The Liebster Award

I am very happy to let you know that I have been nominated for The Liebster Award! I would just like to thank Brendan, author of the blog Blind Injustice, for nominating me. It’s very much appreciated. Brendan writes about all sorts of different injustices such as ableism, Racism, religious injustice, and many more. It’s a very eye-opening read so do check out some of his posts.

Firstly, what the heck is the Liebster Award?

The Liebster Award 2018 is an award that exists only on the internet and is given to bloggers by other bloggers. The earliest case of the award goes as far back as 2011. Liebster in German means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

There are certain rules which must be followed in order to accept the award.

These rules are:

1. Acknowledge the blog which nominated you.
2. Answer the 11 questions your nominator asked.
3. Nominate 11 other bloggers.
4. Ask them 11 questions.
5. Let them know you have nominated them.

Lastly, I need to link my Liebster Award Blog post (this one) to “The Official Rules of the Liebster Award 2018” blog post on The Global Aussie blog. Jack, the owner of the site has taken it upon himself to be the noble Guardian of the award. He will read all of the entries and will choose a winner. The winner will be chosen based on the uniqueness and creativity of the questions asked to nominees. The winner will receive a prize which this year is a BioLite Camp Stove worth £150.

Onto the meat…

So, without further ado, here are the questions that Brendan posed to me.

1. What was your first job? I’ve never had a job, but I am working at being a freelance writer and graphic designer.
2. What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten? In the future you’ll regret more the things you didn’t do, than the things you did do.
3. Favorite season and why? My favourite season is probably summer, because it’s (usually) I can go outside more in nature and relax.
4. Favorite TV show? At the moment my favourite TV show is Mr Robot, but my favourites tend to change quite a lot!
5. When did you first travel alone and where did you go? I’ve never travelled alone because I need my carers to come with me.
6. Why did you start to blog? I started blogging because I realised that I’ve had a lot of experiences that may resonate with other people in a similar situation. I hope by blogging that I can help other disabled people by sharing information and showing what experiences are possible for someone like me.
7. What did you want to be when you were a kid? I think I wanted to be a paramedic, but I didn’t really think about it that much.
8. Would you rather travel into the future or the past? I would travel into the past. There are so many mysteries about ancient civilisations that we can’t solve. Like, how did the Egyptians build the pyramids? I would love to see what life was like back then.
9. Do you have any siblings? Yes, I have 2 older brothers. So I’m the baby (gotta love me!)
10. Can you cook well? No, I always get people to cook for me. It probably safer and easier!
11. What is the next thing you plan to learn? Well, I currently have a few Udemy courses on the go about Writing, Graphic design, and ethical hacking. So I’ve got loads to learn. Also I am currently learning French on Duolingo, So I’ve got quite a bit to keep me occupied. I just need to learn better time management! I procrastinate too much.

And my nominees are… [Cue drumroll]

All of the blogs I nominate below are ones I follow. They all write fantastic and thought-provoking posts, and I encourage you to check them out!

• Viewfromawalkingframe: This is a blog written by Nicola, who is a 27-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Nicola writes about topics such as how her disability affects her life, work, and also mental health.
• The Disability Diaries: This blog is written by Aidan, who has cerebral palsy and was born and raised in South Africa. It’s interesting to hear about the experiences of a disabled person in another country.
• Diary of a disabled person: This blog is written by Emma. She writes about her life as a wheelchair user from the UK. Emma also writes a lot of good short stories featuring disabled characters which are well worth reading.
• Me, Myself, and Disability: This blog is a “designated space for a man with lots of thoughts and unusual opinions on disability, mental health and how those things work within our culture.” 
• Wheelchair Wanderer: “My travel stories and learnings from living with a spinal cord injury.” This blog is by Mrunmaiy, a woman from India who has an SCI.
• Rock For Disability: This blog is written by Emma who has cerebral palsy and is registered blind. She blogs about the challenges of living with cerebral palsy and sight loss, and also about music. Emma regularly writes reviews of music albums and gigs that she had attended.
• Disability, Dating, and Determination: The adventures of a thirty-something with MD trying to manoeuvre life, dating, friendships, social activism and the world.
• Quirky Quad Diaries: A Blog on Sex, Sass & Spinal Cord Injury Adventures
• Quad.Works: Quadriplegic Life & Work after Spinal Cord Injury
• Leanne’s Wheel Life: “Rolling though life adapting from all ability to less ability.” A blog by a woman with adult onset limb girdle muscular dystrophy.
• Sarah Jenna-Jane: This blog is run by Sarah who writes about how to live your best life. She focuses largely on mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and negative body image. Sarah had suffered with a number of chronic illnesses herself so she writes from experience.

My Questions To The Above Nominees

1. If you could visit any time in the past (or future) when would it be and why?
2. What is the one thing you most hope to achieve by blogging?
3. Who is your hero – the person you most respect and look up to? And why?
4. Where do you hope to be in your life 5 years from now?
5.  If you could give any advice to your 10-year-old self what would it be?
6. What is your favourite quote, and why?
7. What is your favourite thing to do in your spare time?
8. Name one thing you would change about the world, and why?
9. Where is your favourite place that you have travelled to? What do you like about it?
10. If you could turn any activity into an Olympic sport, what would you have a good chance at winning a medal for?
11. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?