A couple of weeks ago, we had our village carnival which was followed by a fete at the recreation ground. The kids' eyes lit up when they saw that the main attraction was a massive inflatable bouncy castle and slide. Along with our friends, we queued up, only to be told that we were not allowed on as adults were not allowed to accompany children. Despite the fact that I explained that both of mine are physically disabled and need assistance in climbing etc, we were refused entry because of 'insurance reasons'! I'm not quite sure what they expected me to do on the castle (the last time I did a roly-poly I pulled a muscle in my neck!) and I would have thought that they would have been in more danger had I just let them go on their own. It's just another ever present reminder that our children are different and that, even in an arena which is supposed to be for families, it seems that disabled families are excluded yet again and made to feel awkward. I have emailed the carnival organisers three times now and have still received no reply - does that tell me something?

On a positive note, today we received notification that we have been allocated direct payments for eight hours a week during the school holidays, which is GREAT. This will allow me to have an extra pair of hands to take the kids out and do all the normal mundane things that everyone else seems to manage, like going to the shops or taking the kids to the park! Hurrah!