Covid-19 | Include.org

How helping others helps you…

“Everybody can be great because

everybody can serve.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why Do People Help Charities?

Why do we help anyone?

What inspires us to help will vary, but there is a common side-effect of helping; you get a boost and feel good yourself!

Two of our Include Champions, Beth and Sarah told us how being a Supported Volunteer (a volunteer with lived experience of communication needs), makes a difference:

Two seated Include Choir members look at each other at an outdoor event

Beth says; “Volunteering makes me feel like I have a purpose. It boosts my wellbeing in many ways because it helps me to help others and that is a good feeling that helps not only my mental health but emotional too.” 

Two seated Include Choir members communicate using Makaton at a rehearsal

Sarah says; “When volunteering in The Include Choir it makes me feel helpful and I’m loving working as a team there. It especially helps me forget everything and volunteering cheers me and builds confidence…





…Also it helps me gain confidence to volunteer with other services too. Just by volunteering I forget what happened and I look forward to coming to choir – I am always the first person to respond to events.”

The Champions have produced a FREE Easy Read on this subject:

How helping others improves wellbeing

Audio version on SoundCloud

How Can People Help?

We’re so grateful to all of the people who help Include. As a small charity the kindness of others is what enables us to keep going. We have a number of other amazing people who volunteer with us.

You do not even need to be based in Surrey to get involved!

Neta volunteers her skills remotely with Include, helping to edit some of our videos. She says; “Helping Include adds meaning and purpose to my life, fostering a sense of connection and fulfilment. By lending a hand and making a positive impact on someone else’s life, I also uplift my own spirits.”

Charlotte comes in person to weekly Include Choir sessions, she says;

Choir volunteer joins in with singing and Makaton signing - hands are raised

“Volunteering at Include is the highlight of my week. I feel connected and part of a lovely special group. Singing in a safe environment whilst helping others find their personal joy is sooooo uplifting and rewarding. It truly does make me very happy.”

There are many volunteering opportunities, so whether you would like to attend an Include project like the choirs in Redhill or Epsom, help on a wellbeing walk, or edit videos etc, please just let us know info@include.org

Members of the small part time staff team at Include also gain so much from working for the charity. Susi explains; ” When I read the advert for an Assistant Choir Director for Include, it sounded like the dream job for me – to be involved in music and fun and learning and making friends and sharing important messages. I’m so proud to be part of Include and when I attend rehearsals or performances the feeling of joy is palpable. it’s also incredibly inspiring to see the friendships that are made by others.”

Susi stands alongside members of The Include Choir all wearing their choir tshirts and performing outside

How Can Companies help?

In 2023 there were four stand-out organisations that helped us.

BOOSTFit, PowerTutors, WB Simpson & Sons, and Morr & Co.

Below we share some of the ways companies can, and do help.

Gifting Spaces

As a small charity we work from home and from community buildings rented for a few hours to run our projects. But sometimes we need a space to get together for team planning days and training. Local solicitors Morr & Co kindly allowed us to use the Board Room space in their office in Redhill on several occasions. Thank you.

Mike from Morr & Co says;  “We have really enjoyed getting to know the team at Include over the last few years. Supporting the communities in which our team live and work has always been part of our firm’s core values,  and providing a space for the Include team to get together or provide training is a really simple way for us to help out”.

Members of the Morr & Co staff team attended Include’s Makaton training (at a discounted price) because of the partnership.

Funding Specific Resources

PowerTutors kindly offered to fund a printed brochure for Include. Naz says; “At Powertutors, we recognise the invaluable contributions of Include in our local community. Their dedication to ensuring no individual faces exclusion due to communication disabilities is commendable. With innovative and thoughtful approaches, Include fosters an environment of inclusivity, empowering everyone to embrace and express their unique voices with confidence. We are proud to support their mission and witness the positive impact it has on enriching lives.”

Sponsored Fundraising

Close up of the sleeves of two people's cycling tops that have the Include.org logo on them

Billy, Max and Kirk from tiling company WB Simpson & Sons’ Head Office in Redhill participated in Ride London on 28 May 2023 to raise money for Include.org.

They raised nearly £1200 and even wore Include branded tops for the ride. Thank you.

