I’ve been back at university for almost two weeks now, and it still feels strange to write these words. For those who don’t know, I decided to get a second undergraduate degree, studying Classical Studies at the Open University. This means studying online rather than going to a university in person, and I’m also doing…
Author: Connor Scott-Gardner
Breaking down instructions nonvisually with ADHD
I’ve been very open about the fact that I am both blind and have ADHD, and as a result I seem to be the go to person for non-visual ADHD strategies. I’ve been thinking of putting a post together for a long time where I share these strategies but the irony of having ADHD is…
Assistance on the Railway Fails Again
Once again, a disabled person has been left on a train. When I was scrolling social media earlier today I saw a post by Tanni Grey-Thompson, former Paralympian and Member of the House of Lords, stating that she had to crawl off a train yesterday. Tanni is a wheelchair user, who is forced to request…
A complicated loss
In December 2022, three months into my PhD, I dropped out. It was objectively the right decision, but that doesn’t mean that thinking about it isn’t painful. I had applied for my PhD at a time when life seemed if not simple, then like it was heading in the direction I wanted it to. I…
Where are the Latin Books?
I’ve been exploring learning Latin. It’s going to be something I learn as part of my degree, but I wanted to get a head start as I know already that I’m likely to face some accessibility challenges once I reach that module. It is also several years away, and I am eager to learn and…
More fun with tactile graphics
Since I wrote the first post on trying to create tactile images a couple of days ago, I haven’t stopped. It’s as though now I’ve started to be able to connect with the world in a way which I haven’t had access to before, I can’t stop. Yes, I’ve been able to touch tactile images…
Pursuing the unseen: my quest to create tactile images
I fairly recently acquired a tactile image printer, sometimes known as a swell paper machine. Essentially, you print or draw onto a specific type of paper, then run it through a machine which heats it up. Darker lines will then be raised, creating a tactile image. Blind people experience so much image poverty. That is,…
Review: A Most Improper Magick by Stephanie Burgis
There are no words which can adequately describe how much I loved this middle-grade fantasy and first book in what looks to be a fun and charming series. The story starts as 12-year-old Kat, dressed as a boy, is trying to sneak out of her house to run off to London. She is scared that…
Inaccessible democracy? An unfit system for blind voters
Today I went to vote in the UK General Election. Some friends kindly gave me a lift to my polling station, and when I went inside I was greeted by one of the staff working there, who helped me find the right area of the station as there were several desks. My name and ID…
Review: The Darkness Before Them by Matthew Ward
Political schemes, betrayal, and a desperate revolution can be found in this start to a fast-paced new fantasy series from Matthew Ward. Synopsis All is not well in the kingdom of Khalad. Ruled over by a king that cannot die, noble Fireblood houses vie for control while lower-class Cinderbloods work with no hope of advancement….