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Big and beautiful
- Authors:
- MCMINN Claire, BELLAMY Lorainne
- Journal article citation:
- Viewpoint, 119, November 2010, pp.24-25.
- Publisher:
- Mencap/Gateway
The Beautiful Octopus Club, which takes place four times a year, is a club night for people with and without a learning disability. As well as catering for clubbers with a learning disability, the event was set up to meet the needs of performers. The club is now 15 years old. The authors report on the celebrations held at the Royal Festival Hall, London where the headline performers were a punk and hip-hop three piece, two of whom had a learning disability.
Between the lines
- Author:
- FAWCETT Edd
- Journal article citation:
- Viewpoint, 116, May 2010, pp.20-21.
- Publisher:
- Mencap/Gateway
The author describes the development of the Next Chapter Book Club for those with learning disabilities, which now has 160 groups in the US, Canada and Germany. Started in 2002 by the Ohio State University Nisanger Centre, the group was set up like a typical book club except that it was assumed that members would want to listen to books; in fact they wanted to be much more involved and took turns to read out loud. A group usually consists of six to eight members with two facilitators and meets once a week in a public space such as a book shop or cafe. Being held in these settings has allowed for interaction with the community and raises awareness of disability. Facilitators are encouraged to use echo reading for those with limited reading skills. Discussing the books gives the readers the opportunity to air their views, which may be an infrequent opportunity for some. Benefits reported include improved reading, greater confidence, increased assertiveness and a larger social circle. Some UK learning disability organisations are now setting up their own book clubs. The Squad, a south London charity, is one such example. Here there is a greater focus on graphic novels to help engage those with less reading ability.
Having faith in inclusion
- Author:
- VALLANCE Pam
- Journal article citation:
- Viewpoint, 115, March 2010, pp.24-25.
- Publisher:
- Mencap/Gateway
There are approximately 5,000 Jewish people with a learning disability in the UK. This article describes how the Judith Trust is championing inclusion within Judaism and other religions, by encouraging Jewish organisations to reconsider how they welcome people with a learning disability and their families and carers. The author acknowledges the barriers to such inclusion, noting that some believe that people with a learning disability cannot participate fully in Jewish spiritual life, as they will not understand the sermons within the synagogue. The author suggests people with such disabilities should be given the chance to try, and, if a task proves too difficult, to think creatively about how to adopt it so the goal can be achieved. This year, the central focus of the campaign was asking synagogues across the UK to hold a ‘day of inclusion’, or an inclusion Shabbat. While the campaign if currently London based, it is hoped that it can be rolled out on a national level, and include other faiths.
Telling tales
- Author:
- MEADER Robin
- Journal article citation:
- Viewpoint, March 2008, pp.24-25.
- Publisher:
- Mencap/Gateway
The Unlimited Company are a group of professional storytellers with a learning disability. They aim to develop inclusive ways of storytelling, to challenge stereotypes and to bring the world of stories to people with learning disabilities. The author, artistic director of the company, discusses their work.