This is the shameful moment when my cameraman Ron Skeans was attacked at an
@realDonaldTrump
rally in El Paso last night - warning this video contains strong language. Happily Ron is fine.
#TrumpElPaso
This is the shameful moment when my cameraman Ron Skeans was attacked by
@realdDonaldTrump
supporter in El Paso - after the President repeatedly goaded the crowd over supposed media bias. Happily Ron is fine
#TrumpElPaso
Trump says "is there any place more fun to be than a Trump rally" - well I can say it's no fun for me and my team - Cameraman Ron Skeans and Producer Eleanor Montague facing a protestor shoving Ron and trying to smash his camera
Security now removed Trump crowd member who pushed and shoved my cameraman - having jumped onto the Media platform here in El Paso - pretestor tried to smash our camera - follows multiple attacks on the media by the President and previous speakers - it's shameful
9 to 0 judgment at the Supreme Court upholding the rights of states to enforce electoral college rules. Ten "faithless" electors defied the popular vote in their state in 2016
Supreme Court decision, for the first time, says employers can't discriminate against LGBTQ people. Opinion written by Conservative Judge, Neil Gorsuch, decision 6 to 3. Huge moment.
I despair. Special assistance lady
@HeathrowAirport
told me "it's the law" that I HAVE TO wait in the special needs area airside — “the law"! She point blank refused my request to be escorted to the area around B gates and left to find my way to the gate when it was announced.
I love the fact that Alaska only has 50% of its votes counted so far. The Last Frontier doing things its own way! No Huskies were harmed in the production of this tweet.
#election2020
Catching up with the distressing PHE disability study: those with learning disabilities in England were up to 6x more likely to die after contracting Covid than the general population. Those aged 18-30 with learning disabilities were 30x more likely to die than their peers.
I’m blind & I just had to say my voting choices out loud in the middle of my polling station.
Voting is inaccessible for many blind & visually impaired people.
Blind citizens deserve accessible, private & independent participation in democracy.
#DogsAtPollingStations
When will
@HeathrowAirport
— and indeed airlines like
@British_Airways
— arrive in the 21st century in their treatment of disabled people? Anyone got a ticket for the Queen Mary I can buy? Frankly a rowing boat would be better than this hassle.
By “the actual blind” you mean blind people; living, breathing, working, loving people; according to you, we are less than even the most negative metaphorical uses of the word “blind”.
#Ableism
President Biden drawing the net of political violence widely in his oval office speech. Referencing January 6, attack on Nancy Pelosi‘s husb another incident. In other words this is a problem with America not with any particular party in America
Please don’t send us back to the days when people like me had to sit on trains counting stops and wondering whether we were getting off at the right station. Give us a break.
Train companies will be told to axe ‘endless torrent’ of train announcements
I know that
#impeachment
is sucking up the entire news cycle right now, but just a thought for the 4327 people who died of COVID-19 yesterday in the United States. It’s double the death rate we saw at Thanksgiving.
Central London pub last night: me,“a pint of bitter please.
Barman, a pint of what?
Me, “bitter“
barman, what’s that? I don’t know the technical terms.“
I counted 3 strangers yesterday who spoke about me in the 3rd person to my ′excellent′ colleague while I was right there. Are blind people meant to just put up with this? What makes people abandon normal civilities? Sure, It's low level, but so wearing day after day.
Settling in at home with a glass of wine and the potential for an all night listening session to the state house in Texas. Don’t say I don’t know how to enjoy myself.
Wisconsin is turning into a real nailbiter. Biden just took an 11,000 vote lead having been more than 100,000 votes behind, because Milwaukee is coming in now.
#election2020
I urge everyone to take a moment to think how this feels. Before you shrug your shoulders and dismiss the extra daily humiliations disabled people have to face.
I’m watching my train leave in 5 mins and I’m not on it because I apparently didn’t arrive early enough for staff to get the ramp.
I’m late because the bus I was on let everyone (20+ people -full bus) off before deploying the ramp for me.
Everyone on that bus made their train.