Sharing Our Story

Our CEO and one of our choir members have links with a local fitness company BOOSTFit. The company is inclusive, community minded and keen to support charities. As they say on their Instagram bio they offer “A fun workout to heart-pumping popular music leaving you physically & mentally BOOSTed.” Our values were well aligned and they kindly said that they would help with promoting our Big Give fundraiser which raised over £38,000 in one week!

Cassie from BOOSTFit said; “Using our platform to help support Include.org and their Big Give campaign meant we could not only raise awareness and funds, but it opened up conversations between our community too. Our team of instructors spread across the UK and overseas used their own communities to share the story too. It was great to bring together a business and charity and collaborate for such a great cause.”

Follow and share our social media content:

social media details
Facebook is @include.org
X (Twitter) is @includetweets
YouTube is @inlcudetube
Instagram is @include_org
LinkedIn is @include-org
website is www.include.org

Corporate Volunteering and other help

The funding landscape for charities is very, very challenging now and we’re grateful for the continued interest and support of local businesses in Surrey. If you work for a community-minded organisation please do keep us in mind.

Could you help by:

  1. volunteering at some of our projects?
  2. sharing some of our social media content?
  3. sharing your professional expertise to help us improve?
  4. getting your organisation to consider us for payroll giving?
  5. mentoring one of our Supported Volunteers (people with disabilities)
  6. gathering a team of people from your organisation help to raise vital funds for the charity by taking part in a fundraising event for us – like Run Reigate?
  7. offering a storage space at your premises…we’d love to be offered a place in Redhill where we can store and easily access some of The Include Choir’s things.

To offer help or to ask any questions please email info@include.org

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Gratitude

Wishing you a Happy, Helpful and Thankful Christmas

In our Champions group at Include. We have been looking at the topic of wellbeing this term.

For me, running a small charity at this busiest time of the year, it can feel like my own wellbeing is a long way from the top of my agenda. So many things to do, events to run, people to thank, last minute documents to write … wellbeing and self-care will just have to wait until the New Year – right?

Well… not necessarily.

Research says that helping others is good for your wellbeing. This is something that our Champoins and also our other supported volunteers (who help at sessions or behind the scenes) have told us too. Helping other people helps us feel good.

Using inclusive communication (signs, pictures and more) helps people with communication needs to understand and express themselves. We use and teach these skills at Include, which means that, just by doing my job – I can help others and boost my own wellbeing. Which makes me very lucky.

And other people at Include are boosting their wellbeing by helping too,

Our Champions group help other charities, like the Samaritans or Liberty, by giving their time and skills to check if their easy read documents really are accessible. They help each other within the sessions, and are a huge support to Include through everything they do. They helped us reach our ambitious fundraising target for the Big Give challenge through so many acts of kindness – making cakes, setting up raffles, videoing themselves, taking part in challenges – there is no end to the way our members have helped us over this last term.

It doesn’t matter if you have a communication difficulty, learning disability or autism – we all have the right to feel good by helping others. And Include can only do what it does because we have so many members, staff and volunteers who love to help.

Which brings me to gratitude – feeling thankful or glad about what you have.

At this time of year, it’s easy to think about all the things we want – and forget to be thankful for what we have. But it Is important that we do because, guess what, taking time to be grateful is good for our wellbeing too.

At Include, we have huge reason to be grateful to everyone who has supported us throughout the year, especially over these last months. So to all who took part in the This is Me challenge – a heartfelt thank you!

Communication needs two people – one to send the message and one to receive it. For people with speaking or understanding difficulties, the communication partner may need to give a bit of extra help to make communication a success. The good news is that both the helper and the person who is thankful for that help may actually be improving their own wellbeing. Inclusive communication is win-win.

So to round off the year, the Champions made these beautiful Christmas wreaths, stopping to think about what they were grateful for- and boosting their own wellbeing.

To help others to do the same, group have created Easy Read instructions and templates which can be downloaded here – and we would like to invite you to make your own wreath and enjoy a Happy, Helpful and Thankful Christmas this year.

Alix Lewer
Alix Lewer

Breaking Down Barriers – there’s an app for that!

When healthcare information is accessible and understandable for all, it can literally save lives.

Alix Lewer, Founder and CEO of Include and The Include Champions helped to develop an accessible version of the CardMedic app…a tool that breaks down barriers to good communication in healthcare.

It’s a partnership that we are really honoured to be part of. We wanted to know a bit more about what the people at CardMedic thought, so we asked!


