THE HOMELESS YOUNGEST MINDS.

Nobody in my family loves me.
I know I could have been very naughty, but there is no need for my family to kick me out on the streets.
I am very frightened to go back home, but I know my family don't want me.
I know I made a big mistake in thinking I could cope to find my own home, I just wanted to be an adult far too quickly.
I realise now I was wrong thinking I could cope.
I can't find any food to eat, but bits and piece of bread.
I am sleeping on the hard street floors, but some nights I sleep in cardboard boxes.


It's alright this poem isn't about me but how many of us stop to think what goes through homeless people's minds, mainly at christmas time?

THERE ARE SO MANY LONELY PEOPLE.

In this world we do not realise that there are so many lonely people.
These lonely get out of bed every single morning.
Living a life that seems so dull and boring.
These lonely people do not have family or friends to talk to and see.
When you see the lonely people, they seem more happy than lucky us.
They have such lovely smiles on their faces.
Where these lonely lonely people come from?
What on earth can anyone or "The Happy Society" do for them?

"The Happy Society" used be a social club for people learning disabilities. Roy Holdcoft
used to take us out to pubs, Day trips and holidays but it got too cost too much for him to keep running and us too. We used to raise money. I used to write news letters, my ex boyfriend Anthony used to sell them for 20p. We also had a Jumble sale, which was organised by me but we didn't get a lot out of it.

THIS IS THE REAL WORLD, NOT A DREAM WORLD.

In fairlytale stories they say you have to kiss a good many ugly frogs to find your handsome Prince.
In my case I believe I have kissed handsome princes who have turned into ugly frogs.
Believe me, believe me not, I think my days of kissing handsome princes have gone.
Because I fear every handsome prince I kiss will turn into an ugly frog.

All the lovely things I used to dream, I thought would come true.
Now I am unhappy that everything I ever wanted hasn't happened to me and no chance will it be.
I blame myself, I fell in love far too young.
Little did I know everything was going to turn out wrong.
Now I can't love at all, because I am frightened of getting hurt again.
A male and female friendship forever more.
I must keep away from those ugly frogs.

GOOD FRIENDSHIP.

This may be only friendly love, but to me it is good enough.
I don't think you need a boyfriend and girlfriend to love.
Male and female can still share a friendship to love.
My friendship will be here with you for however long you want me to be close to you.
I will never go away from you, unless you want me to.
I know we have been through the same thing, I know what you are going through.
Trying to move on from the people you love or loved is very hard to do, but somehow we must get on with our lives and get through.
We must try and see a future for ourselves the best way we can, but believe me I do understand that is very hard to do but all the same we must get through.

GUILTY AND HIDING FROM THE TRUTH.

Going quiet on people when they talk.
Never caring about people's feelings.
Lying to hide away from the truth, because the truth hurts one.
One is shamed, one is in the wrong.
For one to tell one, but to get someone else to tell one.

I LOVE YOU, DO YOU LOVE ME TOO?

Your hair is blonde, so soft and thick.
Many times I have reached out for your love to tell you.
" Darling I love you so true."
The problem is that you are not with me a lot to say.
" I love you so true too.
Now I have to wait until I see you again.

I love you so true.
I hope and pray to god that you love me to so true too, but I think or know you do.
Three little words saying I love you can make you feel so special.
So can those three little letters.
Poetry is not where I can spell those three little or big words.

LOST LOVE.

There's nothing you can do when you lose the person you love.
All you can do is learn to move on and meet a new love.
When long love is lost it's hard to move on.
No matter how hard it is you must move on.
When short love can come before you look.
It is so important to be loved.
Love can't be made, unless you make it.
When love goes down the drain, it can't always be saved.
For goodness sake you must be brave enough to love again.
Love can cause you so much anger, hurt and pain.
Sometimes it's hard to love again.
Sometimes it's hard to live without love and be lonely.
Without love in many ways, life isn't the same.

I LOVE MY MAN AND HE LOVES ME.

I love my man he loves me.
I care such a lot about him and he cares such a lot about me.
Ups and downs are to come that is part of life to be.
If it's to be it will be, if it's not to be it won't be.
I hope and pray it will be.

Upsets are sure to happen, but I hope between us we will do our very best to put whatever problem we have right.
He isn't just my lover, he is also my best friend out of all males.
I'm sure and hope that he feels the same way as I do about him.
I hope and pray that we, what future we have to be, brings us love, reationship and friendship.

ABOUT MY POEMS.

You may wonder why I write about love a lot in my poetry.I started writing poetry in 1997 at the age of 27 nearly 28. My relationship had broken up with Anthony very badly at that time.
Not every poem is only about Anthony, there are poems about many other friendships and relationships too. ( The good and the bad times.)