Chap in Georgetown tells me - en passant - "reach further with that stick" - always nice to get a white cane lesson from a random stranger - after all, I've only been using one since I was eight years old
@phillipnorton
@DianaJohnsonMP
My dad was a cabdriver. My mum worked behind a bar. I lost my site finally at eight years old. I was the first person to go to university in my family. I was told , aged 22, by a BBC executive that blind people couldn’t be reporters.
Simply put, I couldn't do my job without braille. It makes literacy possible for blind people. Support it wherever you can. Especially for the young.
#worldbrailleday
#braille
Heathrow assistance again refusing to listen to the views of disabled passengers. When my flight was delayed I asked to be left in a cafe near to the gate and was laughed at by the woman “assisting” me. The assistance people wanted to talk among themselves instead of asking me.
I remember feeling incredibly angry when I heard of John’s death 25 years ago; we cursed those responsible for taking his life and wasting his talent. But Susie and the trust have channelled that emotion into something truly admirable. Please support them.
Take a look at our latest coverage on the Pennsylvania assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life.
Trump shooting: the security failures that let gunman mount assassinatio... via
@YouTube
Tucker Carlson of Fox News is telling me that I should be worried that UFOs are interfering with America's nuclear weapons capabilities. I'm just wondering if that can wait for a few weeks?
I wouldn't want to be the President's campaign chief, Brad Parscale, this evening. Pix appear to show lots of empty seats on upper tier in arena, and the outside overflow already being dismantled
@davidhunter7
It was all thanks to an amazing team in London and here in the US. Really they made it very easy for me. A huge Production effort all round.
An utter legend and a gentleman.
@jonsnowC4
One of the true greats of news anchors.
And a man who always had time to talk to new young reporters. Bravo.
My cameraman Allen tells me Capitol Hill bars are doing early happy hours for today's public hearings - Subpoeana Coladas on sale ′Yes I know!′
#impeachmenthearings
I know this will sound weird coming from a blind person, but I know jeff a bit, and I bet he's a fantastic photographer. He was kind enough to take some snaps of me wants.
On this Weeks From Our Own Correspondent, my colleague Anthony Zurcher
@awzurcher
reports from the RNC in Milwaukee and I end the program with some reflections on the assassination attempt against Donald Trump take a listen.
As a blind woman I frequently experience hostile & bizarre behaviours from men.
My visual impairment wasn’t obvious before I used a white cane or guide dog so I’ve absolutely experienced the specific shift of behaviour towards my disability.
Here are two recent examples 🧵
Massive congrats to
@EllieSouthwood
for her MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list. Not only has she been the biggest champion of blind peoples’ rights, but she has also demonstrated that a blind person can be a real leader in the challenging environment of local government
Advocates for the blind want states to allow ballots to be filed electronically, fearing that polling place closures and a focus on mail-in balloting will disenfranchise voters who are blind. By
@AP_Christina
.
Briefly, I recorded this very quick video further to
@guidedogs
Access issue earlier
@Tesco
in my off time. I’ve been called a Socio path for having mentioned it and it has been described as “trivial. One person said I wanted cash.
Last time I set my alarm for 5 am was to ensure I didn't miss the last test match in the Ashes series.Tomorrow I will set my alarm for 5 am again to make sure I don't miss the UK Supreme Court judgement. God knows what that says about me.
1hr 53mins from plane to arrivals hall
@HeathrowAirport
0 queue at passport; 0 delay on baggage; this ridiculous amount of time is down to the airport’s assistance providers, what possible metrics can they be working to?
@British_Airways
Nothing changes
some suggestion Joe Biden might announce a covid taskforce of his own by Monday. fascinating to see if Faucci oor Birkx are co-opted. presumably they would have to resign from their gvt jobs
The excellent Election Project people in Florida now have early voting at 49.8% of the 2016 total votes. Quite extraordinary. We are heading for bumper turn out I think.
Really? Was my request so outlandish? You really should try to employ people with some empathy and at least a basic understanding of equality.
@British_Airways
@HeathrowAirport
"you could say that automatically without even knowing" - The President's logic underpinning his continuing assertion that the wall brought down crime in El Paso
.
@VirginTrains
announcer just blamed late running of our train on a wheel chair user ‘they do just turn up’. Am deeply shocked but 2 weeks ago
@easyJet
did the same on my delayed flight.