Tag: Visual impairment

My Writing

Theatre feature in the Guardian

Caroline Butterwick

Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful, enjoyable time over the Christmas break. I met up with family, spent time cosying up with books and magazines, and – importantly – gave myself a few days’ break from work. It’s left me feeling refreshed and excited about 2022.

And I’m really happy to have started this year with a feature published by the Guardian – which you can read here. The piece is on my experience of watching a play – A Chorus Line, at Curve theatre in Leicester – with audio description, and attending a pre-show talk for visually impaired people beforehand. For years, I’ve struggled with theatre as a partially sighted person. I find it hard to follow the action on stage, and find myself getting frustrated as I lose track of what’s happening. I’ve been curious about trying an accessible performance for a while, so this was a really interesting commission.

Photo shows a row of people wearing gold costumes on a dark stage
A Chorus Line at Curve Leicester – photo by Marc Brenner

In the feature, I talk about the experience of the pre-show talk and audio description, and how it helped me truly enjoy theatre for the first time. I hope this article helps highlight to others that options like this are available, and also the importance of accessibility for disabled audiences. I’ve had a really lovely response to the feature from readers, which makes it all so worthwhile.

I’m hoping that this positive start to 2022 is a sign of how things will continue! I’m excited to be working on other commissions at the moment, as well as nervously waiting on news on some big projects (and trying not to obsessively check my emails hoping for updates…!). And, of course, I have plenty of PhD work, with lots to do as I write my memoir, as well as research around disability and life writing.

I’m feeling very fortunate to have so many lovely things to work on at the moment. I’m not a big winter person, so having lots of writing to focus on definitely helps me through the darker months of the year. I hope that 2022 is a good year for us all.

My Writing

Use Your Voice article for PosAbility magazine

Caroline Butterwick

I’m really happy to have an article, “Use Your Voice”, published in the current issue of the always wonderful PosAbility magazine. It’s also available to read on the PosAbility website here.

Photo shows the front cover of a magazine

The feature is about how disabled people can use our experiences of living with disability, whether campaigning for policy changes or blogging about what it’s like to live with our conditions. I talk about my role as a member of mental health social work charity Think Ahead’s Service User and Carer Reference Group, where those of us with lived experience of mental ill health are involved in the recruitment and training of future mental health social workers. I’ve been a member of SUCRG for around two years, and it’s really rewarding to be able to share my experiences to help improve services. I always enjoy our meetings and getting involved in teaching activities with Think Ahead. I also talk about how I started a group for disabled students when I was an undergraduate, and how we campaigned for change on campus and made sure disabled student voices were heard at the university.

Photo shows part of the page of a magazine article, called "use your voice", with some of the text visible and an illustration of a person using a megaphone.

As well as talking about my own experience, the article gives examples of how disabled people can find opportunities to get into a variety of lived experience work. We all have something valuable to offer by sharing our stories, and I hope that this article inspires others to get involved.

My Writing, PhD

A walk through other people’s expectations

Caroline Butterwick

Anyone else feeling relieved that spring is nearly here? I’ve been loving the fresh smell in the air and the sight of crocuses and daffodils on my daily walks. I love that it’s lighter each evening, and the increasing warmth each day brings.

I’m excited to share that I’ve had an article published today by the Wellcome Collection, entitled “A walk through other people’s expectations” – it’s available to read here. The article is structured around a hike up Loughrigg Fell in the Lake District and weaves together two of my interests, disability and hiking, in an exploration of what it means to be a visually impaired walker.

A photo of a view from a mountain walk, looking down at a lake

This was such an enjoyable commission to work on. The ways disabled people often have to navigate other people’s perceptions and expectations of us is something I’ve been acutely aware of for many years as a visually impaired person. It’s also an important theme emerging in my PhD so far – the idea that societal expectations of disability affect how disabled people feel and behave, like feeling apprehensive about using a white cane or other mobility aid.

I hope the article resonates with other disabled people, as well as giving an insight to nondisabled people about this topic.

Photo shows the view from the summit of a mountain, with a man holding a map and looking ahead

It was also lovely to be writing about my favourite place, the Lake District, in this article. I can’t wait until I’m able to visit again and go fell walking, and maybe even dinner and live jazz at the wonderful Zeffirellis restaurant in Ambleside…

I’m really lucky to have other articles due to be published in the coming months that I’m excited to share, and other writing I’m working on, as well as of course my PhD. Lockdown is a challenging time for everyone, and while, of course, I completely agree with the restrictions, it is still hard being away from friends and family. My mental health was really affected in the first lockdown last year, and I’m glad to say that this time round I’ve found it easier to manage. Maybe it’s the spring-like weather, but I’m feeling cautiously hopeful about the future. I can’t wait until we can safely meet up with loved ones again, sitting out in the garden in the warmth. Until then, I’m fortunate that I have plenty to keep me distracted at home. I hope that more good times are ahead.

My Writing

Coming to terms with a long term condition

Caroline Butterwick

I have an article in the November issue of the always wonderful Happiful magazine, and also available to read on their website. My piece has ideas on how to come to terms with a long term health condition or disability, drawing on my own experience of living with a visual impairment and mental ill health.

The feature includes suggestions such as connecting with other disabled people, how to talk to your loved ones about your condition, and using creative activities to help you work through your thoughts.

