Reposted by TandemKateBy Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 01/10/2026Here's a funny thing about the right to vote: it wasn't won by voting. 5408156
Reposted by TandemKateDisability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The BBC has failed to explain why the host of its flagship current affairs programme Question Time has repeatedly pushed the idea that social security spending must be cut, while ignoring official figures that debunk claims it is “spiralling”. #BBCQT www.disabilitynewsservice.com/bbc-fails-to...disabilitynewsservice.comBBC fails to explain why Question Time host repeatedly fails to debunk the lie of ‘spiralling welfare’The BBC has failed to explain why the host of its flagship current affairs programme Question Time has repeatedly pushed the idea that social security spending must be cut, while ignoring official … 15131
Reposted by TandemKateWill Norman @willnorman.co.uk · 02/10/2026Really enjoyed joining @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk this week to learn about Wheels4Me - an amazing inclusive cycle hire project providing adapted cycles for people with disabilities. with @walkwheelcyclet.bsky.social Pedal UK & Motability Foundation 3227
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Front garden sustainable drainage feature now catches all water off the drive and front of house. Front of house re-divirtable into sewer if El Niño proves too much - but all looking really positive so far, about 1 year in! 15+ trees of various sizes in this space too- fab red dogwood saplings! 060
Reposted by TandemKateDisability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Lib Dem Steve Darling pledges to do more to highlight how spending on social security is not spiralling #LDConf #LibDems www.disabilitynewsservice.com/lib-dem-darl...disabilitynewsservice.comLib Dem Darling pledges to do more to highlight how spending on social security is not spirallingThe Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesperson has pledged to do more to highlight that spending on social security is stable, so he can challenge right-wing politicians who claim it is spiral… 0158
Reposted by TandemKateDisability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Cutting PIP would only increase pressure on other services, MPs warn minister #PIP #DWP #TimmsReview www.disabilitynewsservice.com/cutting-pip-...disabilitynewsservice.comCutting PIP would only increase pressure on other services, MPs warn ministerA cross-party committee of MPs has warned the government against using the Timms Review to cut disabled people’s access to personal independence payment (PIP), which it said would only increase pre… 12617
Reposted by TandemKateDisability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Major government workplace health review ‘has kept disabled people’s organisations firmly on the outside’ #DWP #KeepBritainWorking #Mayfield @inclusionlondon.bsky.social @disrightsuk.bsky.social @campaignfdj.bsky.social www.disabilitynewsservice.com/major-govern...disabilitynewsservice.comMajor government workplace health review ‘has kept disabled people’s organisations firmly on the outside’Disabled people’s organisations have been kept “firmly on the outside” of a key government programme to improve workplace health, raising fresh questions about ministers’ commitment to co-producing… 098
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 23/09/2026So this is where the condensation drain inside the fridge goes. Moral: Do not have children who tip chocolate sauce, cream, milk etc into the condensation channel. It smells baaaad. The container isn’t removable. Cleaned with funnel, pipette, hot water & baby bottle sterilising tablets. Ewww. 150
Reposted by TandemKateDisability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 20/09/2026A lack of knowledge about reasonable adjustments – among both employers and employees – is causing problems for a “significant minority” of disabled workers, a government study has concluded. #ReasonableAdjustments #Discrimination www.disabilitynewsservice.com/lack-of-know...disabilitynewsservice.comLack of knowledge on ‘reasonable adjustments’ affects significant minority of disabled workers, says studyA lack of knowledge about reasonable adjustments – among both employers and employees – is causing problems for a “significant minority” of disabled workers, a government study has concluded. The s… 0138
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Hooboy. It’s that time of year where year 13 students need to start applying for courses or jobs. My 2p-worth of experience for anyone that age or their families: Degree apprenticeships! TL:DR - not like applying for degrees… 1104
Reposted by TandemKatePhil Sturgeon 🌳🚵⚓️ @philsturgeon.com · 16/08/2026Some people think “rewilding” means land abandonment. If rewilding means not doing anything why am I constantly knackered. Grass is scythed, topped, and grazed. Drainage ditches blocked. Controlled burns in dry old conifer plantations until they can transition back to damp temperate rainforest. 3406
