Research

Over the past 3 years we have targeted hundreds of schools in both the private and public sectors to their involvement with disabled children in the community and the facilities they are able to offer disabled children.

We have a data bank of their facilities which, subject to privacy protection, can be made available to interested parents.

We have to thank the schools concerned for their very positive support - both with information and funding to enable this research to be completed.

How We Work

Our initial visit to a school is made by an experienced Speaker - probably an occupational therapist or a teacher with experience of disabled young people. They are accompanied by a young disabled speaker, who will have attended one of our training sessions.

After a period of training the young disabled speaker, will be confident to take the sessions on their own. However, if it is a school with large classes, then 2 speakers will go.

After the visit, we write to the Headteacher for an assessment of the speakers performance, how the children received it and for any suggestions for improving our delivery of this important subject.

After the 1st visit, the school is asked if they would like a Drama Workshop. As these are costly to fund we always have a waiting list of schools until we have recieved grants for this activity.

Our Drama Workshops are run by Laura Dymock, a young actress with considerable talent. Laura always includes an actor and 2 disabled actors in her team.

As our work has progressed it has also evolved.
We have become so aware of the frustrations disability causes not only to those born disabled but also to those who have become disabled in childhood or later and their aims and interests curtailed.

We are now endeavouring to form area groups working together to identify needs in their own locality and reporting back to us for support.

Each of these areas is a “new” project but it is difficult to convince funders that this is not an ongoing situation or that the need exists.