Easy Read | Include.org

Vote like a Champion!

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

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
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

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:

  1. Hearing – Name the song
  2. Signing – What does the Makaton gesture mean
  3. Taste and smell – Guess the crisp flavour
  4. Touch – Identify the household item hidden inside the sock
  5. Sight – Work out what the items are that we photographed very close up / micro
  6. 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
  7. 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):

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
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

What is Co-production, and is it important?

The Include Champions Group is a lived experience consultancy team, generating ideas, feedback and free accessible resources on important topics. Between us, group members have real world experience in of learning disabilities, autism and other communication needs.

Our latest FREE Easy Read resource is about Co-production. It helps to explain what Co-production is and why Include puts it at the heart of everything the charity does.

An audio version is on SoundCloud

Working together

Our dedicated Champions Group members meet every week via Zoom, and there is always something important to discuss, analyse and provide feedback on.

Last week we had an invite from Lloyds Bank seeking the input of people with additional needs. This is so the bank can try to design their services with everyone in mind.

We had a special guest on the Champions Group Zoom session last week – Cathy Wood who has joined Include’s Board of Trustees. She said:

“I was delighted to hear that Lloyds Bank are inviting Include members to provide feedback as experts by experience of what it is like to use their services with a communication need.”

Cathy W – Trustee of Include.org

Philip from the Include Champions Group said this;

“It makes us feel happy that they want our help. I’ll feel like I’ve achieved something and the bank is being helpful by asking us.”

Philip – Include Champion

We can help others

The Champions can teach services about their experiences and what helps them to communicate well.

For example, the Champions Group help design training for health professionals, to help them understand how to support people with communication needs in hospital.

The Champions can also help to check documents to make sure they are accessible. For example, the Champions worked with The Samaritans to make sure their flyer was easy to understand.

Trustee Cathy sums up:

“It was great to get more insight into the important work that The Include Champions Group does. Ensuring everyone has a clear idea of what Co-production is, and why it is important is such a valuable piece of work. We hope many organisations and individuals will make use of this Easy Read explainer.”

Please email us on info@include.org if you think you might like some help from The Include Champions Group.

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

Hello…we are the Champions!

Claudia, our new Speech and Language Therapy Assistant, who we introduced you to in December’s blog, has been getting to know The Include Champions Group a bit better.

We’re really proud of the Champions Group because they do some really important things, and we’d like everyone to have a chance to get to know the group better – not just Claudia!

So, our latest FREE Easy Read resource is made by the Include Champions about the Include Champions! It explains what the group does, why and how – all presented in an Easy Read format.

FREE Audio format on SoundCloud.

In summary, The Include Champions Group is a lived experience consultancy team, generating ideas, feedback and free accessible resources on important topics including the Mental Capacity Act and Inclusive Communication.

Members have real world experience of learning disabilities, autism and other communication needs.

Dedicated group members meet every week via Zoom, and there is always something important to discuss, analyse and provide feedback on.

Time to Talk Day (2nd Feb), which encourages people to have conversations about mental health, seemed like a good day to re-share two of the Easy Read resources produced by our group:

🗣 Kind Communication
👂 Listening Skills

As our CEO Alix says in her guest blog for Browning York; “Today is ‘Time to Talk’ day – a day designed to promote conversation and communication to benefit everyone’s mental health. Let’s also think about the communication which uses more than words to include people – the biggest kindness of all.”

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

Claudia and the Easy Read Christmas Quiz

At about the same time shops started selling Christmas items, Claudia joined the Include staff team.

Here she introduces herself and our free Easy Read Christmas Quiz.

“I’ve joined Include as a Speech Therapy Assistant.

Having Attention deficit and Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), means that my brain is wired differently from what is considered normal. In other words, I am neurodivergent just like most Include members. I only found out I had ADHD at the end of my Master’s degree in speech and language therapy, when multiple social barriers made life very difficult.

The challenges of being a highly functional young neurodivergent adult, made me realise that much needs to be done to implement the social model of disability in our society. In other words, much needs to be done for society to start seeing that impairments are most often caused by social barriers. With this in mind, I knew I had to somehow be part of Include when I saw their new speech therapist job opportunity. So, I applied even though I only fully qualify as a speech therapist next January and I live 90 miles away.

Joining Include

From day one, I felt welcomed and comfortable enough to share my neurodivergence with senior members of staff. Not only I felt incredibly supported, but also felt that my neurodivergence was seen as a strength.





It is really amazing to find organisations such as include! Indeed, seeing difference as a valuable asset is at the core of the organisation culture and this was clear from the day I interviewed for the job. To my great surprise, an include member who has a learning disability, was part of the interview panel. If our society was as inclusive as Include, experiencing this would not have been a surprise for me. Nevertheless, I was thrilled to see small changes towards a more inclusive world and certain that I had made the right decision by applying to Include!

