Recently I’ve started exploring my feelings around being a postgraduate student on this blog, documenting the highs and lows as it were of student life. But I’ve also been writing more about my interactions with others and exploring how I feel about being a blind person. In some ways I’ve always done this. This blog…
Author: Connor Scott-Gardner
Cry over your research and then get over it
Today I cried over a research proposal. Truly I am living the very glamorous life of a postgraduate student. The research proposal is for an applied project that I’m completing in place of a dissertation for my master’s degree, and when I received the feedback on it all I could do was cry. Truthfully it…
Who should Speak for Justice?
I wish we put as much pressure on society to change as we put on young disabled people to learn self-advocacy skills. This is a particular problem within education and advocacy spaces, where the concept of self-advocacy is considered to be somewhat sacred. I used to really push for these skills, believing that they were…
Academia. It’s a Mystery
One very exciting thing about being a postgraduate student is that I get to attend a lot of academic conferences. But I also know just enough to enable me to submit papers and presentations of my own. There are whole events designed to give postgraduate students this kind of experience, and I’m jumping at the…
The pandemic has enabled me to be an introvert. I’m not sure that’s such a good thing
I’ve always been a strange mix of both extroverted and introverted. I love to travel and ask questions, especially in new places. I’m also quite happy to get up in front of a room full of people and deliver a speech, something that seems to terrify many people. Yet I avoid ordinary tasks, like going…
The Burden of Being a Disabled Student
If you asked me whether disabled people are a burden, I would tell you without hesitation that no, they are not. But it’s a hell of a lot easier to say positive things about the community you belong to than it is to say those positive things about yourself. I can quite happily cheer on…
I’m Tired of Begging Strangers to Stop Touching Me Wherever I Go
I was stepping down from a train yesterday when I felt a hand grab my waist. I didn’t have time to think, my body instantaneously reacted, jerking away from whoever was touching me. “Don’t touch me,” I snapped, my voice agitated. In less than a second, my brain had gone into overdrive. There was a…
Making sense of the chaos
I’ve somehow dragged myself through a really challenging few months, and although in many ways there have been some incredibly positive changes in my life, it hasn’t been easy. I started a postgraduate course in January and I was extremely enthusiastic leading up to the start of the course. I would be studying something I…
The Gatekeeper of Pericael by Hayley Reese Chow – ARC Review
A fun and refreshing middle-grade fantasy, filled with magic, monsters, and nerds! Title: The Gatekeeper of PericaelAuthor: Hayley Reese ChowGenre: Middle-grade fantasyPublication date: April 6th 2021Rating: 4/5 Synopsis from Goodreads Twelve-year-old Porter would much rather spend his weekends playing soccer than channeling spirits in the parallel universe of Pericael. Unfortunately for him, Porter’s family has…
Interdependence is key for this blind Communications Officer: Interview with Kevin Satizabal
Kevin works as a Communications Officer for a sight loss organisation in the UK. Originally from Colombia, he had to adapt to both learning assistive technology, and English, when he moved to England. This resulted in his love of languages, something which is a strength in his career. Transcript Holly Scott-Gardner: Hi, everyone, and welcome…