Articles in Author: Ben Clark

Articles in Blog Posts

    Graphic headed "Thomas’ Blog: Making Videos For BuDS With The Reach4Work Digital Team". Text boxes read "My time at BuDS... [is helping] me to improve my motivation and confidence to work independently " and "These are all valuable skills that will help me to get employment either now or in the future"

    Making Videos For BuDS With The Reach4Work Digital Team

    Ben Clark

    Written by Thomas, a member of the BuDS Reach4Work Digital team. 

    Disclaimer: this is a personal blog by a BuDS member. The views expressed are personal, and don’t necessarily represent those of BuDS or our Trustees. 

    “Since I joined the Reach4Work Digital Team in January, I have been working both on my own and with a the Digital Team, to create Videos. We usually work as a team in co-production, creating different components for the final video I have worked on several different videos. In blog I would like to talk to about a video we have just finished about Agile Project Management, to add to an article the team had previously written.

    Read More
    1 in 62 people in Bucks now infected. 5 infected people in a busy supermarket. Risk of meeting someone with Covid remains Very High.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 20 June 2023

    Ben Clark

    The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in your everyday life this week has risen slightly. The risk is still Very High. Around 1 in every 62 people in Bucks have Covid.

    As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 4 and 7 infected people breathing out virus which you could catch.

    As we predicted last week, the Covid risk appears to be rising again now that the school holidays are over. We cautiously expect this rise to continue for the near future.

    BuDS continues to recommend that disabled and clinically vulnerable people avoid indoor spaces unless they are wearing a filter mask (FFP2/3). For more advice on how to avoid catching Covid, use this link.

    This data is based on the Zoe Health Study for Covid-19, adjusted to take account of its limited coverage. To learn more about this, use this link.

    To understand more about our Covid risk levels and what they mean, use this link.

    For more Covid information and help, please contact BuDS and we will be happy to help.

    1 in 66 people in Bucks now infected. 5 infected people in a busy supermarket. Risk of meeting someone with Covid now Very High.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 13 June 2023

    Ben Clark

    The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in your everyday life this week has fallen, but is still Very High. Around 1 in every 66 people in Bucks have Covid.

    As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 4 and 6 infected people breathing out virus which you could catch.

    Covid infection rates historically fall during school holidays, so this is probably why the Covid risk has been lower in the last couple of weeks. People may have also been less likely to report symptoms to the Zoe study during the holidays. We are cautiously predicting that the Covid risk will rise again now that the school holidays are over.

    BuDS continues to recommend that disabled and clinically vulnerable people avoid indoor spaces unless they are wearing a filter mask (FFP2/3). For more advice on how to avoid catching Covid, use this link.

    This data is based on the Zoe Health Study for Covid-19, adjusted to take account of its limited coverage. To learn more about this, use this link.

    To understand more about our Covid risk levels and what they mean, use this link.

    For more Covid information and help, please contact BuDS and we will be happy to help.

    1 in 42 people in Bucks now infected. 6 infected people in a busy supermarket. Risk of meeting someone with Covid remains Extremely High.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 29 May 2023

    Ben Clark

    The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in your everyday life this week remains Extremely High. Around 1 in every 42 people in Bucks have Covid.

    As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 6 and 10 infected people breathing out virus which you could catch.

    We think that we are now at the end of a small peak of Covid infections, but it is too early to say whether infections will go down or up in the next few weeks.

    Looking back on last week, we think that we probably significantly underestimated the number of infections. We said that 1 in 40 people in Bucks had Covid, but the true figure was more likely to be around 1 in 29. Sadly, until the Government starts widespread testing again, it is much more difficult to estimate infection levels.

    BuDS continues to recommend that disabled and clinically vulnerable people avoid indoor spaces unless they are wearing a filter mask (FFP2/3). For more advice on how to avoid catching Covid, use this link.

    This data is based on the Zoe Health Study for Covid-19, adjusted to take account of its limited coverage. To learn more about this, use this link.