Rachael Grimaldi – Co-Founder and CEO of CardMedic

What is CardMedic’s mission? 

At the point of care, the inability to communicate is the largest single contributor to health inequalities, and patients with additional communication needs make up nearly 50% of the population.

CardMedic’s mission is to break down communication barriers between healthcare staff and patients by making healthcare information accessible and understandable for all.  

We’re committed to inclusive communication and believe in acknowledging and accommodating everybody, regardless of their communication needs. Our aim is to provide intuitive and cost-effective technology that empowers clinicians and patients to communicate quickly and efficiently across any barrier, enabling more effective delivery of care, reducing health inequalities, and improving patient outcomes.  

Why did CardMedic want to work with Include?  

We were really keen to work with Include because we share their mission to break down barriers and create a more inclusive world. At CardMedic, we recognise that accessible information is vital for ensuring equitable care delivery, so we couldn’t imagine a better partner.

Alix Lewer’s expertise as a Speech and Language Therapist, as well as Founder and CEO of Include, made it a no-brainer. She and her amazing team have been invaluable in helping us improve communication in healthcare and increase our understanding of the challenges people can face.  

Together, we’ve been able to develop innovative solutions and resources that empower us to think differently about how we communicate. Particularly in a healthcare setting, we’ve learnt how to effectively communicate with patients with diverse communication needs and improve health outcomes for underserved populations.

Our shared vision of inclusivity and accessibility made us confident that partnering with Include would help us work towards a more equitable healthcare system for all. 

How did the partnership help your project? 

Alix is incredibly knowledgeable in the accessible information space and about the Mental Capacity Act (2005). She understands that inclusive communication means recognising and respecting all forms of communication–not just the written and spoken word.

Drawing on her knowledge of inclusive practice in health and social care, having worked as a Speech and Language Therapist in the NHS, Alix contributed to the initial development of an accessible version of the CardMedic app. Include’s lived experience Champions Group also continues to work with us to review our content regularly and provide feedback about accessibility.  

Our partnership with Include has helped us refine our content to ensure that it’s as accessible as possible to individuals with diverse needs, including those with learning differences, visual and hearing impairments, and language barriers.

Alix’s expertise has helped us convert our library of scripts covering a vast array of clinical specialties and sub-specialties into Easy Read, at a reading age of 6 or under.  This essentially means it is accessible to many more people than traditional information would be, both children and adults.

What would you say to others thinking of partnering with Include? 

For anyone working in the accessibility, language, and communication space, they would be remiss not to reach out to Include! Include promotes inclusion and wellbeing, empowers people with additional communication needs, and ensures that they have equal access to services, facilities, and opportunities. They do a fantastic job of collaborating with businesses, educational institutions, and other organisations to help raise awareness of accessibility and provide practical solutions for inclusivity.  

Include also offers brilliant training and consultancy services to help organisations improve their practices by making them more accessible. By partnering with Include, you’ll gain valuable insights, guidance, and resources to enable you to create a more inclusive environment.

The team are so friendly, and their expertise will help you address communication barriers and send out a powerful message about your commitment to inclusivity. All in all, we’d highly recommend partnering with Include! 

Get in touch with Include, please email : info@include.org

More information : https://www.cardmedic.com/

(She won’t tell you herself, but while we are here and talking about healthcare…Alix won a Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists’ Giving Voice Award for voluntary work with The Mental Capacity Act Clinical Excellence Network – Raising Awareness of Supported Decision Making at End of Life.)

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Adjusting for Sensory Needs

Free Easy Read

This week is National Inclusion Week which celebrates inclusion and encourages taking action to create inclusive workplaces.

One of the ways that employers can be more inclusive is to think about the sensory experiences of their employees. We found an interesting article on LinkedIn which talks about things like lighting adjustments, sensory break spaces and noise control. 

Of course, sensory considerations are not unique to the office environment. People who experience their senses such as smell, noise, or textures in heightened or muted ways may need reasonable adjustments to be made wherever they are.

Many theatres are now good at taking sensory needs into account. For example, The Lyceum has a scene-by-scene Sensory Synopsis of The Lion King available on its website. In addition, during relaxed performances the theatre turns off noisy hand-dryers in the toilets and provides alternative ways to dry hands.

Being in a healthcare setting can lead to heightened experiences – so it’s important that healthcare staff and those designing healthcare settings take sensory needs into consideration and act on requests for reasonable adjustments.

