THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF MICHAEL PULMAN
How a person with a disability chooses to talk about disability or identify with it is an important conversation, but it may not be one that will impact much change in the hearts and minds of the so-called ‘ignorant’ non-disabled. Language of identification seems to be a discussion that just won’t go away. This comes…
The wider disability community has every right to question the effectiveness of its leaders and the advice they give to officials as a $100m and counting overspend on Disability Support Services continues. Don’t just blame the government or say that disability support providers are simply trying to protect their own interests. This problem is far…
Wrestling’s biggest annual event didn’t fail to disappoint, for the most part, as new champions were crowned in a tradition-breaking night at MetLife Stadium. In front of over 83,000 people, women’s wrestling went on last in the ‘main event’ of WrestleMania for the first time in history. In a Triple Threat match for both the…
A strong level of disability activism and the willingness to exert it should be a big responsibility for all interested in making real change Activism (by way of a Google search) is officially defined as “the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change”. By its very nature, activism…
The only things in life that you can control are your words, actions, and feelings, but you can also influence a lot of outcomes with your ability or inability to think critically about what you do and don’t do in certain situations. Sometimes a choice isn’t within your own control, ask a large majority of…
In the wake of the Christchurch terror attacks where a gunman live-streamed the killing of several innocent people, how has it become so easy to post such distressing content on social media? Social media companies have a responsibility to ensure that disturbing content of a highly graphic nature doesn’t get distributed as freely as it…
Google Stadia is set to release in 2019 and could, potentially, be the cloud-based streaming platform for gamers that will change an industry at the peak of its powers. With eyes transfixed, Google announced ‘Stadia’, a new streaming platform that will provide a revolutionary change to the gaming industry. Stadia isn’t a new piece of…
With pay rates set to rise again for some in the disability workforce, attitudes toward the best ways of working need to rise as well. This isn’t going to be a blog that has all the answers, nor is it going to have excuses for what’s not working currently. Some of this will apply to…
Just because a term may have an official definition, that doesn’t make it true or worthy to be fighting against. As a disabled person myself and a passionate activist for the rights of disabled people, I’ve never identified with how the use of words like ableism is currently being applied. I agree that discrimination exists…
2019 is a crucial year for the disability sector and its challenges are familiar, from funding to information, to new prototypes and putting the work into all the talk. Here are my five challenges for the disability sector in 2019.