One day I was walking along Bilston college library, looking at poetry books without planning to. Suddenly I found myself reading John Keat's poems, his work was connected with what I was going through at the time. I studied his worked and wrote my own poems, which helped me learn how to come to terms with my break down over my relationship at that time. When I think about it now I shouldn't have taken it as hard as I did but If I didn't, I question would I have written poetry? To be truthful, I don't know.

I do write about other things but I sent a lot of work off to publishers, they chose my love poems. The publishers I used was Poetry Now. They wanted me to write about people homeless at Christmas, so i wrote The Youngest Mind, which isn't not about me, it's about what could be going through the minds of homeless people not just at Christmas but all year round.


These poems haven't just been written. my last poem was published in 2002 and first was published 1998. I haven't given up poetry, I just haven't had luck with publishing since my first publishers charged too much.

CRYING OUT FOR LOVE.

I must move on again.
Please give me any reason why I shouldn't love someone and someone should love me?
Why do I feel as if my days of love and romance has gone for me?
Is there something wrong with me?
How can I share love when no one is there to share love with?
I can't give love to someone when he isn't there to have love from me.
Whoever you may be, if you're faithful, kind and good looking please come to me?
I don't mind having seriour or play full love, as long as someone can give me some kind of love, I will be happy to play or stay in whatever way.
Just any kind of passion that comes my way.
I don't mind playing the field or having forever love.

MY LONGEST TRUE LOVE.

My true love once had a heart that gave me so much love.

I had this heart and I really truly enjoyed his love.

Now he doesn't have a heart anymore, because he isn't now my love.

He's now with someone forever and for good.

He's not my true love anymore, but he was my first serious love.

That I will never, ever forget.

I don't think he will find another love like me again.

I don't think I will find another love like him again.

DRAGON

Watch your ps and qs when you are talking to the dragon.
She may well blow smoke at you and burn you if you get on the wrong side of her, she can have the Irish dragon inside her.
Don't be put off by her, she has a nice side too.

PEOPLE.

We are all human beings.
We all have different nationalities.
Most people have white skin.
Some people have black skin.
Other people have brown skin.
Some people believe in god others don't.
Some people go to church others don't.
Why don't we just accept each other for the way we all are?
Life is hard enough without making it worse.
Some people have choose to be who they are and what they, others don't have any choose at all.
Just because one person is black and the other person is white, it doesn't mean they are not alright.
I understand that not everyone gets on but you can't take away the way they are or their equal rights.

You have the right to know what people say and think about you but
keep your thoughts to yourself, just walk away!
Why risk been locked away from the world, it's not worth it for anyone.
No need to hurt or kill.
Why take your anger out on people who are harmless to you, be strong.
Stick to your own thoughts in life: let others stick to theirs.

PEACE AND LOVE..

We all have to go by the rules of the law.
We are all prisoners of war in our own counties wherever we are from.
We are always dreaming of a peaceful and lovable world.
Not a greedy or hateful world.

Why do we hurt and kill one another?
Why can't we respect one another for being human beings?
Why can't we keep away from one another if don't like one another?
Why waist our lives behind bars when there are so many good things to see and look forward to?
No world needs to be perfect but why not give peaces and love rather than war?

OUR DULL GREY WEATHER !

Although today the weather changes very quickly from hot to cold all over the UK, the sky in the Black Country changing from black to white but very rarely blue these days. You always miss the black, white, dull or grey sky turning to blue, I wonder why? Today you never see the sky without a cloud. Most of the time the weather doesn't tell you the truth. Never believe it if the sky is blue in the Black Country, that it's warm enough or hot enough outside. Never believe it when the sky is grey, black, white or and dull that the weather is cold. Carry your coat or put it in a bag just in case because you can go hot and cold in seconds, in fact less time than that at times. The Black Country started off with smoke and coal, now it's turn to thunder and rain that has washed out the old coal fires, may be a little sun if we're lucky.

My RELATIONSHIP EXPERIENCE

Things can change people, since my Nan has died, my ex boyfriend Anthony doesn't seem to know whether he still wants me or not, he just completely confuses me. May be I have changed since my Nan has died without noticing. On the other hand he could have changed. When I asked him if I have changed, he wouldn't tell me . The way my Nam's death has affected me, may have affected me and us as a couple. I have tried very hard to get on with my life by with with Mencap. I have always wanted to help others like myself anyway. Where would I have been without Mencap? I still would have helped Mencap out no matter what. Without Mencap. I would have felt very down and depressed. I can not bare it without keeping myself busy. I still have my ups and downs like we all do, just like we all do when we lose people close to us. I do understand that life goes thought. My Nan wouldn't want me looking at the four walls all day long. She would have wanted me to keep busy. I know she's not going to come back but I know she'd be pleased with what I am doing at Mencap. Being busy is a great thing to do whatever you are going through. This is why I feel it's right people with disabilities should have the rights the education and career they want. I don't believe it's healthy not to have anything to look forward to.It's even better to feel you have achieved something for your future and life not to kill the hours in the day or night. It would be great for us to get paid work like non - disabled people.