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 12/08/2026First proper outing on my new (extremely secondhand) handcycle - this is awesome! Kid3 informs me i’m going to start taking her to parkruns again now this lets me “run”… 1192
Reposted by TandemKateWheels for Wellbeing @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk · 12/08/2026Paid opportunity for Disabled people: Please share Are you interested in floating bus stops? Are you a Disabled person based in the UK? Why not apply to the Floating Bus Stops Disability Advisory Group? Applications close midnight Wednesday 09/09/2026 wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/floating-bus...wheelsforwellbeing.org.ukFloating Bus Stops Research Disability Advisory Group - Information and Application FormWheels for Wellbeing is an award-winning charity supporting disabled people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the benefits of cycling. 22834
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Diversifying from the Bilge Pump In Bath (currently on pause due to the ongoing Broken Bath Shower situation) & Washing Up Tub With Handles, we now have Extended Washing Machine Hose To Garden & Bucket In Shower grey water Keep Plants Alive & Kate Climate Anxiety Reduction strategies in play! 020
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 04/08/2026There are bats zooming around our urban garden every evening. Fabulous. 080
Reposted by TandemKateThe Ranty Highwayman @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social · 03/08/2026Great Scott! Lego now has a tandem. 810214
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Hope other people find this article useful - it’s just an outline of bits we’ve found helpful over the last 2 decades of cycling with children with various of us also being Disabled people. Please ask any questions here too if I might be able to help! 152
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 21/07/2026Really nice video explainer of why some ways police are testing e-cycles for legality don’t work here. We’re really pleased many police forces are taking training on this now, and especially that our info on mobility aids will be included in the training materials. 110
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Lime tree honeydew plus manual wheelchair equals very sticky, very grubby fingers! Lovely shade from the trees so worth sticky fingers though. 040
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Really important article from @lauralaker.bsky.social - we need better training & guidance for police & legal changes to stop legal e-cycles & other mobility aids being wrongly seized by police. Wheels for Wellbeing briefing on current rules here: wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/our-campaign...wheelsforwellbeing.org.ukCampaigning for inclusive cycling, Wheels for WellbeingWheels for Wellbeing is an award-winning charity supporting disabled people of all ages and abilities to enjoy the benefits of cycling. 0116
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 04/07/2026Yesterday, the tandem was a good way to transport trees. Today, the van is in use. Right tool for the job (but I’d love to have a percussion-transporter e-cycle!) 070
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Trees by bike. Three dogwoods to complete the “pretty winter stuff” collection for the front garden. Looking forwards to having crops of yellow willow and red dogwood to weave! 0131
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 12/06/2026No good deed goes unpunished, or, Why I am now maggot farming: Tues - bin emptied. Weds - picked up 2 full flytipped bags of waste + scattered debris. Mostly thawed chicken & veg. & poo. Plus loads of plastic film. Took home. Put in bin. Thurs: Yep, you guessed it! It’s a 2 weekly bin collection 130
Reposted by TandemKateProf. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 11/06/2026I shall watch this with interest. There's no way to get 60% of kids actively travelling to school without disrupting current patterns of car-based mobility. This includes making all urban streets safer, not just those right outside schools www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comMinisters want 60% of pupils in England ‘actively’ travelling to school by 2035Exclusive: Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, says cycling and walking plan focuses on ‘everyday travel needs’ 55797207
Reposted by TandemKateWheels for Wellbeing @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk · 11/05/2026Got a minute to help us keep going? We rely on grants and donations to keep our work affordable and accessible to all. With session hours having to be cut, every little helps to allow us to keep offering our services. And it won't cost you a penny! tinyurl.com/39cpptj9movementforgood.comNominate now! - Movement for Good awardsWe could receive a £5,000 donation with your help through the Movement for Good Draw. 187
