April, 2023 | Include.org

Vote like a Champion!

Ahead of the local elections on Thursday 4^th May, The Include Champions Group has created a FREE Easy Read guide to voting for people with communication difficulties.

Voting Easy Read Guide from Include.org:Download

Here is the audio to listen to the guide: https://soundcloud.com/include-org/voting-like-a-champion?

The My Vote, My Voice group have accessible information about voting on their website too.

Our Champions have been sharing their experiences:

Hannah’s experience

During Covid times, Hannah, one of our Champions voted by post. But gradually she has decided to go to a Polling Station.

She knows she can ask for help from the people working there but Hannah has become more confident over time about being independent when voting in person.

First, she talks about it with her family and thinks really carefully about who she wants to vote for. She now votes independently.

Planning Ahead

The Include Champions pointed out that if you live in supported accommodation, or a block of flats you might not get someone knocking on your door or putting a flyer through your door about their party. So, it’s not always easy to get information to be able to make a choice about who you want to vote for.

Despite that, our Champions did know about The Conservative Party, SDP (Social Democratic Party), Liberal Democrats, Labour Party, Green Party, Heritage Party and The New Forest Party. There are lots of options and you can talk to your friends and family and get ideas to help you make a choice about who to vote for.

Ellie voted by post – you need to register to do this before the election. Ellie’s Mum helped her do this online.

Voting in person

Some people prefer to vote in person. David said that it is too far to walk to the polling station, so he needs to ask for help / transport to get there.

Remember your Photo ID to vote in person.

If you are voting on your own and don’t know what to do, you can always go into the polling station and say “I am here to vote, please can you tell me which desk to go to.”

The helpers can’t actually tell you which party to vote for – that has to be your choice.

Apparently, all the polling station staff have been trained to look out for sunflower lanyards – so they know that people may want to be offered extra help. So, you can wear one if you have one.

More participation

Changes (set out in The Elections Act 2022) are designed to boost the political participation of people with disabilities in voting and standing as political candidates. The Local Government Association provides support to disabled councillors and those considering standing for election to their local council.

You can read more about it here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9718/

Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Meet Sarah…

Sarah joined Include in 2017. In the time between then and now Sarah has moved home a few times, navigated Covid and had hospital stays. Throughout all the changes and challenges Sarah has remained loyal to Include.

She is very thoughtful and brings so much to the charity – we are delighted to share what she has to say about Include and her role:

How Include Makes Me Feel

” Being part of Include helps me to be myself.

And it makes me feel proud and relaxes me.

When I come to The Include Choir, I feel listened to. There are people with and without disabilities and we all help each other. Together we raise awareness of communication needs. I am proud when my Support Worker joins in with the singing and Makaton signing.

The volunteers are great too – they set up and make it all run smoothly – they are non-stop like Alix – our Director! Alix is so good.

Singing makes me happy – even if I can’t get to choir one week I will join-in on Zoom.

Getting The Community Involved

The Mayor of Reigate & Banstead knows us – he likes our charity. He helps us get more empowerment and open it up to more people. At the Banstead Christmas lights switch-on he wouldn’t let The Include Choir leave! He just felt we were popular with the crowds.

At concerts and performances people in the audience ask questions and I like explaining about Include and telling them how I feel about it. I also like when the people watching join-in. When we performed in The Belfry shopping centre there was a kid who was blind dancing along with us.

I am Choir Rep for our new Epsom Include Choir. I would say to anyone; “come along – there is cake, it is fun and everyone is helpful.”

Part of the Decision-Making

My favourite song is the MCA (Mental Capacity Act) song. Choir members help to write the songs. I helped to write one about Covid too. Our songs are our own versions – with the words expressing our feelings and what’s best for us from our point of view.

I use Zoom to be part of the Include.org Steering Group and the Include Champions Group. It is really, really good to be involved with Include – when I’m part of these meetings I feel more involved. I am part of the decision-making and that makes me feel included.”

Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

How do you run an Inclusive Quiz?

Last month we ran our first ever in person fundraising quiz!

In lockdown we hosted one on Zoom but this time it was in a lovely setting – The Old Council Chamber in Reigate.

Being Include.org this was not a standard quiz. It was an inclusive one.

What helps to make a quiz inclusive you may ask? Well…here are a few things we did…

Role Model Hosting by Ciara

Although the Mayor of Reigate and Banstead was ‘host’ in that he invited us to use the Town Hall venue, he took a seat with one of the quiz teams on the night, and the quiz was presented by our Patron Ciara Lawrence.

Ciara recently spoke on our first ever Podcast and made it clear that as a person with a disability she is on a mission to ensure more of the world sees people like her for who they are and what they can do.

Well, we now know for sure…Ciara can brilliantly host a quiz evening, engaging a whole room of people with authority, style and warmth!

Something for everyone

People played in teams and we had a real mix of rounds and formats which all played to different people’s sensory strengths:

Hearing – Name the song
Signing – What does the Makaton gesture mean
Taste and smell – Guess the crisp flavour
Touch – Identify the household item hidden inside the sock
Sight – Work out what the items are that we photographed very close up / micro
General Knowledge – Answer audio / video questions from supporters like TV’s Dan Walker, Marcus Ramtohul (also in our first Podcast) DJ SUAT and Cllr Jonathan Essex
TV knowledge – Easy Read questions from The Include Champions

We’re delighted to share the TV Quiz questions as the next FREE Easy Read resource in our series. Download Here (audio version to follow very soon):

Include’s Easy Read TV Quiz Q+ADownload

Inclusion Wins!

There is always more to be done in terms of inclusion. But we did our best with limited resources and we were delighted that the team that won The Include Quiz was a mixed group of people – some of whom only met each other that night. Meeting new people is not always easy for people with communication needs, so that in itself was a big win.

This team, called “The Team That Shall Not Be Named”, included volunteers, choir members and parents. There were people with autism and visual impairment, playing alongside people without additional needs. There were volunteers who have literally just joined Include working alongside members who have been around for years.

We know that there was a team with regular quiz winners in it who were defeated on this night. But this was not a regular quiz!

So that’s a win in our book.

Want to make your own event inclusive?

If you want to host an inclusive event why not speak to The Include Champions Group to get their ideas and tips based on their lived experience of being a person with a communication need and/or disability? Enquiries to info@include.org

Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead