‘The act does nothing to protect your rights when entering a business with a guide dog or an assistance dog and business can legally turn you away.’ I run a charity organisation called Ability Access Legal, it was set up to represent people who face disability discrimination in the workplace, completely free of charge. Since… Continue reading The Equality Act, has nothing to do with equality.
Like millions of people across the UK, I receive Personal Independence Payments because I am in a wheelchair, I need help accessing the community and help with personal care. This was not always the case I became disabled in 2014, following a spinal injury and had never claimed any benefits before this. In that time, I have tried to express my voice… Continue reading The DWP’s Christmas insult.
London is one of the best places in the world to go shopping. People travel from all over the world to visit the capital and rightly so, it is a spectacular place at Christmas. The Christmas lights, the atmosphere and the Christmas angels hanging over the buses. It is a photographer’s heaven and a tourist… Continue reading The Nightmare Before Christmas at Carnaby Street, according to Snowball.
The Grumpy Gits Podcast have signed a exclusive sponsorship deal with The Disability Expo that will be held in Excel London to Celebrate and Launch Disability Pride Month. The Grumpy Gits Launched just over a year ago the podcast has been a massive success with over 4 million views. The company behind Disability expo is… Continue reading The Grumpy Gits sign MASSIVE podcast sponsorship deal with Disability Expo.
Snowball App A new app called Snowball which has just been released on Apple and Android devices is throwing out some very interesting data regarding disabled access. Snowball visited Loughborough stores last week and carried out access visits to hundreds of places in the town centre this included estate agents, restaurants, banks, building societies, coffee shops, takeaways, casinos, charity shops and other… Continue reading Almost half of disabled customers would not return to Loughborough stores due to access issues.
By Simon Sansome Jet2 Being wheelchair user, I am often frustrated with the lack of accessible booking systems that comes with being disabled. I am fortunate to have a little place in Spain, on the La Manga strip. It is really nice to get out here to do some work in the sun. As a… Continue reading It is official, BREAKING NEWS, it is officially quicker to fly to Spain, than it is to get through to special assistance with Jet2.
By Simon Sansome Like most people who drive around London, my blue badge is essential for parking close to facilities I need to access. Did you know that there are 32 borough councils in the London area, all of them have different rules and regulations on blue badge access and parking? This means you have… Continue reading ‘You need a PhD in Blue Badge logistics’ to visit London
By Simon Sansome Coldplay, are going on tour this summer and is most likely going to be their final tour, and being a Coldplay fan, I wanted to treat myself to one of their final shows. With this in mind I wanted a big blow out at Wembley Stadium and get one of the posh… Continue reading Disability Tax for Coldplay Tickets (update)
Writer Simon Sansome had had his comic book published on Amazon. Three Blind Mice Simon who became disabled in 2014 following an accident was shocked on how little disability is represented in the media, he said: ‘Once you become disabled you try to find something to help you get thought the trauma of becoming disabled,… Continue reading Bloody and Gruesome Comic Book Success.
2021 has been one of the most extraordinary years for me personally, from lockdown to getting in the national press with The Bill spinoff, Sun Hill, to attending the world premiere of my new award-winning film 'Access All Areas'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTMW9i6vjZY&t=4s Monday evening we recorded the Christmas version of our podcast ‘The Grumpy Gits’, with the… Continue reading Sun Hill, Jersey Boys tickets, NCP parking, The Grumpy Gits, Access All Areas film, awards and no disabled car charging points, this story has it all.
By Simon Sansome I am very fortunate to call disability campaigner Adam Pearson one of my closest friends and one of the strongest people I know. We have a fun rivalry each year about which one of us is going to be the most influential disability campaigner in the UK. This year I hope that… Continue reading Disgusting, disgraceful and the need for ‘Dignity after Death’ law. 
A video promoting the awareness of Caudia Equina Syndrome (CES) has hit the internet this week thanks to Ability Access’s Simon Sansome with the assistance of Branded Studios and is having a dramatic impact on a people’s lives. Shirley, 46 from Merseyside has had issues with her bladder and bowels for over 10 years which… Continue reading ‘CES awareness video has changed my life’.
A podcast called The Grumpy Gits has hit the floor running by reaching half a million hits. Presented by TV Presenter and Disability Campaigner Adam Pearson the show is certainly a podcast hit. Available on Facebook pages The Grumpy Gits, Ability Access and AudioBoom it aims to break down barriers on disability, mental health, physical disabilities and of… Continue reading From Sun Hill to Colgate – This podcast has it all. Funny, educational, hard hitting and informative it is a sensation with half a million views.