We had the founder of The Sensory Projects www.thesensoryprojects.co.uk  Joanna Grace as a special guest at one of our Champions sessions. She talked with us about the reasonable adjustments that autistic people may need to help communication in a healthcare setting.

Many thanks to Jo for kindly sharing her own personal insights of how her autism affected her experience of healthcare during pregnancy and birth.

The NHS’s Sensory Friendly Resource Pack (Free here: NHS England » Sensory-friendly resource pack) describes 3 types of sensory experiences that people with autism may experience:

  • hyper-sensitivity:
    • extreme over-reactivity to sensory input
  • hypo-sensitivity:
    • extreme under-reactivity to sensory input
  • sensory-seeking:
    • unusual interest in aspects of the sensory environment.

The Include Champions have produced a new FREE Easy Read document to share about reasonable adjustments for sensory needs. 

Download it free here: 

Listen to it on SoundCloud

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Internet Safety

While being online can be a great source of connection and fun – especially during Covid19 – it’s more complicated than just being able to access things online.

Once you’re online, how do you stay safe and protect your rights, especially if it is hard to understand the risks?

The organisers of Safer Internet Day have some resources for young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2022/send .

FREE Easy Read

Here at Include, our Include Champions group shared their own experiences and top tips to create a FREE Easy Read about Internet Safety for anyone of any age.

Our Internet Safety information is also available in audio format on soundcloud

Quiz

Of all the social media channels our Include members tend to use Facebook the most at the moment. Some of our members have experienced problems online. “I have been hacked on Facebook, scams and things asking me to do stuff,” said Sarah. And she is not the only one. So, the Champion’s Easy Read includes a quiz about how to stay safe when using Facebook.

Song

Of course, when we feel passionate about something, The Include Choir usually writes a song about it! You can watch us signing and Makaton signing about staying safe on the Internet on YouTube.

The main message from the Include Champions is stop and think before you do anything online.

Anti-bullying

Hannah, one of our Champions, filmed some helpful guidance for the Anti-Bullying Alliance. In this short interview, Hannah answers questions like “What do you use social media sites to do” and “Do you have and advice for young people when using social media?”

We have included some of Hannah’s wise words in our Easy Read about Internet Safety.

We Recommend

We would like to recommend some other great online resources too (correct at the time of publication):

How to Stay Safe Online – Guidance for Adults and Young People with Learning Disabilities – Digital Safeguarding – Ann Craft Trust

Keeping-Safe-Online-Easy-Read-Guide-Small-File-Size.pdf (changepeople.org)

SafeSurfing Project – What We Do | Mencap

MORE: SAFETY CARDS – Our Safety Centre

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Friends United

Philip and Simon have done quite a few things together over the years.

“We met at a college where we were supported to learn independence, shopping, cooking and budgeting.” They still live together today…

They are based a long way from Include’s HQ in Surrey…but have become a big part of the Include family. In fact, they’ve inspired a plan to combine Zoom sessions with Live sessions.

Included since Lockdown

Philip says; “Without Include the last year would have been boring – we love the whole group since we joined in lockdown….

We join in on my ipad through Zoom and Facebook two or three times a week. I even joined two of the Friday sessions from my Dad’s car when I was on my way home for the weekend! When we see Alix, it always makes me smile.”

Simon agrees; “We love singing and seeing everyone…my favourite is the Bumble Bee song – it makes me happy, and seeing Alix’s cat! We’d be sad without Include.”

In My World

Philip’s favourite song is In My World, which was written by choir member Louise.

“I sang In My World at my Nan’s big family 90th Birthday party – everyone came and when I sang my Nan cried happy tears,” says Philip.

Silver Linings

Alix Lewer, Include CEO adds; “Philip and Simon (among others) joining The Include Choir Online has been one of the great silver linings of the pandemic.

I can’t now imagine Facebook Live sessions without their supportive and positive input in the chat (and of course – the requests for the Chicken Curry Warm Up, In My World & Dancing Queen).

The Zoom sessions would not be the same without their enthusiasm, excellent signing and huge smiles (they really do put the smile in our Sing Sign and Smile Sessions).

And they have even recently joined our Include Champions Group – helping us learn about people’s rights under the Mental Capacity Act and review and develop training materials. They are always both excellent listeners as well as contributing greatly to the discussions, with much insight and sensitivity. 

