We Can Access, where did it all start?

David Bara talks about why he and wife, Emma, set up www.wecanaccess.com and how they hope it will help people with disabilities, their families and the professionals who work with them.

September 26 2019

From Cancer to SEND – a bumpy journey of acceptance.

It can be hard to transition from being a cancer family to a special educational needs and disability family. This is one family's story.

November 30 2019

Making changes as a parent by Keighley Miles

Recently I found out that our local hospital has a CHSWG group (Children hearing services working together) and after attending some working in partnership training with National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) I decided to volunteer to become a parent representative. This means at the meeting I can put the parents’ views across and make the …

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December 18 2019

Reflections on the rewards of supporting refugee children and families

by Lynne Awbery, teacher of the deaf. A lawyer from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a mother from Sudan, a teacher from former Yugoslavia, an architect from Somalia, a doctor from Eritrea, a teenager from Rwanda, a carpenter from Afghanistan, a trafficked mother from Ghana, a housewife, widow and mother from Sri Lanka….. and …

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January 8 2020

Helping your kids with social situations

By Paul Rose, YouTeachMeToo. Have you ever found yourself in social situations that you were not sure how to handle? How did it make you feel? Awkward? Embarrassed? Confused? Angry? Frustrated? It can be hard to understand what other people really mean and expect from you, and it can be just as hard to get …

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January 11 2020

Inclusion Starts with a Smile

Adam Murphy (Autism Dad) talks about caring for his adult son who is autistic and how inclusion starts with a smile; one woman’s kindness makes all the difference on shopping trips. I’m a 47 year old father of 3 boys. My eldest son has autistic spectrum disorder and learning disabilities. Autism is a word that …

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January 28 2020

Making World Book Day Inclusive

Why is it so important to make World Book Day inclusive? Emma Bara explains why and shares a list of inclusive titles to get you started.

February 20 2020

Rodney, the hare that didn’t care (but he did really)

Gail Crampton talks about her book, Rodney the hare that didn’t care (but he did really). She explains why she wrote it to help children with hidden illnesses and medical conditions, and how important it is. It started with Crohns Rodney Meadow-Hopper, The Hare Who Didn’t Care (but he did really), was released at the …

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March 4 2020

Let’s Talk about Audrey Antelope

Disability on screen has been a rarity for far too long. Elizabeth Wright talks about Audrey Antelope and why she is so important to her. Let’s talk about Audrey Antelope. She is a character on the Genius Brand’s International show for Netflix, “Llama Llama” and represents all that is good about disability on screen. A …

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March 9 2020

Teaching SEN kids at home

Emma Bara talks about how she and her husband have managed with teaching their SEND kids at home. She talks about how important it is to accept what can be achieved and offers some ideas for others to try.

March 28 2020

Teaching SEN kids at home – Waking Up and Maths!

Teaching can be challenging Teaching SEN kids at home is challenging at the best of times. We’ll be posting here regularly with ideas on teaching SEN kids at home. This post gives you some ideas on how to turn waking up into an easy Maths lesson. The Covid-19 crisis has sent us all home and …

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March 30 2020

Teaching SEN kids at home – English and Waking Up!

Teaching can be challenging Teaching SEN kids at home is challenging at the best of times. We’ll be posting here regularly with ideas on teaching SEN kids at home. This post gives you some ideas on how to turn waking up into an easy English lesson. The Covid-19 crisis has sent us all home and …

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April 1 2020

Teaching Special Needs Kids at Home – Science & Waking Up!

I feel overwhelmed! Teaching Special Needs kids at home can feel overwhelming sometimes, especially now, when our lives have changed overnight thanks to Covid-19. This post gives you some simple ideas on how to turn waking up into an easy Science lesson. You can do this! The Covid-19 crisis has sent us all home and …

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April 4 2020

Teaching Special Needs Kids at Home: Maths and Breakfast

Teaching Special Needs kids at home can feel overwhelming sometimes, especially now, when our lives have changed overnight thanks to Covid-19. However, the Covid-19 crisis has given us an opportunity to teach our children practical skills linked to the curriculum. This post gives you some ideas on how to turn breakfast time into a simple …

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April 9 2020

Teaching Special Needs Kids at Home; Science, Maths, English and Lunch time!!

