#WheelOfFact, Musings

#WheelOfFact

Gemma - Wheelescapades

Way back in August of 2017 I announced that I was going to start a # on Twitter, the # would be #WheelOfFact. Every Friday I would tweet a fact that was based on my blogging subjects. Many of these were disability related facts however I lightened it up a little by interspersing the gritty with facts about tea or cats or the festive period.

Ok so this may not have gone viral, but some have had a few retweets. Every #WheelOfFact that gets seen widens knowledge and understanding. Mostly about disability but sometimes about tea. Both very important subjects.

I am going to continue my #WheelOfFact through 2018, however I would also like your input. If you have an interesting or shocking fact about disability, access or something Wheelescapades related then tweet using the #!

If you don’t tweet then you can still take part, just contact me here or on social media and I’ll tweet your fact, crediting you of course.

Also for those of you not yet in the Twitter world here are all my #WheelOfFact’s that were tweeted in 2017.

#WheelOfFact

Afternoon tea c1840. Duchess of Bedford requested a pot of tea and light snack mid afternoon to stop ‘that sinking feeling’ of hunger.

There are currently 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK. 2/3 of them are regular users.

84% homes in England do not allow a wheelchair user to get to and through the front door without difficulty.

“agony of the leaves” phrase used in the tea trade to describe the moment leaves uncurl as hot water is poured over.

In the UK, approximately 100 children are born with SMA each year.

There are currently (2016) 66 step free stations on the London Tube (or 24% of the 270 Tube stations.

At any one time it is thought that there are between 2,000 – 2,500 children and adults in the UK living with SMA.

A cat’s brain is biologically more similar to a human brain than it is to a dog’s (part 1).

Both humans and cats have identical regions in their brains that are responsible for emotions (part 2).

Disabled men experience an 11% pay gap compared with non-disabled men, for women this is doubled to a 22% pay gap.

Camellia Sinensis plant creates black, green, white & oolong tea. It’s how the leaves are treated that creates the difference.

It is estimated there are 62,000 disability motivated hate crimes each year.

The first official Paralympic Games were held in Rome, Italy in 1960 and featured 400 athletes from 23 countries.

Cats make about 100 different sounds. Dogs make only about 10.

Only 17% of disabled people were born with their disabilities. The majority of disabled people acquire their disability later in life.

873,000 older people in the UK have little or no contact with people over the Christmas period.

In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world’s biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.

Many parts of the Christmas tree can actually be eaten, with the needles being a good source of Vitamin C.

Father Christmas would have to visit 822 homes a second to deliver all the world’s presents on Christmas Eve, travelling at 650 miles a second.

Mexicans celebrate New Year’s Eve, by eating a grape with each of the twelve chimes of a clock’s bell during the midnight countdown, while making a wish with each one.

Get involved by sharing this post, retweeting some facts or tweeting some of your own!

Published by Gemma - Wheelescapades

Whenever friends and I are out we always end up discussing, critiquing, analysing where we are and what we are doing. From talking about the food we are eating, the soap in the toilets, the awful bus journey to our destination, anything and everything we encounter. Because of my disability (SMA type2) many of the situations we get into, issues we discuss and laughs we have can be due to wheelchair access. Often me getting stuck in mud or shingle, or me making my way through the most cram packed shop you can imagine, wondering how I am ever going to find the way out again! I aim to write a blog that describes these dramas, tells stories of our laughs, adventures and frustrations, while giving detailed information on accessibility and wheelchair access. Also I like tea. ALOT. The quality of the tea often determines my return just as much as the accessibility.

24 thoughts on “#WheelOfFact”

  1. Pingback: The Vote Is On – Bloggers Bash Awards – Wheelescapades

  5. i like your #wheeloffacts. But, I haven’t seen a lot of these tweets. I should do a better job of sharing and seeing them. I just saw an excellent talk by a young woman (It’s from the MPA I believe) talking about how she wants to be a medical researcher and attend a university that both challenges her mine, but is accessible for her body. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. I wonder how many universities in different parts of the world are accessible for wheelchairs or support other inclusive tools.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It most definitely isn’t too much to ask. The university I attended wasn’t fully accessible, however the staff did do everything they could to make it as inclusive as possible for me.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. What a fab idea! I had completely missed this # last year! I’ll definitely try and share and join in from now on! One of your facts close to my heart up there is:
    “84% homes in England do not allow a wheelchair user to get to and through the front door without difficulty.”
    I really want to change this stat!!!
    Thank you so much for joining #accesslinky

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It really is a shameful fact in the times we live, that even homes are inaccessible!
      I too hope this stat changes for the better.
      Thank you for running #accesslinky it really is a great way to get together are share stories.

      Like

      Reply

  9. What an interesting post. Sad in some instances, joyful in others, but all around very interesting. I definitely didn’t know most of these facts. Thanks for sharing!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. Good idea to post these facts. I am doing a video on patient abuse in medicine and am collecting statistics for it. Can you give me a link to the source for that statistic on disability motivated hate crime? I’m also looking for statistics on how long on average to be diagnosed with some of the less un derstood conditions. Please let me know if you can send me links to any papers.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hello. Thank you for stopping by!
      I tried to find a route to contact you on your blog but couldn’t find anything. If you send me a message via email or social media I have some info I could send you.

      Like

      Reply

  11. Couldn’t agree more with Hayley’s comments about some of the facts being shameful. More needs to be done in terms of accessibility for sure.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.