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cathycbreen.bsky.social
catherine c breen
@cathycbreen.bsky.social
99 followers 140 following 29 posts
one moment at a time
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cathycbreen.bsky.social
@phm.org.uk @gmcdp.bsky.social
Great badgemaking session today.
Close up of a red handbag made of fabric. A label pocket, with a border of black leather-like material and red stitches, contains a yellow card with the following black text: Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People(GMCDP) to the right of the GMCDP logo that is a circle of 10 lines in a sun-like formation. Above left is a circular badge with a background of red with torn green paper in the shape of a four-leafed clover leaf. Text printed using ink block letters and black ink reads: ADHD + LUCKY (the second D in ADHD has an X drawn through it). Underneath is the text: DISLABLE. There is another badge to the right of this one and above the previously described lable pocket. This circular badge has an orange background. There is torn green paper in the shape of a four-leafed clover leaf. Text printed using ink block letters and black ink reads: AUTISTIC + ADHD = 'sensory differences' is handwritten using black ink pen and red biro used to create fuzziness around the edges of the letters s e n s o r y d i f f e r e n c e s
July 9, 2025 at 2:52 PM
cathycbreen.bsky.social
23 May, two days since mass lobby of UK Parliament on 21 May. Recovering at home in Manchester. Read ALT text of the images below for more. Have a good Bank Holiday all @jeffsmithmp.bsky.social @well-adapt.bsky.social @crips-against-cuts.bsky.social @dis-ppl-protest.bsky.social @gmcdp.bsky.social
Parliament on 21 May 2025. Three residents of Manchester Withington constituency meet Jeff Smith MP, in Westminster Hall during a Mass Lobby of MPs. Despite late trains and cancelled ones, London traffic, crowds, queues, the usual misunderstandings and many reschescheduling communications, we made it! I spoke with tears at times; passionate and heartfelt. Grateful to Jeff for listening attentively and respectfully in the noisy and busy Westminster Hall. Hopefully, this trip has made sense. According to one Manchester-based group of disabled leaders, reforms to welfare in the green paper will harm the UK Social Security system, the welfare state, and our economy, nationally, locally and personally. To prevent this, we ask the UK Government to work with disabled people, instead of making decisions about us, without us. Parliament does not yet have the full picture. Vital information is missing. Incorrect, and misleading judgements are harmful. Photo taken in UK Parliament, Westminster Hall. From left to right: Jeff Smith MP; Cathy Breen; Kyda Grabham; Helen Clark.
May 23, 2025 at 1:26 PM
cathycbreen.bsky.social
UK Parliament TOMORROW
Deaf and disabled people will meet MPs at a mass lobby in Westminster Hall from 1pm to 4pm. All UK residents can ask MPs to vote against cuts to social security.

@well-adapt.bsky.social @crips-against-cuts.bsky.social @dis-ppl-protest.bsky.social @disrightsuk.bsky.social
A circular orange sticker, including text that states, '21st May 2025' MASS LOBBY' with a yellow banner, including text that states, 'Disability Solidarity'.
May 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM
cathycbreen.bsky.social
what's it all about?
An abstract colourful drawing made up of swirling marks using oil wax and water soluble crayons layered on top of gouache paint splodges left over from a time when the page was used as a palette to hold and mix paint that had been squirted out of tubes. Layered on top of the paint and the crayon layers are thick black lines made with a marker pen forming shapes such as two hollow circles with several lines sticking out at 90-degree angles from their outer edge in different directions. Outlines of triangles of different sizes, also marquise, navette or little boat shaped outlines. One triangle near the centre of the drawing has a line leading away from one side. The line is broken but works with the triangle to create an arrow. Black lines also form outlines around places where there is little or no other colour layered on top of the original paper which is pale blue card. This card forms the background or bottom layer. There is lots of movement and disorder with bits of stillness and clarity.
April 16, 2025 at 10:25 AM
cathycbreen.bsky.social
During weekly drop-in with @gmcdp.bsky.social peers on 1st April, this is what arose and helped me to focus. More responsive than contrived. Practicing documenting moments in meaningful ways...
