Janet O'Keefe

If you love socialising, travel or adventure; then this is definitely for you!

In November 2010, two disabled guys from London, on a roadtrip in California, dreamt up a huge project they wanted to bring to the world. Imagine two lifelong friends, two electric wheelchairs, two Personal Care Assistants, a hoist and an accessible car stirring up a big cocktail of imagination and innovation, during a dream adventure.

This idea was to start an online disability lifestyle magazine like no other…

After months of working hard to turn the vision into a reality; Martyn Sibley and Srin Madipalli launched www.disabilityhorizons.com. Disability Horizons pioneers an innovative 21st century approach to disability by empowering an aspirational community to provide and share content that informs, inspires and entertains.

The Disability Horizons community is already 20,000 strong mostly through its social media channels, their readers write the articles, share their wealth of disability knowledge and progress towards their individual dreams together. Articles include personal stories on employment, sport, travel and relationships. The guys share many of their own daring escapades and have regular article contributions from high profile organisations, service providers, politicians, celebrities, entrepreneurs and various opinion formers that have the power to shape and change lives.

There is a page for readers to pose their own questions, an area to post unwanted disability items (the classifieds section), a resources profile page for disability companies to share useful products/services, and the Disability Horizons ‘Travel Zone’.

If you want to become part of this unique, vibrant and useful magazine; get in touch straight away!

Email: disabilityhorizons@gmail.com
Twitter: @Dhorizons
Facebook: facebook/disabilityhorizons

Martyn Sibley lives with a disability known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Even with this disability, Martyn is living a full rich life and has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics; Master’s Degree in Marketing, travels, blogs, guest speaks and runs his own business.

Martyn has recently written an eBook called “The Disability Diamond Theory” (launched in September 2011). The eBook offers a guide to living everyday life. He offers solid advice for goal setting, defining and breaking barriers through the use of proper resources.  The book offers his philosophy on life.

Martyn says, “My aim is to inspire, inform and change the world around disability issues. My message to disabled people is to follow your dreams, be aspirational, identify the barriers relevant to you and your impairment, NEVER let your disability stop you and always enjoy life!”

“For anyone who is a parent, family member, friend or professional to a disabled person, you have a big part to play. Parents/guardians; a child’s foundations are defined by your early input. Friends and family should always encourage aspiration. Professionals are a key resource for disabled people and have a responsibility to facilitate ambition and fulfilment at every stage.”

Visit Martyn’s personal website for more information.

Disability Horizon is co-founded with Srin Madipalli as an online magazine to provide articles, resources, encouragement and information to disabled people. The scope of the magazine is to provide quality information to enrich the lives of the disabled across the world. They offer articles on the arts, care, personal assistants, mobility aids, grants, funding, independent living and more.

Martyn is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Towards a Positive Future conference to be held in Newbury on 16^th June 2012.

Here he shares why he is taking part:

“The 2 things that enabled me to go on and achieve so much in life were having a good education, alongside having the right support. Inclusion should be at the heart of disability matters, but investment in the necessary resources must be provided. I want to share my personal experiences, with a rounded awareness of other impairments, to explain why inclusion and education can go together. I hope to encourage parents to aim high for their children, and show professionals there is always a way.”

“I am speaking at the conference to answer questions around my story as a child: schooling, transitions, leaving home, going to university, finding work and managing independence. This conference is vitally important because parents and professionals need to understand the current issues faced around SEN and work together to ensure the disabled people of the future can thrive and not just survive.”

“My talk is about my personal experience of disability. With a great deal of theory, legal and political talk; I will bring the human part and reality to what the reforms actually mean. I can show with the right support anything is possible.”

“Personally I am very fearful of the social care reform implication. Meanwhile I can see some positives in the aims of the reforms (streamlining processes and funding streams), however I have concerns of the actually reality they will bring for disabled people. “

Visit here  for more information about the Towards a Positive Future 2012 conference. Book now to hear Martyn speak live  2012 conference!

One of the sponsors of TaPF2012 Conference, Field Fisher Waterhouse Solicitors, are generously providing bursaries of 50-100% of the delegate fee to enable parents of children to attend.  Early bird rates for bookings made before the 30th April 2012 are £96 per delegate including VAT or £180 for 2 delegates booking together.  This includes all refreshments and a delegate pack. 

I am organising this year’s conference.  The 4 keynote speakers at this years conference are Clive Rawlings, Barrister speaking on the future for children with SEN from a legal perspective, Tania Tirraoro, a journalist and parent (Special Needs Jungle) speaking on the SE7 pathfinder and experiences of the system as a parent, Charlie Mead, Educational Psychologist speaking on ‘The Careless System’ and Martyn Sibley, social entrepreneur speaking on what it was like growing up as a child with special needs with one aim ‘to change the world for disabled people.’ 

Jane Asher, Actress, Author and President of the National Autistic Society is coming and there are 12 seminars covering dyslexia, acquired brain injury, autism, deafness and Down Syndrome as well as influencing and communication skills, life after school, the ICAN Secondary Talk Programme,  Applied Behavioural Analysis and the SCAEP Social Skills Programme.  The focus as always is whatever the political context what do we know works and how can we navigatge the system and enable our children to get the support that they need so that they have a positive future.

To book your place go to http://www.wordswell.co.uk/tapf-conference-2012/booking.php