What are the most common questions you get asked about being disabled?

There’s loads. Because I’ve got very short arms [as a result of his mum taking the — thought then to be safe — drug thalidomide when pregnant] it’s usually things like ‘How do you drive?’, ‘How do you write?’, ‘How do you play the drums?’ There’s also more general beliefs about what having a physical disability means — people think you’re stupid or don’t have any sexual feelings…

Do you find the questions upsetting?

It depends how they are asked. I don’t mind if it’s just genuine curiosity and not coming out of hate or negative feelings.

What do you say in reply?

Usually I just show them how I do it! But humour is the best reply. Being aggressive doesn’t get you anywhere, even though it’s tempting. It’s important not to join them in laughing at yourself. If someone says, ‘you’re a spastic’ don’t just agree and laugh too. Give it back.

Where did you get the hardest time about your disability?

At school. I went to two different schools — one posh public school and one comprehensive. The abuse was twice as bad at the posh school. It wasn’t just me who got picked on — it was the black kid, the Pakistani kid, the gay kid, the fat kid…Sadly, we didn’t bond together — we hadn’t grown out of that need to be part of the in-crowd yet so we thought hanging out with each other would just make our isolation worse.

Is there one experience that stands out?

When I was 13, five of us went out on a group blind date. Everyone started pairing off and I remember the look of politely concealed horror on this girl’s face when she realised she was going to be stuck with me! I realised that, like lots of people, I wasn’t going to get anywhere with women on my looks, so I became very good at listening and communicating instead. And it works a treat!