By Simon Sansome I can pretty much guarantee that 99% of the population in the UK have no idea what Caudia Equina syndrome or CES is? Yet two people in the UK are diagnosed with it every day and it is costing the NHS hundreds of millions of pounds a year. So technically CES is spinal damage. It… Continue reading Cauda Equina Syndrome, the injury NHS doctors fear yet the public know nothing about it.
Bells Amusements in Ingoldmells. By Simon Sansome While the UK is going through a massive heatwave people like myself are heading to the seaside for a family day out and yesterday was one of those days. My parents had set up camp on an Ingoldmells campsite so me, my wife and my nephew and niece decided to join… Continue reading Yesterday, I was asked to leave Amusement Arcade because I was in my mobility scooter.
Earlier this week Ability Access reported about the view in screen seven at Cineworld in Loughborough, where it is impossible to see the full screen. This story was seen and shared by tens of thousands of followers. Cineworld Loughborough After Cineworld tweeted they would investigate Ability Access got this reply about disabled toilets and hoists. … Continue reading Cineworld investigate complaint about view from wheelchair bay in screen seven and reply talking about disabled toilets access. But they say they take ‘equal access very seriously’.
With lockdown beginning to ease more people are feeling confident about going out and about. People started going to restaurants, picnics and of course the cinemas are reopening. While a lot of people are feeling anxiety about going out and about again in crowds, the disabled community are getting back to normal where they do… Continue reading Unless the majority are affected the minority don’t stand a chance.
A new podcast called The Grumpy Gits has hit the floor running by reaching 100,000 hits in its first three episodes. Presented by TV Presenter and Disability Campaigner Adam Pearson the show is certainly a podcast hit. Adam Pearson, Simon Sansome, Chris Leasmith and Duncan Casburn. Available on Facebook page The Grumpy Gits it aims… Continue reading New Podcast is a smash hit with 100,000 hits.
The Grumpy Gits – left to right – Adam Pearson, Simon Sansome, Chris Leasmith and Duncan Casburn. New podcast The Grumpy Gits is presented by TV presenter Adam Pearson with the assistance of journalist Simon Sansome and the original Grumpy Dads, Chris Leasmith and Duncan Casburn it is a show like no other. Adam Pearson,… Continue reading Thursday evening is the launch of a brand-new podcast ‘The Grumpy Gits’.
Television presenters Keith Lemon and Jenny Powell has shown support for an online petition for a full independent investigation for the treatment of people with disabilities, mental health and learning disabilities during the pandemic by the government. Keith Lemon Lemon, the Celebrity Juice presenter, retweeted the petition to his 3.4 million followers on the social… Continue reading Keith Lemon the people’s disability champion?
Gone, forgotten and undervalued. This is what it’s like to be disabled during the pandemic. Disability Campaigner and Ability Access Founder Simon Sansome is calling for an urgent independent inquiry in to the treatment of the disabled community during the pandemic. Simon said: ‘New data has shown that six out of ten people who have… Continue reading Disability campaigner launches petition for urgent inquiry into the treatment of the disabled community during the pandemic.
Front Cover - Three Blind Mice Published author and disability campaigner Simon Sansome has launched a new comic book series called ‘Three Blind Mice’. Simon who became disabled in 2014 following an accident was shocked on how little disability is represented in the media, he said: ‘Once you become disabled you try to find something… Continue reading Disability campaigner get global launch of comic book series, ‘The disabled version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’.
With the new year is well under way and with each new year comes a number of rituals. People will be losing weight (and probably putting it back on within a few weeks), stopping smoking (and then starting again on the first day back at work), and trying to find ‘the one’, the person you… Continue reading Do you tell online daters you have a disability?
It’s 3 o’clock in the morning just after Boxing Day and I have shooting pains in my foot which is keeping me awake. I’ve taken up for thin paracetamol, Ibuprofen and CBD and yet I am sitting here is up from the sofa watching the West Wing on All4, stroking my leg because it won’t… Continue reading The injury that is costing you, £350 million a year and you know nothing about it.
Three Blind Mice set the stage for a new way of doing things. Based around Richard 3rd, it tells the story of how people with disabilities can do anything and even save the world from demons and monsters running around Leicester. Created and written by Simon Sansome and illustrated by Raquel Guerrero it shows Leicester… Continue reading New Sci Fi comic book series puts disability front and centre.