Remote members like Philip and Simon bring so much to Include and are one of the reasons that we are determined to keep offering both local and online services, so we can continue to include and connect people far and wide.” 

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Shared Lives – Singing and Signing together

Mandy and Michelle are members of The Include Choir.

Mandy is Michelle’s Shared Lives carer. The Shared Lives scheme matches adults who need care with someone who can provide support. Family and community life are a shared experience for both.

Michelle and Mandy joined The Include Choir over two years ago. Before the pandemic.

Mandy says, “When we could return to choir in person earlier this year, I was unsure about how Michelle would react.

I told her just before we were to leave. She leapt from her seat shouting “choir!” She then sang the Include Choir welcome song at the top of her voice before rushing to get her coat and shoes.

She was beyond happy to return and so pleased to see everyone.

She loves to perform and being part of include provides her with a safe, friendly space to do this.

The use of inclusive communication, structure and positivity make include choir a place she can make sense of which in turn gives her confidence and comfort. 

Include has really helped Michelle and myself to remember to use our Makaton and props to communicate with each other. It has given her such a great outlet to perform and feel successful.

The structure of sessions and inclusive communication has definitely improved her listening skills too. 

Small charities like Include.org are the heart of the disabled community. They provide a positive, happy, inclusive place for people to be.

The work that Include does to promote rights, understanding and inclusion is something that is amazing to be a part of.

To see people’s smiles when they see the choir perform is so moving and making people with disabilities visible in such a positive and empowering way is just what society needs. “

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Designing a way through Covid19

One volunteer’s story.

How do you integrate with a new community and learn a new language when the world is in lockdown?

2020 was a strange and very hard year for many people living during the height of the global pandemic. Our very talented graphic design volunteer Christian was trying to settle in a new country at the same time.

We asked him about his experiences…

Finding Include

Before the pandemic took hold – I had moved to the UK from my country – that was January 2020.

At first it felt a bit strange to adapt to a different culture, a different language and I felt a little bit out of place at the beginning.

“A friend mentioned that volunteering would be a great way for me to start integrating with society, and I want to do something that makes a positive impact in people’s lives.

I looked on www.reachvolunteering.org.uk and that’s what I found when I found Include.

I saw other positions advertised, for example, there was one asking for a designer to design books like editorial things, but I wanted to do something that made a positive impact, felt fulfilling for me and allowed me to communicate with other people – not just be working in isolation behind a screen. And I think I found that by joining Include.”

Making Connections

“I think Include played a key role for people with communication needs in the height of Covid19, making them feel more connected, even though we weren’t allowed to be face to face.

I was also feeling isolated, so having the opportunity to have Zoom meetings and be working on something meaningful made me feel like I was getting my sense of belonging to a place – and that’s what I was looking for.

Before then I had barely spoken English.

I understood the grammar, the sentences and the structure because of my work in graphic design – all of the software is in English. And I enjoyed watching English-speaking TV shows with Graham Norton, for example. But I never had the chance to actually speak English until I moved and started volunteering.

I got to do so many meetings and things like that, I think it really helped a lot in developing my confidence with my speaking abilities.”

Creative Communication

At Include we’re always using different tools to enhance communication experiences for people.

Sometimes that can be using Makaton signing and visual objects of reference, but we also use technology and apps like Pictello and ProloQuo2Go to ensure everyone can get their message across.

During our chat for this blog Christian told us something we had never realised.

“I’m going to be honest, at the beginning when I joined Include, I used to copy emails I received and put them into a translate tool to check what it means in Spanish. Then I used to write my emails, first in the translator, and then put them in English, and then correct them because the tool is not 100%. And that’s how I leaned to adapt. Now I don’t need to do this, but it was important at that time.”

A new perspective

“Include has taught me how to be more respectful and mindful of other people’s needs that are different to mine. And always to be aware that even though people have different needs, at the end of the day, we’re all the same. We want to be understood, we want to communicate, we need and want to connect with other people. I think even though life presents many barriers, they can be overcome if you keep those things in mind.

From the perspective of graphic design, I feel like I’m more aware now and try to make designs more accessible for everybody.

I’ve also become aware of The Mental Capacity Act (MCA) during my time volunteering for Include.”

