Author: Kate Swaffer © 2026 Despite decades of research, and public awareness efforts — including the widespread proliferation of the non-inclusive dementia-friendly campaigns— people diagnosed with a dementia continue to experience pervasive issues including stigma, structural discrimination, and social exclusion. These outcomes persist not because of a lack of awareness per se. They persist primarily because…
What went wrong? Uncovering the Crisis at the International Disability Alliance The following is an introduction to an important blog by Peter Torres Fremlin, a report which uncovers the crisis at the International Disability Alliance (IDA). Peter looks into what went wrong at the International disability Alliance – not only to inform us, but to…
The case of the stolen Mango Not even heard of by many Aussies Perhaps a prank to highlight it It even caught the attention Of dear Shibley My #nolongeranimaginaryfriend Who writes and blogs prolifically And said he wrote the Mango blog for me Though I’m not sure why He tweets @legalaware And whilst it has not been good for some We…
Treating symptoms in the early stages of dementia, as the gateway to supporting disabilities, not managing them in ways that restrict and hinder, and managing emotional changes with counselling and positive engagement, rather than treating the symptoms with drugs, have become paramount to my well being and perceived longevity. If the symptoms of dementia were…
My office is now the one place I feel really safe all of the time and is where I absolutely positively love to hang out. Who would ever have thought that could or would ever have been the case, particularly as the last few years it was where I worked?! It has become a safe…
My life sometimes seems to have been so full of tragedy it has sometimes been hard to breathe. 26 years ago, a man I had loved took his own life. He was 35 years old, a successful doctor with a brilliant career and a life full of friends and family. I was 27. He suffered…
This is a short essay about my experience with the words disability and disabled, in relation to my progression of illness and its disabling impact on my life. These words feel insulting, patronising and humiliating, and even more so as my disease develops because they undermine who I am, and appear to be defining me as a…
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