Reposted by TandemKateWheels for Wellbeing @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk · 15/05/2026Lived experience is at the heart of all our work. We're delighted to share this article written by Campaigns and Policy Lead Kate, discussing utility cycling for Disabled families by tying personal experience together with wider evidence: doi.org/10.16997/ats...doi.orgUtility Cycling – Experiences Within a Disabled Family GroupCycling is associated with a range of well-established positive effects, from personal physical and mental health improvements to financial, environmental, social and logistical benefits.Disabled peop... 0126
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 15/05/2026My article on Disabled family utility cycling just got published- it’s been scary to make experiences this personal public. I hope it can support some people in authority to support accessibility better! doi.org/10.16997/ats...doi.orgUtility Cycling – Experiences Within a Disabled Family GroupCycling is associated with a range of well-established positive effects, from personal physical and mental health improvements to financial, environmental, social and logistical benefits.Disabled peop... 21711
Reposted by TandemKateRNIB Campaigns @rnibcampaigns.bsky.social · 11/05/2026Journalist Selina Mills has described how she was forced to rely on her husband to vote in the local elections because accessible options weren’t available at her polling station. www.aop.org.uk/ot/news/2026...aop.org.ukBlind journalist unable to vote independently in local electionsThe RNIB is highlighting the issue of inaccessible voting after journalist Selina Mills was forced to let her husband fill in her ballot paper in Pimlico yesterday 176
Reposted by TandemKateMarcus Chown @marcuschown.bsky.social · 09/05/2026The great irony of the Welsh success of Reform, run by millionaire ex-public schoolboys, is that one the greatest Welshmen, & founder of the NHS, warned of this “How can wealth persuade poverty to use its political freedom to keep wealth in power? Here lies whole art of Tory politics” Aneurin Bevan 462073677
Reposted by TandemKateZack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 03/05/2026When Jewish people speak out against genocide, why are our voices dismissed? And smirking while I describe someone Nazi-saluting at me isn’t just disrespectful - it feels deeply antisemitic. youtu.be/7VkfYJgLljE?...youtu.beIt 'wasn't appropriate' to share post criticising police response to Golders Green, Polanski saysYouTube video by Sky News 1531639482
Reposted by TandemKateDisability News Service @johnpring.bsky.social · 19/04/2026An “absolutely awful” mobile phone app that helps the #Motability scheme monitor the driving behaviour of increasing numbers of disabled people is securing overwhelmingly poor reviews from its customers. #DriveSmart www.disabilitynewsservice.com/intrusive-mo...disabilitynewsservice.com‘Intrusive’ Motability app is ‘worse than having a computer virus’An “absolutely awful” mobile phone app that helps the Motability scheme monitor the driving behaviour of increasing numbers of disabled people is securing overwhelmingly poor reviews from its custo… 01813
Reposted by TandemKateAndy Cox @andy-cox.bsky.social · 19/04/2026Uninsured driving isn’t victimless. Offenders are 6–7x more likely to be in a fatal crash, and over half are linked to wider criminality—reflecting risk-taking, disregard for the law, or deception. It pushes up costs for honest drivers. Tackling it protects communities. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukNearly 160,000 uninsured cars seized on UK roadsSeizure numbers hit a 17-year high as an estimated 300,000 uninsured vehicles are driven each day. 3132795
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 28/03/2026I’m strongly pro measures that improve safety around driving- one of the most dangerous things to others that most of us will ever do. What Motability are doing here sounds like pure discrimination, not fair safety improvement. Really unreasonable, excessively restrictive & intrusive. Just not OK. 062
Reposted by TandemKateIs It A Bike Lane? @isitabikelane.bsky.social · 27/03/2026I want to talk to you about cycling and hip arthritis It surprises a lot of people, and needs to be more widely understood I have a hip replacement next month, this thread is my experience, but I know others have found the same 🧵 1515063
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 26/03/2026Passivhaus & heat recovery ventilation bonuses nobody mentions: Really easy herb drying. Clothes drying also, & no mould. But this week, celebrating the bonus parsley! 0103
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 25/03/2026What, a short document on key points about mobility aid regulations, with references and case studies? Just the thing to read on a tea break or lunch break. Or any other time, really! Go on, have a look: 053
