Melanie Rimmer
@melanierimmer.bsky.social
Woman of a certain age. PhD researcher exploring discourse around learning disabilities. Open University Associate Lecturer passionate about inclusion and lifelong learning. Building knowledge & advocating for respectful representation
We're still recruiting for this study: Are you neurodivergent & have done, or considered, a PhD? We’re researching how doctoral study works (or doesn’t) for neurodivergent people. Take our 30min survey: forms.office.com/e/ft9jyWsPUW
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
July 31, 2025 at 2:45 PM
We're still recruiting for this study: Are you neurodivergent & have done, or considered, a PhD? We’re researching how doctoral study works (or doesn’t) for neurodivergent people. Take our 30min survey: forms.office.com/e/ft9jyWsPUW
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Are you neurodivergent & have done, or considered, a PhD? We’re researching how doctoral study works (or doesn’t) for neurodivergent people. Take our 30min survey & help make academia more inclusive forms.office.com/e/ft9jyWsPUW
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
July 24, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Are you neurodivergent & have done, or considered, a PhD? We’re researching how doctoral study works (or doesn’t) for neurodivergent people. Take our 30min survey & help make academia more inclusive forms.office.com/e/ft9jyWsPUW
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Questions? Email lindsay.odell@open.ac.uk
#PhD #Neurodivergent
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Welfare cuts are a political choice.
685,500 Britons (1%) have wealth of £2.8trn. 48m (70%) have £2.4trn.
Richest four have more wealth than 20m people combined.
Govt could have taxed the rich, chose to cut benefits of the disabled/poor.
Not acceptable. Tell your MP to oppose the cuts.
685,500 Britons (1%) have wealth of £2.8trn. 48m (70%) have £2.4trn.
Richest four have more wealth than 20m people combined.
Govt could have taxed the rich, chose to cut benefits of the disabled/poor.
Not acceptable. Tell your MP to oppose the cuts.
Why austerity is a political choice not an economic necessity
Prem Sikka is an Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex and the University of Sheffield, a Labour member of the House of Lords, and Contributing Editor at Left Foot Forward. Ch...
leftfootforward.org
March 30, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Welfare cuts are a political choice.
685,500 Britons (1%) have wealth of £2.8trn. 48m (70%) have £2.4trn.
Richest four have more wealth than 20m people combined.
Govt could have taxed the rich, chose to cut benefits of the disabled/poor.
Not acceptable. Tell your MP to oppose the cuts.
685,500 Britons (1%) have wealth of £2.8trn. 48m (70%) have £2.4trn.
Richest four have more wealth than 20m people combined.
Govt could have taxed the rich, chose to cut benefits of the disabled/poor.
Not acceptable. Tell your MP to oppose the cuts.
Improve a first line by substituting Mrs Dalloway:
“Last night I dreamed Mrs Dalloway went to Manderley again”
“Last night I dreamed Mrs Dalloway went to Manderley again”
Improve a first line by substituting Mrs Dalloway:
"It was a bright day in April, and the clocks were striking Mrs Dalloway."
"It was a bright day in April, and the clocks were striking Mrs Dalloway."
Improve a first line by substituting Mrs Dalloway:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of Mrs Dalloway."
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of Mrs Dalloway."
March 30, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Improve a first line by substituting Mrs Dalloway:
“Last night I dreamed Mrs Dalloway went to Manderley again”
“Last night I dreamed Mrs Dalloway went to Manderley again”
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
I keep seeing the press describe benefits cuts as a 'crackdown'. Other crackdowns we hear about usually reference crime or anti-social behaviour. What does that imply about benefit claimants?
Claiming the benefits you're entitled to isn't a crime - these are cuts, not a crackdown
Claiming the benefits you're entitled to isn't a crime - these are cuts, not a crackdown
March 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I keep seeing the press describe benefits cuts as a 'crackdown'. Other crackdowns we hear about usually reference crime or anti-social behaviour. What does that imply about benefit claimants?
Claiming the benefits you're entitled to isn't a crime - these are cuts, not a crackdown
Claiming the benefits you're entitled to isn't a crime - these are cuts, not a crackdown
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
What we wear can be a projection of how we want to be percieved.
In my series for Wellcome Collection Stories Sinéad Burke shares why she is so passionate about the fashion and why the industry can be a transformative space for disability justice.
wellcomecollection.org/stories/fash...
In my series for Wellcome Collection Stories Sinéad Burke shares why she is so passionate about the fashion and why the industry can be a transformative space for disability justice.
wellcomecollection.org/stories/fash...
Fashion, identity, and the need for community
Sinéad Burke’s love of fashion has driven her to campaign for change and, ultimately, establish a consultancy that aims to transform the way the industry includes and represents Disabled people.
wellcomecollection.org
March 18, 2025 at 11:57 AM
What we wear can be a projection of how we want to be percieved.
In my series for Wellcome Collection Stories Sinéad Burke shares why she is so passionate about the fashion and why the industry can be a transformative space for disability justice.
wellcomecollection.org/stories/fash...