    For more Covid information and help, please contact BuDS and we will be happy to help.

    Ten and twenty pound notes spread out with coins on top of them

    Card Only Payments May Discriminate Against Disabled People

    Ben Clark

    Since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, many shops, services, and businesses have started accepting only debit or credit card payments. This was originally done to reduce the small risk of passing on the virus by handling coins and notes.

    However, many businesses quickly realised that not accepting cash has other advantages for them, such as cutting staff time, reducing theft risks, and reducing bank charges. For this reason, many shops and businesses have decided to stay ‘card only’ and not accept cash payments.

    However, only accepting card payments may be discriminating against some disabled people who are unable to use cards because of their disability.

    Read More
    1 in 40 people in Bucks now infected. 6 infected people in a busy supermarket. Risk of meeting someone with Covid remains Extremely High.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 22 May 2023

    Ben Clark

    The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in your everyday life this week remains Extremely High. Around 1 in every 40 people in Bucks have Covid.

    As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 6 and 10 infected people breathing out virus which you could catch.

    We are now in a period of higher Covid infection levels. It is too early to say whether we will see a further increase next week, or whether levels will begin to decline again. Because of this uncertainty, we may be underestimating the current risk.

    BuDS continues to recommend that disabled and clinically vulnerable people avoid indoor spaces unless they are wearing a filter mask (FFP2/3). For more advice on how to avoid catching Covid, use this link.

    This data is based on the Zoe Health Study for Covid-19, adjusted to take account of its limited coverage. To learn more about this, use this link.

    For more Covid information and help, please contact BuDS and we will be happy to help.

    1 in 41 people in Bucks now infected. 6 infected people in a busy supermarket. Risk of meeting someone with Covid rises to Extremely High.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 15 May 2023

    Ben Clark

    The risk of meeting a Covid-infected person in your everyday life this week has risen to Extremely High. Around 1 in every 41 people in Bucks have Covid.

    As an example of the risk of catching Covid, a typical busy supermarket will have between 6 and 10 infected people breathing out virus which you could catch.

    We are now leaving the trough between Covid waves, and infection levels are beginning to rise again. The risk of meeting an infected person in your everyday life will increase over the next few weeks.

    BuDS continues to recommend that disabled and clinically vulnerable people avoid indoor spaces unless they are wearing a filter mask (FFP2/3). For more advice on how to avoid catching Covid, use this link.

    This data is based on the Zoe Health Study for Covid-19, adjusted to take account of its limited coverage. To learn more about this, use this link.

    For more Covid information and help, please contact BuDS and we will be happy to help.

    A hand wearing a purple latex medical glove, holding a syringe with the plunger extended. The syringe is held in a way suggesting it is ready for injection into someone. The image is seen against a plain grey background.

    BuDS Policy Position on Euthanasia & Assisted Dying

    Ben Clark

    BuDS has compassion for people suffering at the end of life and wants everyone to be able to experience a peaceful and dignified death. We recognise the spectrum of strong views held about the issue of ‘Assisted Dying’ or ‘Assisted Suicide’.

    As a community of disabled people, BuDS strongly holds that the lives and wellbeing of disabled people are of equal value to that of non-disabled people. BuDS exists to uphold and defend the interests of disabled people. ‘Assisted Dying’ significantly affects the interests of disabled people, especially now that an Assisted Dying Bill is before the Commons, and BuDS therefore needs to engage with the issue and have a policy position on it. 

    If you would like to jump straight to our policy position, you can do so using the menu below.

    Read More
    A red cartoon rotary telephone, with the rotary dial replaced by a horizontal black box containing the word 'HELP' in white capital letters

    Help in a Mental Health Crisis

    Ben Clark

    If you are in a mental health crisis, there are many organisations you can contact for help. BuDS has compiled a list of them, and their contact details. If you want to shortcut to a specific organisation, use the menu below. For each organisation, there is contact details and, where available, their website, as well as a brief description of their work.

      Read More