An open sketchbook in front of an open but off laptop on a desk. Sunlight makes gentle bands of light and shadow diagonally across the pages from top left to bottom right. The scale of the drawing is 2 times A4. The angle of perspective creates a dramatic effect. The drawing centres around a horizontal strip of plastic tape stuck halfway down both pages. The tape reads RAGILE FRAGILE in large red capital letters from left edge to right edge. The vertical height of the tape appears to be a sixth of the whole page. Some letters in RAGILE FRAGILE are blurred using a red biro pen to scribble over and around. The unclear letters are R F I and L. The letters remaining clear read AGILE RAGE. Using a thick black marker pen, a line creates one box around AGILE following the top and bottom edges of the tape. The same black line makes a 2nd box around RAG and a third box around E. These boxes also follow the top and bottom of the tape. To make the vertical sides of the boxes the black line has to cross the tape 6 times. Royal blue wax crayon has been used in a haphazard way in the space below the tape. To fill the lower half of both pages the crayon has been used on it's side in wide swirling motions creating marks with less definition than would be made by the tip of the crayon. The white of the paper is visible unevenly below the blue according to variable pressure applied. Below the word AGILE and RAG blue crayon has caught the tape slightly in a wave like motion. Above the tape in the top half of both pages using a range of different coloured crayons on a background of ochre crayon, there is a row of flame like or pine tree shaped forms. The dominant colour filling these forms is bright yellow applied thickly concealing the paper below. Each yellow form corresponds to one of the clear red letters. Each letter is connected to a yellow form by a roughly drawn wick or stem made of a mixture of brown and green crayons used side on and with some definition.
April 5, 2025 at 8:44 PM
cathycbreen.bsky.social
Global Disability Summit today in Berlin. The following graphic recording by buffie nguyen @buffienguyen.bsky.social is brilliant. Here is my attempt to describe this great illustration in ALT text. Please comment on how it works for you.
Thank you. Here it is:
Colourful illustration, signed by @buffienguyen. It is a graphic recording. The centre is a blue circle with the heading LEADING THE WAY. Underneath is a gold banner that reads, featuring the most impactful commitments for disability inclusion in development cooperation. Above the heading are 3 people, from left to right 1 wears a blue headscarf, smiles and carries a stick, 2 has large round glasses, smiles and carries a pink book, 3 wears a blue suit, smiles, waves a small pink flag, and uses a wheelchair. A larger circle behind the 3 people includes words and drawings: Germany, BMZ, drawing of The Federal Government logo; inclusive and resilient cities and a drawing of tall buildings; drawing of the solar system above the word, 'INCLUSIVITY'. To the right of the 3 people are the following words with illustrations: IDA; STRENGTHEN organisations; pathways for YOUNG LEADERS; INCLUSIVE. Left of the 3 people are drawings, and these words: Jordan HCD; access; education; INCLUSIVE; political participation. Beyond the inner circles, there are 9 segments. Starting from the top left, heading right and around, numbered for ALT text, there are illustrated words as follows: 1. listening to the VOICES of OPD partners; POWER (an arrow points to) PARTNERS & COMMUNITIES; FUNDING VOLUME (with arrows pointing outwards); cbm. 2. EDUCATION CANNOT WAIT; monitoring; strengthening DATA & EVIDENCE; HOLISTIC understanding of disability. 3. Algeria MSNFCF; LEGISLATION; COLLABORATION; EDUCATION. 4. International COLLABORATION; United Kingdom FCDO; support for FAMILIES; assistive technology. 5. IDB; INVESTMENT in disability inclusion - skills - social protection - universal design. 6. Zero Project; 2025-2028; Zero Project Conference. 7. Valuable 500; leverage, Influence of 500 partners; REPORTING, LEADERSHIP, REPRESENTATION. 8. UNICEF; supporting GOVERNMENTS; increase INVESTMENT; DATA. 9. Australia DFAT; increase support for OPD; international disability rights DIALOGUE. PERFORMANCE target.
April 3, 2025 at 1:26 PM
cathycbreen.bsky.social
@instituteforgov.bsky.social Keynote Speech happened today. @andyburnham.bsky.social speaking about Greater Manchester. I posted a question. Here is an image with ALT text...
Laptop screen showing livestream of keynote speech from Institute for Government alongside questions posted via online form (slido) including: question identified as 'Anonymous' from me. This question reads: what steps will be taken, including timescale, to ensure welfare reform doesn't further injure any disabled or ill residents of GM and those who live and work alongside them who will also be impacted by any changes?
April 2, 2025 at 4:48 PM