TOP 5: Functional Father's Day Gifts 2014

To kick off our new series of 'Top 5' blog posts we thought we'd start with our top 5 (well 7, we couldn't pick just five) functional father's day gift ideas! Father's day is on June 15 this year in the UK so we thought we'd post this pronto so you have plenty of time to get your gifts!

(1) The Slanket

Many of you may have already heard of this comfy blanket with sleeves and we think its an ideal gift for dad. You can even now get one with a pocket for your TV remote control and a pouch for your feet! Order them here at the Slanket website.

(2) Audible Books

Next up on our Top 5 (well, 7) is audible, a subscription to this vast audio book library will allow your Dad to choose from a collection of thousands of audible books of all genres. So he's bound to find a lot of good reads to listen to!

(3) Grippy

At number 3, we have Grippy, this nifty little gadget is a great way to keep all your essentials together in one place. So no more searching around for lost keys or delving deep into your pockets scrambling together loose change. A perfect gift for Dad!

(4) The Blue Badge Company

The Blue Badge Company specialise in stylish, quality and unique blue badge holder designs. They have a great range to choose from but here above is our favourite. Make sure you check out their website to see the other designs on offer.

(5) Sturdy Slippers

Now you may think slippers are a pretty bog standard gift for Dad but these Moccasin slippers are really sturdy and offer great support to the feet. If you head over to M&S there's a whole range to choose from why not have a peak.

(6) Beer Fridge

At number 6 we have the beer fridge, every man's dream! There are a range of sizes and designs on offer across the market but a few of our affordable faves can be found at Argos.  It's a great way to avoid nagging drink requests whilst he's busy watching the world cup tucked up in his slanket. 

(7) Bulldog's Original Moisturiser 

Finally our number 7, father's day gift idea is Bulldog's Original Moisturiser. This simple grooming product has received fantastic reviews and provides great 'skincare for men'.

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Disabilities Don't Define You - by Paisley Hansen

Disabilities Don’t Define You

Facing life with a disability can be a challenge. Uneducated or dismissive people may discount you as a member of society, or you may feel infantilized or marginalized by well-meaning family or friends. However, you do not have to allow your disability to define you. You are a person with a disability, not a disabled person. While you may never be able to change how some people view you, you can change how you view yourself. Here are some positive ideals you should embrace to keep your disability in a healthy perspective.

Focus on Strengths

Albert Einstein once said that a fish will go its entire life thinking it is stupid if you judge it on its ability to climb a tree. This is true of people, as well. You cannot go through life focusing on areas of weakness. Find your strengths and use them to your advantage. If you are living with a visual impairment, you may decide to pursue music. For those with speech issues, writing may be a good fit. Focus on what you can do, not what is difficult.

Overcome Obstacles

Confidence is built by overcoming challenges, so challenge yourself! If you have always wanted to perform on stage, finish a 5k, or travel to a foreign country, find a way to make it happen. You can break your goal down into smaller, easier-to-obtain goals to boost your confidence. Once you meet some of your goals, no matter how small, you will be able to overcome larger and larger obstacles as your confidence and belief in yourself soars.

- Photo taken from Flickr

Demand Independence

For some people with disabilities, receiving help from a caregiver or family member is essential. However, this does not mean you should allow yourself to be treated like a child. You can and should gently demand that your boundaries be respected if anyone attempts to provide help you don't want or need. This will help you feel independent and empowered, despite your disability. For example, if you are hearing impaired, there is no reason for well-meaning family and friends to take notes for you at a college lecture. You can rely on hearing aids, sign language, your professor's outline or speech-to-text software to handle your studies independently. If you are in a wheelchair and still want to drive, get a wheelchair van. There are many ways you can keep your independence.

Find Your Inspiration

Inspiration can come from many different sources, such as religion or celebrities. Many famous people have overcome disabilities to achieve their goals and make their dreams come true. For example, over a dozen previous presidents of the United States have had disabilities, including hearing impairments, learning disabilities, epilepsy and post-polio syndrome. None of these men let their challenges get in their way. If you are looking for a motivational quote to tape to your mirror, the following by deafblind author and activist Helen Keller is quite apt: "Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."

Love Yourself

It is often said that you cannot love someone else until you love yourself. However, some people with disabilities may have trouble finding worth and value inside themselves. The media loves to portray anyone who is less than 'perfect' as the butt of jokes and unloveable. In reality, everyone is worthy of love. Make a list of your best qualities and read it every day. Cultivate your relationship with yourself and show yourself love by affirming your own worth and value every day.