Working with The Champions Group on the Christmas Quiz

The Include Champions Group sessions do more than just collaboratively produce content with people that have communication difficulties. From the first session, I felt a sense of union and friendship between all members of the group. Just like when friends meet, these sessions start with members spontaneously sharing how their week was and things they are looking forward to.

You will find the free audio format when you click here: SoundCloud

Alongside the collaborative work, group members also discuss various topics of their interest. This was no different at the last champions group session, where we jointly worked on the Christmas quiz.

Within this session we not only worked on the quiz but discussed different Christmas traditions.

Having in mind that I am Portuguese and Christmas traditions are quite different from England, this was such an interesting conversation!

I was very surprised to learn that traditionally some people in England set their Christmas pudding on fire and the champions were surprised to learn most Portuguese people eat salted cod with their Christmas dinner.

I suppose what made this conversation intriguing was that our differing perspectives on what constitutes a “traditional” Christmas were acknowledged as part of our world’s diversity. To put it simply, Christmas traditions are just forms of Christmas celebrations. Just like gestures, signs and body language are just forms of communication. If all forms of communication are equally embraced, people with communication difficulties have fewer barriers and fewer difficulties. This is what the social model of disability theorises and what Include.org believes!

If you are reading this blog, you are probably already contributing to this. Include is here to help if not!

We wish you all a merry Christmas and a more inclusive happy new year too.”

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

Easy Read Halloween QUIZ

You may well do our quiz and find out lots of things about Halloween traditions and how it all started…but our Champions Group decided that these days Halloween is actually an opportunity to demonstrate some more up-to-date values!

We have to respect that some people don’t celebrate Halloween – even if they did as a child.

It can be difficult to enjoy the idea of people you don’t know knocking on your door and asking for things!


Philip one of our members, remembers an event from his childhood when his Dad chose ‘trick’ but what happened next, (with foam coming in through the letterbox) was actually quite intimidating and Philip can appreciate that for some people Halloween may make them feel nervous. Others in the group recalled tricks involving eggs being thrown at windows.

When you live in shared accommodation, as Ellie and Hannah do, they know that they need to respect the fact that other residents may not what any involvement in Halloween.

So being kind and remembering that is important.

However, at least half of our champions do have plans to dress up and do fun things for Halloween. Anna is dressing up as a vampire with the teeth and everything for a party she is going to with a group…and she hopes to have some red wine to drink, if not any blood! 

Philip has already dressed up as The Joker, and Simon as scarecrow, for a Halloween disco.

Hannah has plans to dress up for a spooky themed Zoom.

There is also the opportunity to do our quiz instead of Trick or Treating!

For the audio format quiz use SoundCloud.

We talked about other things that can help to make Halloween more respectful and inclusive.

It was agreed that the idea of only knocking on doors where people have left out a pumpkin and decorations is a good way to leave people alone who do not like to celebrate Halloween. 

Equally it is possible to be considerate as a home-owner too. Neighbourhoods can make a plan to ensure everyone can still get involved in halloween safely.

For example, if you notice someone with a blue pumpkin / collecting bucket at your door it is good to know that this is a sign that the person has autism and may find it hard to speak or interact in the conventional way. We also heard of an example where the parents of a young boy (who has severe food allergies) give treats to local houses to give back to their boy when he goes trick or treating in his own road, so he feels included and is still safe.

These are good examples of empowering people with additional needs and their communities to take part in Halloween in ways that work for everyone.

We also found this from https://www.instagram.com/elizabethrussoart/ and wanted to share it. There is more information on Elizabeth Russo’s Instagram.

Here is a timely reminder of Include’s values:

Kind

Empowering

Fun

Inclusive

Respectful

And finally, a Halloween song from The Include Choir: https://youtu.be/aIRhUwJKggU

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

How has life changed for people with learning disabilities?

This month, between the Platinum Jubilee and Learning Disability Week 2022, our Champions Group has been reflecting on how life has changed for people with learning disabilities during the Queen’s reign.

We also talked about what was going on for the royal family in each decade, memorable moments like when people walked on the moon – and chose a favourite song from each decade (like Don’t Stop Me Now from the 1970s). So, we hope this Easy Read will inspire you in many ways.

Here is the link to our audio version https://soundcloud.com/user-683393051-385203358/platinum-jubilee-special?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

But it might shock you too.

It’s hard to believe that in the 1950s, when Queen Elizabeth II first came to the throne it was common for children with learning disabilities to leave their families to live in ‘long-stay hospitals’ and attending school was not an option.

