I’m so excited to celebrate Simply Emma turning 2 years old today. Happy 2nd blogiversary! I honestly can’t believe another year has flown by already. It feels just like yesterday when I rolled through my local park with a giant balloon celebrating my 1st blogiversary.
Year 2 of blogging has been the best by far. It’s been a great year for growth and achievements for ‘Simply Emma’ but I also feel like I’ve personally come a long way too. I’m focused and more passionate about sharing the world from my perspective as a wheelchair user and highlighting how accessible it is and the things that need to improve.
Looking back on this past year
Last year I set myself the following goals and I’m happy to report that I’ve managed to achieve them all.
- Be proud of what I do and the content I write
I have a stronger vision now of what I want to achieve and the sort of content I want to produce. I’m always looking for fun and interesting things to share. I’m focused on sharing as much of my accessible travels and life experiences as I can in the hope of knocking down any barriers to accessibility.
- Try new and exciting things
I tried accessible skiing for the first time and absolutely love it. I’d highly recommend you give it a try if you haven’t already. I’m already on the lookout for new accessible activities to try. I’m open to any suggestions, so leave a comment if you can think of any.
- Discover more amazing accessible places
I had an amazing trip to Paris and took a ride on an accessible tourist train with Another Paris. This was my second visit to Paris and was without a doubt the best. Paris gets a bad rep for being inaccessible, but in actual fact, it’s very accessible and completely suitable for wheelchair users.
- And highlight the not-so-accessible too
As you probably know I’m a massive music fan and gig-goer. I regularly attend live music events and then review the whole process from booking tickets, staff awareness and attitudes, venue accessibility and facilities as well as the gig itself. It’s important to highlight the good and bad areas of accessibility. On the whole, I experienced good accessibility apart from when I tried to book tickets for Adele at The SSE Hydro. I also wrote an article investigating whether independent music venues are shutting out disabled gig-goers.
- Grow my audience and meet more people with a passion for travel
It’s been exciting to watch my audience and followers grow over the past year. I love receiving feedback from you all and I love it when you share your travel experiences with me too. It’s amazing being able to offer advice and answer your questions too. I’ve also met some great people with a passion for travel, music and all things accessible. Hannah (cool breeze & dirty knees) and John (WheelchairTravel.org) are two of my favourite accessible bloggers that I follow and am happy to say have become friends with over the past year.
Highlights for Simply Emma
Simply Emma received an amazing makeover after celebrating the 1st blogiversary thanks to the incredibly talented and creative genius that is Claire from Wildflowers & Pixels. I wanted something fresh for my blog so Claire worked her magic with awesome new branding and blog design.
She also created a new logo highlighting the three main themes on the blog; lifestyle, travel and disability. Oh, did I forget to mention that Claire is also my sister? How awesome is that! I can’t recommend her enough…go check her out and follow her on social media. We’re already working on something new so watch this space…
I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to write for great magazines and organisations including Ucan2, PosAbility, Attitude is Everything, Muscular Dystrophy Trailblazers, Limitless Travel, Q’Straint, and The Rick Hansen Foundation. I also got to write an article for my local newspaper and then be interviewed for and featured in it too. That was pretty cool.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s been nice to connect with other bloggers that share the same interests and passions as myself. So when I decided to feature guest bloggers on Simply Emma, it was only right that I asked them to be the first to share their experiences. I was honoured and super excited that both Hannah and John agreed to be Simply Emma’s first guest bloggers. Thanks, guys!
Looking Forward To the Next Year
I’m already working on lots of exciting things for the coming year, and I can’t wait to share them with you. Some of these involve travelling to exciting new places and trying things for the very first time. I’m trying my hardest not to give too much away, as I want to keep them as surprises, but I promise it’ll be worth it.
My Goals for The Next Year
I’m keeping my goals pretty simple this year. I’m focussing them around travelling more and having fun rather than concentrating on improving numbers and stats.
- Continue to produce quality content
- Go on more road trips
- Attend more gigs around the UK and (hopefully) Europe
- Travel more and share my accessible experiences
- Try another accessible sport or activity
- Show more of how beautiful and accessible Scotland is
A few of my most popular posts
How to Survive a Long Haul Flight as a Wheelchair User
7 Top Tips for Wheelchair Users Visiting New York City
Quantum Transforms Travel For Wheelchair Users on Lothian Buses
Experiencing Edinburgh Trams for the First Time as a Wheelchair User
Top 4 Wheelchair Accessible Things to Do In Paris
Wheelchair Fashion: Finding the Perfect Dress
Hampton by Hilton Bristol City Centre | Wheelchair Access Review
How to Plan an Accessible Day Out
Once again thank you to everyone who has followed along with my journey so far. It’s a big world out there, so let’s get rolling and exploring!
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