About Me

I'm a Christian passionate about social justice and God's love for the poor. Being a disciple of Jesus means obeying his commands and copying his example. God's command and example is that we love the poor, including defending their rights.

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I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Type 3, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome and fibromyalgia. Basically, I'm always exhausted and in pain. Every part of me hurts; every part of me longs for rest and sleep.

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I carry out research on disability and sickness policy. I started in this area of work in 2012, soon after I became ill, and around the time that the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government started its changes to social security. I became part of the Spartacus Network, joining with other sick and disabled people to critique the government's approach to sick and disabled people. In 2015 I was commissioned by the thinktank Ekklesia to carry out research for the purpose of designing a new sickness benefit. In 2018 I started working with Catherine Hale on the Chronic Illness Inclusion Project, looking at the shared features of chronic illness and their implications for social policy.
 

In September 2019 I brought out Second Class Citizens, a book which considers the history of the UK's treatment of disabled people and the creation and subsequent steady dismantling of the welfare state.