Contact details

As well as being a freelance writer I am also a qualified counsellor and I work for a low cost counselling service in Exeter and for the NHS Gender Clinic also in Exeter.

Simultaneously, I work as a Disability Member of the First Tier Tribunal, Social Entitlement Chamber sitting on disability benefit tribunals on an ad hoc basis.

As a writer I specialise in writing about disability and health.

My articles have been published in the Guardian, Times, OUCH! [BBC disability website], Disability Now, Broadcast, Lifestyle [Motability magazine], The Practising Midwife, 'Junior, Pregnancy & Baby', Writers' News, Able, Getting There [Transport for London magazine], Junior, Community Care, DPPi [Disability, Pregnancy & Parenthood International]. I have also had articles commissioned by Daily Mail.

For more information about me and for examples of my writing please see below.

If you would like me to write an article for your publication, about any aspect of disability, please do get in touch:

emma@emmabowler.co.uk

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Oscar Pistorius - either way it's a tragedy

It seems that Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend - on purpose or by mistake - either way it's a tragedy.

I get the feeling that some of the people passing judgement on the case have no real insight into the crime culture in South Africa - shootings, car jackings and the like.

Sadly levels of violent crime in South Africa are very high - the country has one of the highest rates of gun murder in the world with over 8,000/year.  What I'm trying to say is that if Pistorius thought there was an intruder in the house that it's quite feasible that that would have push him right to the edge.  And it's impossible to know what you'd do in that state.

Whether forensics can back Pistorius's version of events, or disprove it, remains to be seen.  Cremating the body of the deceased so soon seems a little hasty but I guess these people know what they are doing...

This is the story of a disabled man who had it all, a National and International hero at the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.  Whatever happens it's probably going to be very hard for him to get back onto that pedestal.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Moving the disability benefit goalposts

The Government's reform of Disability Living Allowance into Personal Independence Payments is of great concern to many disabled people, check out my latest article for Disability Now on the subject:

http://disabilitynow.org.uk/article/moving-goalposts-pip-eligibility