Welcomed with open arms

“Whenever I talk to people about Include, I tell them that it feels like a big family, like a big community. I got to join a few sessions with the choir members and other volunteers a few times. And I felt like I was welcomed with open arms by everyone, even though I wasn’t like a regular, they were very friendly to me.

People from Include have made me smile many times. But I think the one closest to my heart is when you sang and signed Happy Birthday to me – it was really nice.”

Serious subject:

chocolate and biscuits

There are some things about any society that you can only really learn about through social interaction. No text book or software will truly explain. Christian credits Include with teaching him about the important issues of chocolate and biscuits – or is it cake?!

There was a whole round in the Include virtual Christmas Quiz about chocolate! He says; “That was something new for me because I never thought that chocolate was such a serious subject – I enjoy it too of course! I know now that cups of tea and chocolate biscuits are also culturally significant. My favourite is the Yorkshire black tea with a little bit of soya milk.”

Then Christian dropped a bit of a bombshell!

He revealed that his favourite biscuit is…wait for it… Jaffa Cakes!

So, we had to have a chat about whether Jaffa Cakes are actually biscuits or cakes!?

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/scousesmurf/

Quite a contentious area as tax is charged on chocolate covered biscuits, but not on chocolate covered cakes. A Judge ruled in McVities favour during a legal case in 1991 – declaring that Jaffa Cakes are actually cakes!

I like to think his experience with Include has helped Christian maintain his open mind. Because he does concede; “Hmm it’s because of the texture, the consistency of the base I guess it’s like a bread or… (errr… is cake the word you are looking for Christian – ha!) yeah yeah, I can see that!”

Volunteering as a pathway to paid work

“Include has helped me to adjust to a different culture, working with British people, the way you work is a little bit different to where I used work. Include welcomed me with open arms and showed me how things work here. It gave me the confidence that I was able to produce high quality work that was also making a positive impact.

Include’s CEO Alix, is one of my professional references on my CV, so that is really helpful and means a lot to me because Alix is awesome. She’s so kind, patient and hard working. You know, it’s a lot of work running a charity and she’s a mom, too. It’s amazing how she does it.” And the admiration runs both ways.

Alix says; “Christian has been an absolute blessing to the organisation, from the moment he joined us. He brings a level of professionalism to everything that he does and right from the start (even when language was a challenge, which he hid so well) he came up with fresh and inventive ideas to help us really build a brand image for Include which we have never had the resources to do before.

Without him, I don’t believe we would have had the successful fundraising campaign we had with last year’s Big Give Challenge – or won their Small Charity Award. Christian, and other amazing volunteers like him, really do make a difference to people’s lives.”

Next big challenge

Christian has just started a new job. He says; “In the interview, I was asked to present any work I had done in the UK. And I presented about Include. I talked about The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2020, where we had a fundraising goal, and through our campaign we managed to double the money raised to £10,000. That was a highlight during my interview.”

Christian has kindly offered to stay involved with Include. We could not be more delighted! He has high hopes for Include…

“I’m hoping the choir can start to do some more public performances – it’s difficult because of the pandemic but gradually going back will reinforce the sense of belonging and being together. Travelling together and going to do a performance at a different place – those things make people feel more included in wider society, I think.

And although I have less time to volunteer, I’m going to try to help Include to raise even more money in The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2021. This year Include needs to raise £20,000 to expand their inclusive communication services to more people in more areas.”

We’d love to perform and deliver training up north again one day Christian – and you will be number 1 on our guest list. Thank you for all you do for us.

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Award-winning volunteer – Sofia

What does it take to be recognised as The Mayor’s Young Volunteer of the year?

Please meet one of our most generous, energetic and versatile volunteers…

Sofia first got in touch with Include aged 13, to ask if she could do her Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) Award volunteering section with the charity.

For some young people, volunteering as part of DofE may a bit of a “tick the box” exercise to get the award. But not for Sofia.

She says, “I wanted to work with people. All my friends were going, ‘I just want to get this bit over with so I’ll just go to the public library for a few weeks and quietly help out there.’  But I didn’t want to go to the library! (I thought) ‘I don’t think I can cope with that! So, I’ll find something else that will be more fun’.”

What she didn’t have in experience she made up for in enthusiasm, empathy, humour and versatility. Include’s volunteering experience is a great fit for Sofia.

“Include is for everyone that wants to learn and wants to have fun and meet new people that they wouldn’t necessarily meet.”