May be a lot of people like myself have felt as if life isn't worth living because of a having learning disabilities. The more skills I have achieved the more I now think life is worth living. Please keep improving the support!

The least Anthony could have done was to be a bit supported rather letting my affects of Nan's death affect both of us, Nan wouldn't have wanted that. Still that's the way he wants it, there's plenty more fish in the sea. Even though, it's hard to come terms with over thirteen yrs on and off, we've know each other just over fourteen yrs now.

One thing I am trying to learn is not to fall in love too easily. When things go wrong the stress gets too much. Love isn't all it cuts out to be but that doesn't mean you have to be lonely. What we also have to remember is that we have to go through the same ups and downs in life as non - disabled people.

OK, we may well have our health problems but life is full of learning.
We just need to to keep ourselves busy and come to term with these disappointments in our own time. Being strong is the answer not weak. I know it's not easy because we have to learn to not let these things get to us, these things happen whether we like it or not.
It is hard at first but life changes, new things happen in it's own time and new people come into our lives. If you come across the same thing in life as I have, don't hold on to it too tight, you will find it's hard to let go.

There are all kinds of disabilities but if they have high support needs, for eg: such things likes needing to be bathed, taken to the toilet and etc can be hard work for people without disabilities, I'm not saying that you are all the same though.

• How can people need to change things to treat us equal to them?

• People should treat people with disabilities equal to them selves.

• We cannot help the way we are, we didn't create our disabilities, we didn't plan to be hard work for you.

A disability can be caused at birth or even in an accident after birth. A lot of people have been with disabilities before an accident. It could take a long time before you can get your life back how it used be or not at all. You could find that you may need more help with everything than what you need now. This how disabilities can affect you.My disability happened at the birth but I understand how a disability in accident change people's lives at lot if they haven't been disabled before.


Never turn someone down because they have a disability, you would be hurt if you were their shoes. Please treat people with disabilities the same as how you want to be treated if you had disabilities.

This is why we think it's only fair that you support us, give us as many equal rights as possible, which still isn't good enough, it needs to get better all areas of life. We need to move on with the times, put the old fashioned times behind us. Families and carers can be very over protected so we need to them to support their children to have equal lives, still keeping them save but not wrapping them up in cotton wool.

We agree that we aren't getting enough support yet but Mencap work hard everyday to see that people with disabilities get equal lives. People in the Mencaps' groups who have disabilities such as myself, are willing to work hard to see that other people with disabilities get a better support than we did.

• We hope that we can achieve an equal live for people with disabilities for future generations to come.

• Sadly we must accept that time is slow, it's taken us far too many years to get where we are now.

• I guess it will take even longer for us to make things better.
  

• I suppose better late than never but sometimes you fear a lot of things aren't going to happen but we can't get everything we want.

• We hope that other people, their carers and etc get better support than what our families, carers and ourselves did.
  

• I know I'm not that old but some things it's too late for but other things it's never too late for, that's life. As long as I can see others happy that's the main thing for me now.
  

• Things still have changed a lot since my birth, my childhood teenager yrs and even the beginning of my adulthood.

It's our job to train non - disabled people to accept people with disabilities as equal as possible and give us the right support we need and want.

THINGS NEED TO CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

I think employers should build a understanding with people with learning disabilities and Mental Health problems.

People with learning disabilities ourselves understand it's important to keep safe, which is where Health and Safety comes into it but with the right support in the work placement this should be possible.


As at least nine out of ten people with disabilities don't drive have to replete on transport for eg buses. Due to how bad the traffic is these been on time for work can't always be promise same applies to anyone who has to reply on pubic transport. Transport not been reliable can make people lose their jobs. We are trying to help with disabilities and Health problems to be equal to all people, this isn't making our job easy.

A lot of people with disabilities and Health problems are on tablets that may slow them down, this is what Health staff should look into. It's important that people should be aware of what's going on around them. In the terms of people with disabilities work Health should be keeping record to people's and calling them out more often for check ups. Employers need to take peoples'health on board mainly people with disabilities or and Health problems.