In my series for Wellcome Collection Stories Sinéad Burke shares why she is so passionate about the fashion and why the industry can be a transformative space for disability justice.
wellcomecollection.org/stories/fash...
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
“If you are reliant on Pip, it is truly terrifying to witness, but it should terrify all of us, because a government that can front out this kind of denial is one that is not listening, not curious, not realistic and not humane.” @zoesqwilliams.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Labour is gaslighting disabled people – and that should terrify us all | Zoe Williams
The messaging that suggests poverty is caused by low aspiration and that disability is a choice could have come straight from the Conservatives’ playbook, writes Zoe Williams
www.theguardian.com
March 18, 2025 at 7:42 AM
“If you are reliant on Pip, it is truly terrifying to witness, but it should terrify all of us, because a government that can front out this kind of denial is one that is not listening, not curious, not realistic and not humane.” @zoesqwilliams.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Meanwhile, staff stress is skyrocketing and all the OU has done is to offer senior managers a training course and ask the rest of us if we feel better yet?
For University #MentalHealth Day we'll be sharing articles from the OU’s research community exploring student wellbeing in #HigherEducation.
Let’s start with ‘Participatory digital approaches to embedding student wellbeing in higher education’ by Lister et al: oro.open.ac.uk/84158/
#ThesisThursday
Let’s start with ‘Participatory digital approaches to embedding student wellbeing in higher education’ by Lister et al: oro.open.ac.uk/84158/
#ThesisThursday
March 13, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Meanwhile, staff stress is skyrocketing and all the OU has done is to offer senior managers a training course and ask the rest of us if we feel better yet?
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Hey folks a lot of you are sharing big blocks of text on coloured backgrounds with all sorts of big claims/news and yet providing no link to any actual source.
This is how propaganda & disinformation spreads.
Provide sources. It's absolutely critical
And alt text because almost none of you are.
This is how propaganda & disinformation spreads.
Provide sources. It's absolutely critical
And alt text because almost none of you are.
March 12, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Hey folks a lot of you are sharing big blocks of text on coloured backgrounds with all sorts of big claims/news and yet providing no link to any actual source.
This is how propaganda & disinformation spreads.
Provide sources. It's absolutely critical
And alt text because almost none of you are.
This is how propaganda & disinformation spreads.
Provide sources. It's absolutely critical
And alt text because almost none of you are.
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
“Every time you see a headline on “the cost of the benefits bill”, what you are really reading is “the cost of disabled people”.
My col. on Labour’s reported benefit cuts and the toxic narrative of the “moral” virtue of work. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My col. on Labour’s reported benefit cuts and the toxic narrative of the “moral” virtue of work. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There is a shameful tradition of demonising disabled people. Why is Labour reigniting it? | Frances Ryan
Ministers run away from a wealth tax and then concoct a punitive benefits system. They have made that choice and it’s immoral, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan
www.theguardian.com
March 11, 2025 at 8:34 AM
“Every time you see a headline on “the cost of the benefits bill”, what you are really reading is “the cost of disabled people”.
My col. on Labour’s reported benefit cuts and the toxic narrative of the “moral” virtue of work. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My col. on Labour’s reported benefit cuts and the toxic narrative of the “moral” virtue of work. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Government wants more people to return to work, but at the same time, is consciously eliminating the jobs that offer the best paths back into work:
Government’s employment reforms clash with its welfare plans
Jobs market policies could threaten the part-time vacancies that ease people back into work
www.ft.com
March 12, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Government wants more people to return to work, but at the same time, is consciously eliminating the jobs that offer the best paths back into work:
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Relevant to the 'disabled people need to work' discussions:
A contact of mine applied for a job.
They asked for one small cost-free 'reasonable adjustment'.
The employer promptly told them they couldn't have this.
No discussion.
It's Not The Disabled People Who Are The 'Problem', #Labour Party.
A contact of mine applied for a job.
They asked for one small cost-free 'reasonable adjustment'.
The employer promptly told them they couldn't have this.
No discussion.
It's Not The Disabled People Who Are The 'Problem', #Labour Party.
March 12, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Relevant to the 'disabled people need to work' discussions:
A contact of mine applied for a job.
They asked for one small cost-free 'reasonable adjustment'.
The employer promptly told them they couldn't have this.
No discussion.
It's Not The Disabled People Who Are The 'Problem', #Labour Party.
A contact of mine applied for a job.
They asked for one small cost-free 'reasonable adjustment'.
The employer promptly told them they couldn't have this.
No discussion.
It's Not The Disabled People Who Are The 'Problem', #Labour Party.
I was supposed to write from 7am - 9am this morning, but was on a roll so didn't stop until 9:40. Wrote 750 words.
It's part of my literature review for my PhD - writing about different models of disability (I've identified 14) and how they shape discourse
It's part of my literature review for my PhD - writing about different models of disability (I've identified 14) and how they shape discourse
March 12, 2025 at 9:39 AM
I was supposed to write from 7am - 9am this morning, but was on a roll so didn't stop until 9:40. Wrote 750 words.
