About

I am Jess.

I am a writer with a particular interest in themes of parenting and disability as well as a qualified architect. I worked in London and the Middle East designing houses and churches before returning to London to raise my children and redesign our own house.

This is a blog to tell stories about being a mother to our son Ben, his disability, our family and our lives in London. I write about what I am learning from being a mother and how I am trying to be an ally to Ben.

Ben is 10, loves stories, Michael Rosen and being cycled around as fast as possible. He enjoys jokes and is surrounded by a loving, extended family. He has a younger brother, Max, and a younger sister, Molly.

Ben finds it hard to control the muscles of his body and needs support to sit and stand. He has difficulty talking, though he makes noises to tell us how he is feeling, so he mainly communicates by smiling and looking at objects, things, pictures or an eye-gaze computer.

My children’s names are pseudonyms but the photos and stories are real.