Sofia’s talents and willingness to learn new things – mean she has helped Include in a wide variety of ways. She famously understates her contribution as “I just do a little bit of everything!” But really, she is an essential part of the charity – keeping important things like AV technology running smoothly during rehearsals, helping people to feel welcome and calm, and creating accessible Easy Read resources.

This last year has uncovered even more of what Sofia has to offer. She helps Include to rise to the challenges of Covid19 – adapting to new platforms like Zoom, piloting a covid-safe roadshow and doing more than ever on our social media channels to help raise awareness of what we do to break down barriers for people with communication needs.

Follow the Include Instagram account that Sofia manages here

When asked how volunteering for Include has benefitted her, she says, “I got to do so many things that I wouldn’t have. I’ve been responsible for things and I’ve learnt how to be responsible for other people and, you know, build trust with others. Obviously being the youngest, you don’t know if people are going to trust you that much. But I’ve been trusted with big things. And taken them forward and have kind of shown that I can do it.

“So yeah, it’s fantastic to have a charity that have just gone, ‘Yep, Sofia can do this. She’s our girl.'”

A few years down the line, working with people with additional needs is something Sofia is embracing in her working life too. She landed a teaching assistant role in a local school, working with a young boy who has autism.  Being able to help calm and distract him are skills she has used in choir rehearsals. She remembers one rehearsal: “A member of The Include Choir was having a hard time because there were lots of upcoming event date announcements and then it was break time, when people go to get a cup of tea and chat. I noticed that he got a bit stressed. I took him to the side and was like, ‘Do you want me to get you your biscuit and a drink?’ And I told him, ‘I’ll get the dates printed out for you.’”

Sofia also works behind the counter in Boots and her Include experience has been helpful there too.  As an Include volunteer she has learnt Makaton signing to support people with a range of communication needs, and this has given her the confidence to also learn some British Sign Language.

“I see a lot of deaf customers in Boots. My colleague was struggling to help a deaf couple once, and was just shouting. So, I went over and I signed, “Do you want to buy with cash or card?” and ”Can I take my mask down so you can lip read?” Now if deaf people come to Boots, they seem to navigate in my direction!”

“I try to do my bit in the community to make everyone feel included and I just love seeing people who join Include connect. It’s like a big family. Seeing the support workers get involved as well as the members, when everyone is joining in, is fantastic!”

“I remember watching two Include Choir members with different levels of communication adapting to each other. He was signing to her using Makaton signs that he just learned from a song – really trying hard to sign and talk to her. She is limited verbally and does use a lot of Makaton.  He had an idea – and went to get an iPad with a supported communication app on it – and then those two were having like a conversation on the iPad and it was so sweet. And it’s in moments like those that all our team’s hard work is so very worth it.”

Everyone at Include is proud of our girl Sofia for the wonderful achievement of receiving this award and for all the creativity, energy and warmth she brings to everything she does.

See Sofia and find out more about volunteering with Include here

https://youtu.be/HEjBa1A6i0A
Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead

Free Easy Read Resources from Include

To celebrate our 5th birthday year as a charity, we’re producing and gifting the world some Easy Read resources!

Our friends over at Photosymbols.com answer the question “What is Easy Read” brilliantly (do take a look).

In short, it means writing and designing information in a way that all people, including people with a learning disability, can understand.

The techniques include using plain English and clear fonts alongside photos or symbols to enhance understanding.

The need for Easy Read information has been highlighted by Covid19. Everyone needs access to clear, easy to understand information about things like lockdown rules and how to stay safe.

By using Easy Read standards for other topics too (not just Covid), we can make many aspects of life more inclusive and accessible to all.

We’ve searched for Easy Read resources ourselves, and in some cases struggled to find any.

For that reason, our volunteers and member/volunteers are working together to produce Easy Read resources on topics that interest us. We hope these will be useful to other people too.

We plan to give away one Easy Read resource each month for a year. Starting this month. Here’s the plan:

June – Healthy Eating resource

July – Listening skills resource

August – Digital Photography resource

September – Recycling / upcycling resource

October – Black Lives Matter resource

November – Kindness resource

December – Christmas Decoration Making resource

January – Mindfulness resource

February – Chinese New Year resource

March – Pancake Making resource 

April – Easter resource

This is the plan, but if you want to suggest a different topic for our series, please let us know. We’re open to ideas!

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications, Fundraising and Partnerships Lead