Disability Horizons’ Newsletter

For some disabled people, winter can be a difficult time of year due to the bitterly cold weather. It can be hard to keep warm because of mobility issues, whether you’re inside or out, and the cold can have a negative effect on your breathing and muscles. In this article, our editor Stephanie, who has muscular dystrophy, shares her tips for keeping cosy and comfortable when temperatures plummet. Plus, she’ll highlight our ‘keep warm’ products on the Disability Horizons Shop.

Continuing our sex and disability series, this week, Martin, who had a stroke seven years ago, shares his tips for a healthy sex life after becoming disabled. In fact, his story highlights how disability can sometimes improve a sex life as it can mean you need to experiment and think outside of the box. We hope our articles will go some way to help anyone disabled have a great sex life, just like anyone else, as well as change perceptions and break the taboo around sex and disability

Following nine years of researching, engineering and testing, Nike has launched the GO FlyEase, accessible hands-free shoes that are easy to put on and take off by simply slipping your foot in. removing the need for bending down to do up laces, zips or straps. The innovative design was inspired by Matthew Walzer, who wrote a letter at aged 16 to Nike asking for an accessible pair of shoes he could put on and off independently because he has cerebral palsy.

Acquiring a disability later in life can be difficult to adjust to. But having a disability doesn’t mean hope is lost, and new opportunities arise that can enrich your life in a way that you never thought was possible. Hannah Deakin, a TEDx Talk speaker and blogger who has complex regional pain syndrome, shares her experiences of how she acquired her disability and how she has overcome challenges to achieve all that she has. Hannah hopes that her blogs will make a positive impact on other disabled people.

Sound of Metal is a new feature film that follows the dramatic journey of a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing. Despite the film raising awareness of hearing loss, people who are deaf or hard of hearing have criticised the fact the main character is played by a hearing actor. Find out more about the film and have your say by joining in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

We want to add more and more fantastic products to our shop to help disabled people live the life they choose. From stylish aids that help with mobility, to innovative designs that enable you to eat and dress independently, we’re looking for new and interesting products that are truly valuable. If you’re an inventor or product designer, whether you’re disabled or not, get in touch by emailing duncan@disabilityhorizons.com.