Lunchtime and teaching? Here’s how! Teaching Special Needs kids at home can feel overwhelming sometimes, especially now, when our routines have changed overnight thanks to Covid-19. This post gives you some simple ideas on how to turn lunchtime into an easy Science, English and Maths lesson. Our previous posts have separated out the topics but …

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April 15 2020

Teaching Special Needs Kids at Home; Tidying!

Maths and tidying the house? Here’s how! In these days of lock down we are trying to juggle being a parent, housework, our day job and teaching our Special Needs kids at home! But there is a way to turn housework into an easy Maths lesson! Yes, honestly!! Tidying the house ! Teaching special needs …

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April 20 2020

SEND families are facing food difficulties.

Parent group, Let Us Communicate (LUC), talks about why SEND families are facing food difficulties during the Covid-19 crisis. They call for urgent help now. About Let Us Communicate LUC was founded in 2013 in Newham, one of the poorest areas within the UK. We are an independent support group for parents/carers of children and …

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April 29 2020

Teaching our Special Needs Kids at Home; Cooking, Science & Tech.

Cooking, Science & Tech; Here’s how! In these days of lock down we are trying to juggle being a parent, housework, our day job and teaching our Special Needs kids at home! But there is a way to turn cooking into easy lessons! You may be seeing lots of talk online about how people are …

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May 1 2020

Introducing my autistic son to fruit and veg.

Adam Murphy talks about how he introduced his autistic son to fruit, vegetables and exercise. In the process, helped him lose weight and become healthier all round.

May 1 2020

Keanu’s Story – a story of Juvenile Epilepsy.

Stacey Smiley talks about her son, Keanu's, journey with epilepsy from the age of 1 to now, 5 years later. She talks about his diagnosis, what impact it had on Keanu and about discovering the epilepsy was caused by a CHD2 gene mutation. Stacey also gives some useful tips on how to interract with people with hidden disabilities.

May 17 2020

Sensory Theatre, Online!

Head2Head Sensory Theatre is theatre made to be accessible for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Covid-19 restrictions have meant they have had to stop touring. Sara, Head2Head's artistic director, explains how that has just made them more creative!

May 31 2020

Inclusion is child’s play!

Emma Bara discusses how to make inclusive thinking and planning second nature. She discusses how inclusion and adaptation is natural for children and how much we can learn from them.

June 7 2020

Alfie’s Lockdown

7 year old Alfie is his mum's primary carer. Here he talks about the impact that Covid-19 and the Lockdown has had on him and how he feels about it.

July 14 2020

Keanu’s Clubfoot

Stacey Smiler explains what clubfoot (talipes) is. She describes her reaction to finding out her son's diagnosis and Keanu's subsequent treatment.

July 20 2020

Are we still aiming high for our disabled children?

Are we still AIMING HIGH for disabled Children/Young People? One autistic mother thinks that entrenched ideas of what Special Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is means that many SEND children are not even offered the chance to show their potential.

August 27 2020

Forgotten Families

Grace Williams raises the issues faced by UK families with disabled children during the Covid 19 pandemic. She highlights the additional pressures children and parents are facing and discusses the impact it is having on the families.

October 23 2020

Special Education Students Can Learn Anywhere with Bookshare

Learn about Bookshare, which provides free ebooks and reading tools for special education students so they can learn anywhere and anytime.

January 22 2021

The beauty of Music Therapy

In this blog we talk about the benefits of music therapy and how it can support individuals with additional needs.

February 23 2021

Autistic Burnout

Karen McGuinness from West Cheshire Autism Hub describes autistic burnout and explains what people can do to help prevent it.

March 18 2021

Your daughter’s not a criminal, so why does she need a lawyer?

Emma Bara discusses how she was encouraged to hire a lawyer by the local authority to ensure her child was allowed to go to the school that would best support her special educational needs.

June 2 2021