7S9pI6HZ4O3C0b0c7?si=71ad6bea33de4e09 This month Rose Ayling – Ellis, a Deaf actress from London, won Strictly Come Dancing. Rose uses British Sign Language (BSL) and throughout the series we saw her navigate the competition beautifully, with accessibility adjustments such as an interpreter with her …
By Ally, Beth, and Ross A note in June 2021: The need for accessibility is a common undercurrent in the lives of disabled people and something that never leaves conversations surrounding disability. Two of our earliest blog posts (published October 2019) were on this very topic, and much of what we talked about then still …
Part two of a three-part LUNA Project Series, by Rachael Banks and Ally Lloyd My assumption was that studying medicine with a chronic illness or disability was likely to be an experience in which you felt supported, as the staff would understand what is going on. Your perspective would be valued, as the kind of …
By Jack Schofield (he/him) and Beth Dillon (she/her) In this piece Jack (18) and Beth (20), share their experiences of being in secondary school. Schools which were, despite the best intentions and actions of some individuals, part of a system that fundamentally didn’t work for students who were Disabled, or who had a chronic illness. …
By Beth Dillon (she/her) The term ‘transition’ has numerous meanings, however in this context it refers predominantly to the move from paediatrics (children’s) to adult services. This process is usually completed around ages 16-18 but often starts as young as 13. It can also refer to the move between different services for instance in my …
By Beth (she/her), 20 Listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ewwYrpaxo9hN2AuL0U1Zj?si=f6fa584744af435a Having a long term chronic illness can result in feeling like you are ‘ losing’ lots of things. Being diagnosed at a young age perhaps lessens these feelings; growing up you only pick the things which you are capable of. For instance, I never really have …
By Beth Dillon (she/her), Ross Tanner (he/they), and Ally Lloyd (she/her) Hospital stays are a seemingly inevitable part of having a long term health condition, and can be difficult for lots of different reasons. There’s the isolation, stress, worry, missing out on things and the fact that you usually feel completely rubbish. We are writing …
By Beth Dillon (she/her) and Ross Tanner (he/they) Loneliness is something that we tend to talk about purely in relation to elderly people, but it is something that can affect young people too. All young people experience feelings of loneliness; growing up involves lots of challenges: moving from school to university, changes in your support …