Inspiring, Inclusive Blogfest

"Why am I doing this?" I thought to myself as I stood cold and alone on an empty station platform in the pitch 6.30am darkness waiting for my train to take me forward 4 hours to Blogfest.

I reminded myself that today was going to be a day of learning, my brain primed like a sponge to absorb writing tips from the finest in the game.  It was also about sharing some thoughts on inclusion and diversity in blogging at a round table at the Mumsnet Blogfest event in London.

Hayley, Soraya and Swazi discuss inclusion at the Blogfest round table.

"The next train to arrive at platform two is the 6.47 to Plymouth."

I felt uneasy, vulnerable, watching out for any sign of railway staff. A shiver of cold ran down my spine, made worse by my damp hair and the urgent need for the first hot drink of the day. 
I sheltered on the bridge, watching the heavy rain fall in vertical cords and flowing like urgent waterfalls from blocked gutters.

A Blogfest for Inclusion

I'm honoured to have been asked to join a group of leading writers and speakers at Mumsnet's #Blogfest2015, a huge one day event that promises to be a 'glittering celebration of great writing and sharp ideas'.

I've watched the You Tube clips from last year and they aren't exaggerating!

I'll be joining Swazi Rodgers of Chocolate is Not the Only Fruit and Soraya Cotwal of I Happy Now 2 talk at a round table about creating diversity and inclusion in the predominantly white, middle class, non-disabled world corner of the internet that is the blog world. Blogging holds such power to create change when we work together, that it's important to harness that for all.

Would you like more readers for your SEN blog? Join us here.

My poor blog is feeling a little neglected. It's just going to have to get used to it...

because I've been asked to write columns, articles and edit round-ups for some rather large and very well respected organisations (Shhh, don't tell it, you might hurt it's feelings). 

It's such an honour and wonderful opportunity to bring our voices together, learn more about SEN from others, gather support for parents and create real change for our children.

So if you write a blog about your family or child with a disability or SEN, do join in one of the linkys below.

Britmums - We're talking about sensitive subjects, such as writing wills, staring and losing a precious child, as well as reading the wonderful words of adults with a learning disability writing about their own full lives with friends, jobs and campaigns this month in Tricky Taboos and This Is Me.

Mumsnet - asked me to guest edit their This Is My Child round-up this November. It's still open so tell us what makes your child so unique and wonderful here. We've had a lovely response so far.

Photography by Andra Alexander

Special Needs Jungle - Tania has asked me to join her team of esteemed columnists on her one-stop-SEN-shop site. This month we're talking about the Uniqueness of the SEN Parent and how expecting too much of each other might not be the best form of support. We are as individual as our children after all. 

Last but not least, you might also like to read a little article published on the famous What to Expect When You're Expecting website this week. 
It's entitled Expect the Unexpected: 9 Lesson I Learned from Having 2 Beautiful Daughters (one with Down syndrome) and came about when they asked if I would mind hosting a post for them. My mind whirred and I flipped the offer around, suggesting instead to write a piece on Expecting the Unexpected for them. I was delighted when they said yes! (Little old me, a contributor to the world's most famous parenting guide. Sorry blog).

Miscarriage, breach birth, home birth, an unexpected diagnosis, a spell in NICU and months of breastmilk expressing are stirred together with a healthy dose of wit here.