Being stuck at home for the past six months could put a strain on any relationship. A difference with this one is that I am disabled and require more assistance than most people. As a thank you to my wife for the difficult times I thought it would be a nice surprise to take my… Continue reading Disabled Traveller turned away by First Choice for a spontaneous holiday, because of their 28-day booking requirement for accessible rooms (even when there’s availability).
They say moving home is one of the most stressful things you can do, but moving home with a disability can be worse. You have to contact energy companies, insurance, get your mail redirected, change address with Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), blue badge the list is never ending. With most companies you have… Continue reading Shock £300 Virgin Media bill when moving to more accessible home.
In the UK, Covid 19 has been a stressful and isolating disease for the millions of people who have had to shield and are still shielding, so getting out and about after months of isolation is vitally important for the mental health of disabled people and their families. Next in Nottingham But while people are… Continue reading Councils and stores discriminating against Blue Badge holding during crisis.
By Simon Sansome In 2018 I was coming to the end of university degree, I was the oldest person in the class by about 18 years so I didn’t really make many friends on the course, in fact I had more in common with the lecturers than the other students. I went from being newly… Continue reading Finding While Disabled and Finding Myself.
By Simon Sansome Parents have taken to Twitter to show their outrage on Gulliver’s theme parks banning people with disabilities or underlining health conditions because they can not wear face masks on rides. In the lockdown people with disabilities have been shielding for nearly four months as they are scared to go out. Now that… Continue reading Gulliver’s theme parks says stay away to people with disabilities.
By Simon Sansome For most people a scooter getting a flat tyre is not a big issue as they can just get up and walk away. For me it leaves me more isolated than normal, and to top it all off my electric wheelchair is damaged as well. Being disabled means you reply on electronic… Continue reading Business fail to understand how essential and personal electric equipment is to disabled people.
By Simon Sansome People with disabilities have been under represented for years on TV and in film. Getting a job in these industries has never been harder. So much so that the BBC have committed £100 million of public funds to encourage people into the industry making it easier for people with disabilities to break… Continue reading Hollywood keep on insulting the disabled community and it need to stop.
Ability Access is the largest disability page in the UK and reaches over 20 million people a month and the news feed has been suspended (again) stopping tens of thousands of people from talking about disability and sharing their stories. Three weeks ago, Simon Sansome the founder of Ability Access posted a video explaining that… Continue reading National Diversity Award nominee suspended by Facebook for the second time in a month for promoting diversity and inclusion.
Do you think PIP review is a waste of time if you get the highest level of mobility and care and have a permanent disability? Thoughts please!
By Simon Sansome With the new year fast approaching comes a number of rituals. They will include losing weight (and probably putting it back on within a few weeks), stopping smoking (and then starting again on the first day back at work), and trying to find ‘the one’, the person you want to spend the… Continue reading Do you tell your date you have a disability?
By Simon Sansome Last week I was contacted by a national newspaper asking if they could do a story on myself and Ability Access. I happily agreed and I said I would do the interview free of charge if they would pay for a wheelchair adaption for a person who contacted Ability Access last week saying… Continue reading Behind every great man is a greater woman. How my wife helped to reach an audience of 20 million.
Sally-Ann Hart the Conservative candidate, now MP for Hastings and Rye was filmed at a hustings talking about people with learning disabilities saying: ‘They should be given the opportunity to work because it’s to do with the happiness they have about working’ and ‘they don’t understand money’. Now more than 10,000 people have signed a… Continue reading 10,000 people sign petition the same day candidate is elected to Parliament.
Sally-Ann Hart the Conservative candidate for Hastings and Rye and local councillor was filmed at a hustings saying: ‘They should be given the opportunity to work because it’s to do with the happiness they have about working’ and ‘they don’t understand money’. More than 2000 people have now signed a petition to remove Conservative candidate… Continue reading Thousands call for sacking of Tory candidate following learning disability comments.
Sally-Ann Hart the Conservative candidate for Hastings and Rye and local councillor was filmed at a hustings said: ‘They should be given the opportunity to work because it’s to do with the happiness they have about working’ and ‘they don’t understand money’. Ms Hart was booed by the audience and people quickly took to social… Continue reading Over 1000 people sign petition to remove Conservative candidate following comments on equal pay for people with learning disabilities ‘they don’t understand money’.