Living with a disability cannot stop you from overcoming obstacles, being independent and achieving your goals. You are not your disability, and there is no reason to allow it to define you as a person. Changing your outlook on life with a disability is imperative to setting aside bitterness and forging forward with a renewed sense of purpose and accomplishment.

Written by Paisley Hansen

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International #RareDiseaseDay!

The 28th February 2014 was international Rare Disease Day with over 70 countries across the world hosting events and activities to help raise awareness about rare and invisible diseases. So I thought i'd share some of the events with you! For a full list of events that went on and the success that they had please visit the Rare Disease Day Website.

Official Video

In the UK a variety of events took place on the day including a Coffee morning in London, organised by Advocacy for Neuroacanthocytosis; an information day at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth hospital and  BABPA Charity Dinner in Leamington Spa, organised by NMC Midlands.

Meanwhile in Australia a Cinema Fundraiser Night happened in Tuggeranong hosted by International Society for Mannosidosis and Related Disease. There was also a picnic event in Melbourne and a Cocktail night in Bathurst, all to raise money and awareness for rare diseases!

As previously said, various events happened across the world including Jazz nights in Italy's capital city of Rome and High School assemblys in New Jersey, USA. So please do check out the website for a full list of all of the activities. BUT it doesn't end there. There are also more events to happen in the coming weeks and months in association with Rare Disease Day 2014 so make sure you keep an eye out for an upcoming event near you and keep spreading the word about rare diseases!

#RareDiseaseDay2014

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Rare Disease Day 2014!

In 4 weeks time on February 28th 2014 it is international rare disease day organised by Eurodis. In the run up to this day various events and promotional campaigns are taking place to help raise awareness about invisible conditions. To find out more about the day and to see the all the easy and simple ways that you can get involved just read the rest of this blog post and then visit their website.

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So what is Rare Disease Day?

"Rare Disease Day is an annual, awareness-raising event co-ordinated by EURORDIS at the international level and by National Alliances and Patient Organisations at the national level.

The main objective of Rare Disease Day is to raise awareness amongst the general public and decision-makers about rare diseases and their impact on patients’ lives.

The campaign targets primarily the general public but it is also designed for patients and patient representatives, as well as politicians, public authorities, policy-makers, industry representatives, researchers, health professionals and anyone who has a genuine interest in rare diseases.

Since Rare Disease Day was first launched by EURORDIS and its Council of National Alliances in 2008, more than 1000 events have taken place throughout the world reaching hundreds of thousands of people and resulting in a great deal of media coverage.

The political momentum resulting from the Day has also served for advocacy purposes. It has notably contributed to the advancement of national plans and policies for rare diseases in a number of countries.

Even though the campaign started as a European event, it has progressively become a world event, with over 70 countries participating in 2013. We hope many more will join in 2014. Our objective is for the WHO to recognise the last day of February as the official Rare Disease Day and to raise increasing awareness for Rare Diseases worldwide." - Rare Disease Day Website 

Below is  a message from the Rare Disease Day Ambassador - Sean Hepburn Ferrer. 

Interested in getting involved? Check out this video explaining the information pack available for download from the Rare Disease Day website.

On 28th Feb we shall feature a special blog post about the success of the day and hopefully share some of your stories about how you got involved. So please get in touch and let us know how you're planning to raise awareness!

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It's 2013 - Welcome back!

Hello everyone! First of all, i'd like to apologise for the significant lack of posts in recent months, the reasoning behind this shall all be explained in an upcoming blog post. However, we're back now with weekly content being uploaded!

That's right...

 a new blog post will be uploaded every friday 1pm UK time! 

I'm looking for your suggestions and contributions to be uploaded. Whether its a personal story about coping with the hectic Christmas period, some useful info you've recently come across or some inspiring and encouraging messages we'd love to hear from you!

Get in touch via email: hideandseekid@hotmail.co.uk or tweet us: @hideandseekid!

This is your chance to help us to reach out and raise awareness about invisible disabilities. 

Also, i'll be changing the layout of the blog so do let me know what you think!

Please share this blog post with your friends and family to let everyone know that we're back up and running, raising awareness about invisible disabilities.

Thank you.

Next Blog: "Why so quiet?" will be up on Friday 18th Jan!

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10,000 hits!

On Friday 4th may, our #invisibledisabilities day we reached 10,000 hits on the blog!

Thanks so much for everyone who supported us and got involved, helping us to reach our target. We're now well on our way to the 11,000 mark and 20,000 is our next goal! Keep posted as there shall be many updates to come about invisible conditions. 

Keep spreading the word about invisible disabilities.

Next Post: Invisible conditions we learnt about on #invisibledisabilities day.

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