Happy New Year.
I know I’m officially two days late (three, if you’ve subscribed to the blog by email), but nevertheless.
Obviously 2012 was an Olympic/Paralympic year, so that the London Games becoming a recurring theme in this post goes without saying – particularly given the way they highlighted both the significant contribution made to society by talented people with disabilities (sportsperson and performer alike) and, rather unexpectedly judging by this footage of a nervous George Osbourne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, being booed at a medal ceremony, the savage cuts he and his Cabinet members made to vital disability benefits throughout the year.
Funnily enough, the Olympic and Paralympic Games dovetail neatly with the various surges in progress that Isobel made as 2012 went on, sometimes to medal-winning effect, and the effort Miles put into his own fundraising walk. For that reason, they all make the top ten.
Of course – let’s not forget – Benedict met his own developmental milestones throughout, and should be included, too, for doing so. More so than the new strides I’ve made of my own in the world of work, including getting published in The Huffington Post and freelance opportunities materialising here and there – although my film directorial debut, CODA, does make an appearance here.
So without further fanfare – and in no particular order of importance; they all count as my favourites – I give you my top ten moments of 2012.
1. Isobel takes her first steps. Despite the nay-saying of her OT mere days before, those darling legs of hers took on a life of their own. Even better, she’s now practicing with a specialist walker. Watch the video below for more confident strides.
2. …and wins an Olympic-style medal – not to mention a Highly Commended for the Pride in Aylesbury Vale Child of Courage Award. Enough said.
3. As part of a team of 21 walkers, Miles completes a 21-mile trek along the Chiltern Ridgeway in aid of PACE. His ardour helps the charity beat their 2012 Gold Challenge target with £101,148 in their 21st year.
4. Isobel FINALLY gets into mainstream nursery. Her SEN statement has been a year-long, hard slog, but worth it.
5. Ben learns to use his walker for the first time. He’d just turned 13 months, and up to this point hadn’t yet upgraded from crawling. He’s now going up and down stairs on a regular basis.
6. Oscar Pistorius makes history as the first double-amputee to compete on the Olympic track. So what if he didn’t make the men’s 400m final? His participation alone is another step towards disability equality.
7. Jenny Sealey, co-director of the bombastic Paralympic Opening Ceremony, wins the Liberty Human Rights Arts Award. Proof that the arts can be an effective means of asserting human rights.
8. Isobel begins to see Ben as a new incentive for play. This was the touching moment when I witnessed the big sister making a very real effort to interact with her baby brother.
9. Just two months after my cochlear implantation, I begin to distinguish individual singing voices. Does it matter that I was watching YouTube videos? I could never manage this in my entire life before with my analog hearing aids – and I preferred those to their digital counterparts.
10. CODA is screened in an international mainstream film festival for the first time. The European Film Festival in Miami, no less. And in competition with nine other film shorts selected from across the globe too. (I’m the third entry in the list.)
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