It's part of my literature review for my PhD - writing about different models of disability (I've identified 14) and how they shape discourse
It's part of my literature review for my PhD - writing about different models of disability (I've identified 14) and how they shape discourse
Writing is so anxiety-inducing. I start to write something & then I think "Where did I find that idea from?" & search for an article/book to cite. Then I realise I never read the whole article or book, I read about it in a "...for beginners" title, or I read a review of it, or something I read
March 11, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Writing is so anxiety-inducing. I start to write something & then I think "Where did I find that idea from?" & search for an article/book to cite. Then I realise I never read the whole article or book, I read about it in a "...for beginners" title, or I read a review of it, or something I read
I persuaded my partner, who gets up by 7 on weekdays, to bring me a coffee every morning so I can get a couple of hours writing done in bed before I start "work" work. 364 words this morning. I love this plan.
March 10, 2025 at 9:02 AM
I persuaded my partner, who gets up by 7 on weekdays, to bring me a coffee every morning so I can get a couple of hours writing done in bed before I start "work" work. 364 words this morning. I love this plan.
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Oral health and learning disability: common conditions made complex
Oral health and learning disability: common conditions made complex - Learning Disability Today
Poor oral health is more common in people with a learning disability, which can have physical, psychological and social consequences and a major impact on people’s quality of life.
www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk
March 7, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Oral health and learning disability: common conditions made complex
Got up early to do some writing on my Lit Review. Endnote had a massive tantrum and needs to be reinstalled. Thinking about just going back to bed
March 7, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Got up early to do some writing on my Lit Review. Endnote had a massive tantrum and needs to be reinstalled. Thinking about just going back to bed
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
There is an urgent need for equality and improvement of clinical care for people with a learning disability in Northern Ireland, delegates at a conference have heard.
Shared commitment needed to address health needs of people with a learning disability | HSC Public Health Agency
There is an urgent need for equality and improvement of clinical care for people with a learning disability in Northern Ireland, delegates at a conference have heard.
www.publichealth.hscni.net
March 7, 2025 at 8:38 AM
There is an urgent need for equality and improvement of clinical care for people with a learning disability in Northern Ireland, delegates at a conference have heard.
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
I'm not sure which of you need to hear this, but:
If you push yourself to your limits and burn out for a company, you are trading years of your future productivity for minor gains in the present.
Burning out will _fuck you up_, it's like brain fog or depression, and it takes years to recover
If you push yourself to your limits and burn out for a company, you are trading years of your future productivity for minor gains in the present.
Burning out will _fuck you up_, it's like brain fog or depression, and it takes years to recover
March 4, 2025 at 10:45 PM
I'm not sure which of you need to hear this, but:
If you push yourself to your limits and burn out for a company, you are trading years of your future productivity for minor gains in the present.
Burning out will _fuck you up_, it's like brain fog or depression, and it takes years to recover
If you push yourself to your limits and burn out for a company, you are trading years of your future productivity for minor gains in the present.
Burning out will _fuck you up_, it's like brain fog or depression, and it takes years to recover
Kasibba spent 45 wrongly locked up in a mental health hospital. Hundreds of other autistic people and people with learning disabilities are still wrongly detained. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Autistic woman wrongly locked up in mental health hospital for 45 years
“Kasibba”, who is non-verbal and had no family to speak for her, was one of hundreds wrongly detained.
www.bbc.co.uk
March 4, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Kasibba spent 45 wrongly locked up in a mental health hospital. Hundreds of other autistic people and people with learning disabilities are still wrongly detained. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
If you are a fellow ADHDer, I highly recommend Dusty’s offerings. I’m going to do her Bootcamp this time- join me!
hey #adhd friends! Tomorrow is the last day to get the early-bird discount to the ADHD Bootcamp! It's a set of mega-body doubling sessions with a bit of structure from me to help you de-chaosify your home (YES EVEN THE DOOM BOXES!). Read on for more context!
www.adhdstudio.ca/plans/150117...
www.adhdstudio.ca/plans/150117...
February 20, 2025 at 1:10 AM
If you are a fellow ADHDer, I highly recommend Dusty’s offerings. I’m going to do her Bootcamp this time- join me!
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Knowledge is never knowing the answer. It’s knowing the territory.
February 18, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Knowledge is never knowing the answer. It’s knowing the territory.
I've pre-ordered this. Looks like essential reading
History, culture, philosophy, politics.
HUMAN BEINGS.
Couldn't be happier that this is coming out on June 5th published by Wildfire. Available for preorder now on Amazon.
@wildfirebooks.bsky.social
HUMAN BEINGS.
Couldn't be happier that this is coming out on June 5th published by Wildfire. Available for preorder now on Amazon.
@wildfirebooks.bsky.social
February 18, 2025 at 3:14 PM
I've pre-ordered this. Looks like essential reading
Reposted by Melanie Rimmer
Poor NHS admin is harmful to people with a learning disability
Poor NHS admin is harmful to people with a learning disability
A new report from the King's Fund says that 64% of patients have experienced problems with NHS admin, with carers amongst those most affected.
www.learningdisabilitytoday.co.uk
February 18, 2025 at 7:56 AM
Poor NHS admin is harmful to people with a learning disability