Disability has always been part of my life, and sometimes it has been hard for me to make sense of my feelings about it. I hope this article helps others, whether dealing with a new diagnosis or having experienced an impairment their whole life.

I always love writing for Happiful magazine, and I’ve enjoyed reading through the November issue, which has some great features on topics like understanding our surge capacity and signs of anxiety. I recommend taking a look at their website or picking up a copy of the print magazine for some wonderful articles exploring all aspects of mental health and wellbeing.

My Writing, PhD

Starting my PhD

Caroline Butterwick

I’m excited to have, since last week, become a PhD student!

My PhD is in Creative Writing and is on memoir as counter narrative: using creative nonfiction to explore visual impairment and mental illness and challenge dominant models of disability. It’s wonderfully being funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council / Midlands4Cities – I’m very grateful for their support.

I’m studying at De Montfort University in Leicester, commuting from Staffordshire once I’m able to do face-to-face learning again – until then, it’s Skype / Teams, which so far is working well. It’s a little daunting of course starting something so big, but I’m looking forward to seeing the journey this PhD takes me on.

I’m feeling very lucky and still slightly bewildered to have this opportunity to research and write about something I’m so passionate about.

My Writing

Misconceptions about sight loss

Caroline Butterwick

I have a feature in the September issue of the lovely Happiful magazine that explores common misconceptions about sight loss. It’s also available to read on their website.

The article explores some of the views I’ve come across about what it means to be blind or partially sighted. It looks at things like the perception that anyone who uses a cane has no vision at all, whereas many of us with a visual impairment have some level of sight. Personally, I use a cane in busy or unfamiliar places to signal to others that I’m not being rude if I bump into them and that I may need some extra space to find my way about – this is especially true right now with social distancing being so important when out and about.

Other areas covered in the feature include how we access sports and the arts, visual impairment and work, and how people with sight loss can enjoy fashion and beauty.

I loved writing this piece – disability is one of my key areas as a writer, and I enjoy drawing on my experiences in a helpful way. I’m happy too that it’s my third article published by Happiful this year. Happiful is a great monthly magazine focused on wellbeing, and they also have a brilliant website that’s well worth a look.

My Writing

Accessible wedding feature for PosAbility magazine

Caroline Butterwick

It certainly brightened my morning when the new issue of PosAbility magazine came through the post. I always enjoy reading this disability lifestyle magazine, but it was especially nice to see my feature ‘The Perfect Day’ about planning an inclusive wedding gracing its pages.

Posability 2
Disability is my main area of focus as a writer, from writing for the Guardian about disabled student support to features on accessible travel. I’m also pretty wedding obsessed – Gary and I got married in July last year, and I was one of those brides who loved when people asked me about what I was doing for table decorations or the first dance or cake flavours.

 
Accessibility was a key part of my wedding planning, with me and several guests being disabled, and I realised that through the process of organising an accessible wedding I’d picked up lots of tips that could be useful for others.

posability 10
I really enjoyed writing this feature – not least because it was an excuse to talk weddings! I hope it helps others who may be thinking ahead to their own big day or that of someone they know to help make it an inclusive and enjoyable experience for all.

My Writing

In The Moment article on embracing my disabled identity

Caroline Butterwick

I have a feature in the new issue of the gorgeous In The Moment magazine that’s out today. The article is about accepting – and celebrating – my identity as a disabled person.

ITM magazine

I’ve always been partially sighted. My impairment is something I tried to ignore growing up, certainly until my late teens, but now I see it as an integral part of my identity. From going on to work in disability roles in higher education and the charity sector through to my freelance writing where disability is one of my key focuses and areas of interest, embracing my identity as a visually impaired person has shaped my life so much, and for the better. I’ve also made some wonderful friends through being involved in disability groups.

ITM 1

Still, writing this feature for In The Moment was challenging. It’s one of the more personal articles I’ve had published, and it made me really think about my journey and the things that have influenced it. It can be hard to pinpoint what has shaped me, but I enjoyed reflecting on and exploring this while writing the article.

If you’ve read my blog before, you’ll know that disability is one of the main areas I write about. Being disabled impacts on all areas of my life, and I enjoy sharing my experiences through my writing, especially when disabled voices are so often underrepresented.

ITM 2

I hope, sometimes, that others may read my work and see part of their reality reflected in my words. I hope, too, that people who don’t have lived experience of disability feel it gives them an insight into a perspective they’re unfamiliar with.

I’m excited to share that I have other features about disability, including one I’m currently working on, coming up in other magazines this year, and hopefully many after that.

 

My Writing

PosAbility magazine article

Caroline Butterwick

I have spent this evening curled up listening to the summer rain while drinking (decaf) coffee and reading through the 50th issue of PosAbility magazine.

This wonderful disability lifestyle magazine has been around for five years now. I’ve been a subscriber for part of that time and always enjoy reading each issue, from travel features to advice on disability related topics. This 50th edition sees the magazine have a total redesign, making it look much more modern and engaging.

PosAbility article

And I’m very happy to have a feature in this special issue of PosAbility! I talk about disabled student support (which seems to becoming my area of expertise!), reflecting on my journey from nervous fresher to completing my MA.

I write about disability a lot as it’s an area where I have a lot of lived experience to draw on, and I love sharing my experiences in the hope that they will help others who are going through similar things.