BAFTA and the BBC failed Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo, the Tourette's community and viewers when they allowed the N-word to be aired during the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony.
With a tape delay, this moment could have been handled differently. The audio could have been muted in the broadcast. The segment could have been edited. Instead, the slur went out. And now it lives online — free to be clipped, circulated, divorced from explanation and used as shorthand outrage. Or worse, it can be used to spread hate. https://t.co/7RYqGI5zLO
Prince Harry congratulates gold medalist Major Jonathan Turnbull, an Army Veteran who lost his sight.
#PrinceHarry#WarriorGames2026#Veteran
📸 Sharon Dunbar
@ScienceAdvances It is placed through a standard needle and powered wirelessly from outside the body. In laboratory and preclinical testing, it delivered programmable stimulation and activated nerves in vivo.
A device the size of a small seed can be injected near a nerve and adjust its activity without surgery, batteries, or wires. @ScienceAdvances https://t.co/LXC2gUyefQ
RIP Anthony Head
Buffy the Vanpire Slayer is and was an important and, at times, genuinely life-preserving programme for many of us in Mad / traumatised / neurodivergent communities. His role as Giles meant that he has a special place in our hearts. My condolences to his family.
One of the grimmest political tricks of the last 15 years has been convincing the public that disabled people are a bigger economic threat than tax avoidance, private outsourcing failures, or housing costs.
•Connecting families with support networks and legal resources
Building a Movement
Red Pepper isn’t just sharing individual grievances—she’s building a broader movement. By associating with campaigns like “Stop Discrimination against Special Needs” and #RightfulLives, she’s connecting her personal story to systemic issues affecting thousands of families. This movement-building approach helps transform isolated parental struggles into collective political pressure.
The Wider Problem She’s Highlighting
Her campaign addresses a documented crisis: research shows 96% of families with disabled children aren’t getting adequate support to care safely, creating a system where parents must fight desperately for basic services. When they do complain about inadequate care, some face what they describe as bullying and harassment from the very systems meant to help them.
Legal and Professional Concerns
Red Pepper’s allegations align with concerns raised by legal professionals. Lawyers have documented cases where local authorities misuse their protection powers, potentially targeting parents who advocate too strongly for their disabled children. This suggests her campaign may be highlighting a systemic pattern rather than isolated incidents.
Why Social Media Matters
For parents of disabled children who may be isolated at home caring for their families, social media provides a vital platform to:
•Find community with others facing similar battles
•Learn from experienced campaigners like Red Pepper
•Share their own stories without traditional media gatekeepers
•Build political pressure through viral content and direct MP engagement
Red Pepper’s work exemplifies how modern disability advocacy increasingly happens on digital platforms, where parents can bypass traditional power structures and speak directly to audiences who can help change systems.
Labour doesn't seem to like SEND schools for kids like mine – but here's what we'll lose if these precious places are forgotten by John Harris https://t.co/2AQ2oZ11eE
Kanya King - who founded the Mobo Awards which celebrate Black British music - has died at the age of 57.
Her family said it followed a "courageous and characteristically determined battle" with colon cancer.
In a statement - they said the creation of the Mobo awards was an "act of cultural justice" which had demonstrated the power of Black music to a world which had too often chosen not to see it.
To every parent in the UK fighting for a disabled child / adult without support—especially those facing bullying from local authorities, the NHS, or professionals:
I see you.
I see the exhaustion of battling a system that should be there to help you. I see the pain of being dismissed, gaslit, or actively undermined by the very people and organisations whose job is to support your child. I see the courage it takes to keep going when local authorities deny essential services, when NHS professionals talk down to you or ignore your expertise about your own child, and when you’re made to feel like you’re the problem for demanding basic rights.
You are not too demanding. You are not difficult. You are a parent fighting for your child’s right to support, dignity, and care. The fact that you have to fight this hard is not a reflection on you—it’s a reflection on a broken system that too often treats families like yours as burdens rather than people who deserve help.
What you’re experiencing is not rare. Many parents report being traumatised by public bodies that should be supporting them, facing professional bullying, having their concerns minimised, and being forced into relentless appeals just to access what should be routine support. But your voice matters. Your advocacy is powerful. Every time you refuse to accept a “no,” every time you insist on a proper assessment, every time you document what’s being done (or not done) to your child—you are making a difference, even when it feels invisible.
You shouldn’t have to face this alone. Lean on other parents who understand. There is strength in shared experience, and there are groups across the UK where parents are fighting together against the same system.
You are doing more than enough. You are not the problem. The system is. And you deserve support just as much as your child does.
Hold on. Keep going. You are not alone.
Mental health diagnoses should never be used as an excuse to overlook or justify the way parents are treated by local authorities and the NHS. Too often, families feel dismissed, judged, or even bullied instead of supported. This only adds to the stress they are already facing.
What families need is understanding, respect, and practical support—not blame or stigma. When professionals focus on removing barriers and working alongside parents rather than against them, outcomes improve for everyone involved.
If the culture shifts away from criticism and toward genuine support, families are far more likely to feel empowered, stable, and able to thrive. Every parent deserves to be heard, treated fairly, and given the opportunity to succeed, regardless of any diagnosis.