The Include Champions believe that access to education for all is important. Philip said that it was down to going to school that he has been able to get a job. David said he learned to speak French at college and Hannah cooks her own meals having learned in education. Three great examples.

People Making Change Happen

We celebrated some of the people who really helped to turn the tide and change the way society looks at disability.

Some of the first research into what is actually best for children with Learning Disabilities didn’t happen until 1950s! Joss rightly found this surprising “Are you joking?! That was the first piece of research ever to have been done?!”

In 1958 Professor Jack Tizard published his findings – the headline – children with Learning Disabilities should not be taken away from their families and would live better lives in the community.  

Then in 1964, the Jean Vanier invited two men with learning disabilities to live in his home rather than in a hospital – the first L’Arche Community home was set up in France. This paved the way for many more people with learning disabilities to return to the heart of their communities. Of Jean Vanier, Joss said “What a great bloke!”

Everyone Can Make A Change

We also talked about how in day-to-day life it’s sadly not just the people who do good things that we remember – we also often remember bad things that people say to us. The Champions Group started talking about how important it is to try to use words that are kind and respectful when talking about people, especially in the context of disability.

All that matters is that we are here and we are thinking about each other and we care.

Hannah summed the conversation up so well… “All people have different abilities anyway. We are all different. It doesn’t matter what we are, it doesn’t have to be perfect or anything, all that matters is that we are here and we are thinking about each other and we care and, plus we need to think about this really carefully.”

And that my friends, is inspiration for a future Easy Read about why words matter.

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

Bumper Easter Easy Read

Our Include Champions were so inspired by spring and Easter, that the group’s ideas and have resulted in a whole pack of Free Easy Read resources, including a quiz!

Download the Easy Reads below and find the audio versions too. If you want to really test yourself look at the quiz first and the other things after!

Click to listen to the Quiz Questions and Answers

Click to listen to the Easter Story

Click to listen to the Fun Facts

From hot cross buns and the clocks changing, to Jesus’ disciples and daffodils…Ellie, Simon, Philip and Josh cover lots of themes that are relevant at this time of year!

Plus, our first ever Easy Read resource, which launched our free series last year, is all about Ramadan – so also very relevant this month.

Our Champions have plans to share these resources with their own networks, from support staff and friends, to arts and social groups.

Who could you share these Free Easy Read resources with?

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager

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 and Partnerships Manager

Mindfulness

January can feel like a long month for many reasons.

January 2021 was a lockdown month, and so for some people, it felt even longer. When we were in lockdown, Include produced extra newsletters and ran more Zoom sessions. We tried to make the content helpful – things to help keep people included and happy – one of those things was mindfulness. Protecting our mental wellbeing is still very important.

This January, in our first Champions session of 2022, we talked about mindfulness again.

Our Champions sessions are where Include members get together on Zoom to discuss and share ideas about important topics like The Mental Capacity Act, or in this case Mindfulness.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is about taking the time to notice how you are. To connect your body, mind and senses. Sarah sums it up well;

“It’s ideas about how to help your moods. What to do if you feel low, stressed, or if you have anxiety or depression”.

Sarah also pointed out that the information that she has found about mindfulness is not always very easy to read. So that made it clear that a FREE Easy Read about Mindfulness is a good idea.

Do I need to try mindfulness?

We talked about how to tell if you might be stressed and need to take a bit of time to practice some mindfulness. When we are busy with life, we might not notice that we have become tense. The Champions came up with a list of indicators that may mean you need to slow down:

  • Muscles tight
  • Headache
  • Feeling anxious
  • Tummy ache
  • Panic attack
  • Shoulders up by your ears

Hannah said;

“Take time and listen to your body. You can do mindfulness every day, wherever you are. And it can help you to get a good night’s sleep.”

Ways to be mindful

In our session the Champions tried out a few mindfulness techniques such as taking a big yawn and stretch. And we were all silent of 30 seconds and took care to notice any sounds around us.

Philip and Simon noticed the sound of a plane flying nearby and their washing machine going. Josh noticed a train going past and Ellie heard her tap.

But practicing mindfulness doesn’t mean you have to be still and quiet – doing things like colouring, sewing, blowing bubbles or Lego are also good ways to be calm and focussed.

Listening to music can be good too – you might like to see our B is for bubbles song on YouTube combining music and bubbles!?

Our Champions have some brilliant suggestion for apps that can also help with mindfulness – Headspace was recommended by Sarah, and Happy Colours by Philip. There is more information inside the FREE Easy Read resource.

FREE Audio version

Penny Sims
Penny Sims
Communications and Partnerships Manager
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