If you saw me riding my recumbent trike, taking photographs or talking about my blog, you would see some of the things I enjoy. You might not see the work involved in making those things possible.

Living With Disability and Doing Things Differently

In 2008, I had treatment for a brain tumour. I was left with lasting difficulties, and further treatment and the effects of damage to my brain brought more challenges over the years. In 2024, I also had a stroke, which affected my left side.

Those are the headlines. Living with the consequences is a much longer story.

My background is in computing, where investigating problems and finding ways around them was part of my working life. I was also a Scout leader for around thirty years. Being useful, solving problems and helping people have always mattered to me. They still do, although the ways I can do those things have changed.

Some of my difficulties are relatively easy to explain. Others are harder to put into words.

Following a conversation, keeping hold of an idea while doing something else, or gathering my thoughts under time pressure can take considerable effort. Fatigue adds another layer. Something I can manage comfortably at one point may become much harder when I am tired.

Busy environments present a particular challenge. Several conversations, background noise and the pressure to respond can become more than I can process. I can reach a point where I need to withdraw and allow myself time to recover. From the outside, the effort involved may be largely invisible.

Finding Practical Ways Around Everyday Challenges

Over time, I have developed a collection of practical strategies. Some use technology. Others are reassuringly simple.

One of the most useful is putting my thoughts somewhere outside my head.

Free Mind Sample Screenshot

I use mind maps as a working surface. Mind maps allow me to capture ideas as short phrases, arranged in branches around a central topic.

They let me capture a thought, put it alongside another, move things around and gradually see how they fit together. Crucially, the thoughts remain there while I turn my attention elsewhere. I do not have to hold everything in mind at once.

“For me, the important thing is that I don't have to hold everything in my head at once. I can add ideas as they occur to me, move them around, develop connections and return to the map later without losing my train of thought. It's a particularly useful way of compensating for some of my cognitive difficulties.”

That is how much of my writing develops. An idea may begin as a few words or a spoken note. It can take several visits before it becomes something I can explain clearly. Having somewhere to leave the pieces makes it possible to return and carry on.

Another strategy is one I think of as “take a good brain with you”: bring someone you trust to an important appointment. They can help follow the conversation, remember what was said and notice the question you meant to ask. Accepting that help can make it easier to participate and make your own decisions.

Then there is my trike.

Why I Chose a Recumbent Trike

My ICE Adventure recumbent trike gives me a way to get out, exercise and enjoy the countryside despite my difficulties with balance. Adaptations help me get on and off and keep my feet secure on the pedals. Electric assistance helps when I need it. I choose my routes carefully, riding mainly away from roads, including along disused railway routes.

The result is much more than a means of transport. It gives me freedom, enjoyment and opportunities to ride with other people. It also attracts cheerful comments from children who spot my “lying down bike”. There is considerable pleasure in being noticed for something fun.

Learn more about recumbent trikes, disability and adaptive cycling.

Why I Started Half a Mind To

In September 2025, I started a blog called Half a Mind to.

I had accumulated years of experience in working around difficulties, but much of it existed as separate ideas and habits. The blog gives me somewhere to gather those experiences and explain what helps, what remains difficult and why an apparently small adjustment can matter.

I particularly hope it will reach people who are newly disabled and trying to work out what comes next, including those hoping to return to work.

I cannot offer a set of instructions that will suit everybody. Even for me, a useful strategy does not remove the underlying difficulty. It can, however, make a particular activity possible, reduce the effort it takes or leave me with more energy for something else.

What I Hope Other People with Disability Will Take From My Experience

That is what I hope readers will find: an idea they can adapt, words for an experience they have struggled to explain, or the reassurance of recognising something familiar.

I still have things I want to do and things I can contribute. Finding a different way to do them has become part of everyday life. Sharing those ways has become something worth doing in its own right.

You can find Kelvin’s blog, Half a Mind to, at halfamindto blog.