Having a disability assessment is a very personal situation, you invite a person into your home, most of the time you don’t want them there and then you have to open up to a complete stranger very quickly, disclose your most personal in-depth medical situation to that complete stranger so they can record it onto… Continue reading The immoral reality of the DLA assessments.
By Simon Sansome General elections are about getting the message out there, knocking on doors and interacting with the community. As someone who has run a number of elections and stood twice for parliament I’d like to think I have the experience to run a general election campaign and from my point of view it… Continue reading There is no point standing in the general election if you have a disability.
Last year I surprised my wife with a holiday to Florida for her birthday. We had an amazing time. The weather, the facilities and most of all the disabled access in Florida is great compared to the UK. The only problem we had was with Disney’s Magic Kingdom, it turns out that it is not… Continue reading Disney not so magical, as 29 disabled customers take legal action over queuing system.
Selma Begum, General Manager of the Villa Mentone Hotel on the Isle of Wight has been recorded in saying she will offer Simon Sansome a journalist and disability campaigner from Leicester a partial refund if he keeps quite about his stay in the hotel. In a shocking recording the manager can be heard explaining that in return for his silence she will issue… Continue reading Hotel owner offers refund to disabled customer but only if he keeps quiet about stay.
Facebook has been accused of suspending a disability awareness page Ability Access, by disability campaigner and journalist Simon Sansome. Ability Access is the largest most read disability page in the UK reaching up to 10 million people a month. Simon said: "It appears Facebook are choosing what pages they want and what pages they don't.… Continue reading Facebook suspends “disability is disturbing” page again.
By Simon Sansome UK councils are failing to inform people with disabilities that they are in entitled to a council tax band reduction. Ability Access has established, because of this failing people who are eligible for the band reduction are over paying council tax by almost five hundred million pounds a year. Paying council tax can be a… Continue reading BREAKING NEWS – Is this the new PPI? Councils across the UK are over charging wheelchair users billions of pounds in council tax.
Following a recent visit to one of their stores in Leicester, I purchased two tops. Like many Sports Direct stores I have visited there is no disabled changing facilities so I had to take the tops home to try them on. But the sports store is making it difficult to take things home to try… Continue reading Are Sports Direct discriminating against disabled customers?
The only way policy would change is if you don’t care for your loved ones, and the government knows this. New Zealand parliament passed a new law, paying a main carer £12 an hour pay if they care for a relative with a mental health issue or disability. New Zealand are leading the way as… Continue reading The government is taking advantage of the disabled community and their carers by paying them ‘30p an hour’ or the equivalent to 30 Haribo fried eggs.
Watching Top Gear last night and laughing my head off for an hour I got into bed and realised that every presenter on Top Gear has been fully abled, a show that first aired in 1977. There are millions of disabled drivers in the UK and yet Top Gear has never done a show on… Continue reading Why is TV and films still ignoring people with disabilities?
TV presenter, comic book creators, disability campaigner and radio host, Dan White talks to Simon Sansome on Podcast “While Disabled’. 12 years ago Dan and his wife Aimee had a beautiful baby girl called Emily. Only to be told and given a leaflet that Emily was diagnosed with Spinal Bifida. With no support and no… Continue reading Dan White – “We reach out to families not to tell sad stories but funny stories, we sit in Costa and talk about poo and wee for an hour and it’s great fun”.
Presenter and journalist Simon Sansome has started a petition calling for the government to introduce a new law that allows all companions to travel free of charge if they are assisting a disabled traveller. Currently, if you are disabled and need assistance to travel via bus, plane, boat or train in the UK you have… Continue reading Presenter starts petition for change in the law to make travel free for all companions.
“You’ve highlighted that the show is not set up for people with disabilities...”. (says The Apprentice). By Simon Sansome I know that this article title is a mouthful but hear me out. The Apprentice, The Masked Singer and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, are some of the UK’s most loved TV shows.… Continue reading Disproportionate Representation Discrimination on TV.
The Grumpy Gits is the largest disability podcast in the world reaching over half a million viewers and audio streams online. The show has been growing its world wide audience for almost two years with massive success, with celebrity guests and the popular segment See You Next Tuesday. It should be noted The Grumpy Gits… Continue reading Elon Musk bans a Grumpy Git from Twitter for inviting him onto the show to talk about disability.
Ability Access 