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 22/03/2026Nice gardening problem:The self-seeded parsley is crowding out the lavender (under the fig). Looks like I need to dry lots of parsley! 050
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 18/03/2026Letty’s done a huge amount of work and endured injury and isolation to achieve… being allowed to charge a flight-safe mobility aid in her accommodation. We need to be able to charge our mobility aids in our homes, or we can’t get around! 041
Reposted by TandemKateDarren Parkinson @greendarrenshipley.bsky.social · 15/03/2026Today is #LongCovidAwarenessDay Long Covid changed my life beyond recognition. I got ill. I never recovered. Lost my job. Became housebound. I rely on others to do things for me. I lie on my bed most of the day. Watch the Guardian's short film about my life with #LongCovid 👇 4231118
Reposted by TandemKateWheels for Wellbeing @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk · 11/03/2026All Disabled people should be legally able to speed up to "running" or "cycling"-equivalent speeds to get out of danger, whatever mobility devices we're using, at all times of day and night, and wherever we are travelling. wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/we-think-peo... #MobilityJustice 26322
Reposted by TandemKateWheels for Wellbeing @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk · 10/03/2026The right to make decisions about our own lives is fundamental. 1266
Reposted by TandemKateUrban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 10/03/2026“Because cycling enabled me to connect to the disability community, my understanding of transportation needs is broader, and I use this knowledge to be a better advocate for transportation infrastructure that better meets everyone’s needs.” Via @bikehfxlobby.bsky.socialactivetravelstudies.orgCycling helped me embrace my disabled identityUsing a bike as a mobility aid was not a conscious decision, but it is how I began to understand that I am disabled, and that disability is a fundamental part of my identity. Because cycling enabled m... 28229
Reposted by TandemKateProf. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 09/03/2026A reminder that humans in cars - notably omitted from this thanks to motonormativity - kill 1.2m people every year 18837289
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 05/03/2026So, my back issue is quite treatable it seems. But the treatments aren’t permanent, & protocol is you wait until one wears off to go on the waiting list for the next. Hoping the wait this time is months not years because I hate the candy floss brain feeling when I have to use tramadol for pain! 140
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 05/03/2026So, my back issue is quite treatable it seems. But the treatments aren’t permanent, & protocol is you wait until one wears off to go on the waiting list for the next. Hoping the wait this time is months not years because I hate the candy floss brain feeling when I have to use tramadol for pain! 020
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 03/03/2026Disabled persons railcard rules have changed! Still a huge postcode lottery, but it’s a bit better: Blue badge holders and Disabled bus pass holders can now get Disabled persons railcards- I got mine today - only applied yesterday! 3112
Reposted by TandemKateWheels for Wellbeing @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk · 23/02/2026Our society expects people to be able to make journeys at certain speeds. When rules force Disabled people to go more slowly than non-disabled people doing comparable trips for no good reason, 14417
TandemKate @tandemkate.bsky.social · 22/02/2026Language spoken: Both. I’m enjoying this far too much in my family’s census records from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of course there are only 2 languages in the world, right? (What the recorders meant is “Welsh and English”. That is not what they wrote!) 020
Reposted by TandemKateJulia Métraux @juliametraux.bsky.social · 22/02/2026Many disabled and chronically ill people are demonized for not working full-time jobs, when the truth is they can be forced out due to inaccessible policies. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...theguardian.comDecline in remote jobs risks shutting disabled people out of work, study findsResearch project warns fall in homeworking roles could undermine efforts to reduce unemployment 7815319
Reposted by TandemKateWheels for Wellbeing @wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk · 16/02/2026How slow can you go! Did you know that powered mobility aid users are only allowed to go up to 4mph on traffic-free cycle routes? Find out more about weird restrictions and grey areas in UK mobility aid laws in our detailed resources! wheelsforwellbeing.org.uk/wp-content/u... 1238