With the right support for interviews and in the work place work it should be possible for people with disabilities to be employed or even Self - employed if they want.


Employers are missing out on the creative talents most people with disabilities and Mental Health problems have got. They may be good at other things too, it's just going for they are good at what they enjoy.

Training and exams too.

I am Sara Jane Gorman a member of Our - Self Advocacy group supported by Mencap. This is our Travel Buddy Social Enterprise Proposal.

People with learning disabilities are encouraged to access community faclilities but this will be hard and more expensive for those who don't travel independently.

Isolation is a feeling that many people with learning disabilities face in the evenings and weekends. There's very little support for most people to get out and about, they never get the chance to learn how to travel independently.

A' Travel Buddy' will support people to travel on pubic transport to get them where they want and need to go. This will build peoples'confidenece up and potentially lead them to becoming an independent traveller in the future.

Due to how bad the traffic these days there can be hold ups to get people to places for certain time limits, that's not just a problem for people with learning disabilities but for everyone. This is another cause of why unemployment is so high when pubic transport makes people late for work.

To promote the Health and Well being of people with learning disabilities by increasing involvement in community based work and activities.

Intensively trained adults with learning disabilities to set up a city wide team of paid ' Travel Buddies'.


The proposed service will help to encourage social inclusion, promote independence, and give paid work chances.

Many people with disabilities do not like travelling on ' special buses to day centres and often spend a long time on the transport while other people are picked up.

Often people are travelling to day centres before going to college in the mornings. This means two journeys instead of one! They are not learning to be in dependant if they are picked up and from their homes.

Background In March 2008 us members of Our Shout Self Advocacy group decided to set up our own business. In the past we haven't had any positive experiences in the workplace and we want to create jobs ourselves for people with disabilities with the right support. After a time the Travel Buddy service didn't kick off so Mencap passed us on to Employment Pathways then we Changed to Access All Areas Now! Learning Disability Awareness Training serive, which is even now due to funding, the cutbacks for our support very slow. October 2010 Lucy our supporter of Our Shout left in October but we were thinking about making changes anyway as we now have very few members in Our Shout and we want to make our career grow. Both me and Jessica run Access All Areas Now! but Jessica is finding she has too much work with Mencap to own Access All Areas Now! so hopefully I will be running it myself with the right support. There again when I had a meeting with Our Shout I told them I didn't want to leave them out so asked them how they would like the idea of Our Shout and Access All Areas Now! linking together so we can train new members to be where we are today and give services learning disability awareness training. We hope day to create a services for topics of life for people with disabilities, that's the idea of Access All Areas Now! Travel Buddy we hope to be one of those topics.

Aims

The travel service will give proper paid jobs for people with learning disabilities.

The travel service will give one to one support to people with learning disabilities to get around on pubic transport so they can get around.

To support social inclusion for people with disabilities and help them become more confident and independent.

To give a unique service to Wolverhampton that supports people with disabilities and give people by people with disabilities. There are many examples in other areas of the country where this is working well.


Mencap put a bid for European funding back in 2008 and still counting to look for other funding chances in chance this is not a success. Update 8th November 2010.



The problems that our disabilities cause can affect our lives, which can make it very hard for employers to understand and accept,this can cause us discrimination.

People with disabilities should be allowed to educate and train staff and managers on the training, education and support we need in all areas of including Health, Safety and Security. I feel that's all we need as people with disabilities but with equal rights to get by in life.

If people with disabilities enjoy their job, if we have good people around us who are nice to us,People with disabilities need to train non - disabled people around disability awareness and train them to improve support for people with disabilities. We will look forward to getting out of bed in the mornings if we like the people we work with and if we enjoy our job same goes for the rest of the society.

Employers should create jobs for people disabilities or and support, train and educate us to set up our own businesses, if that's what we want, we want to feel equal to others. As you read in the Travel Buddy report Mencap are support us to hopefully getting our own business. I think people with disabilities are getting so Feb up with waiting for people to support them into work, it's slowly getting common for them to be having support for them set their own business to support people like themselves.

Some people with disabilities are creative, what about making small changes? For :eg I can write poetry, stories, draw and paint. Attitudes need to change for the better. You don't know what you are missing by turning down people like us down. I feel as if it's only Mencap and Employment Pathways who have had faith in me.

How many of you employ and pay people with disabilities and or Health problems?
What kind of jobs are out there for people with disabilities and how many of you support us and employ us?
Most of this report is what I wrote to introduce to the Employment play.

Up date this report Saturday 12th September 2009
A year and a half after Mencap's Employment play in June 2008, the government has launched a plan called Valuing Employment Now.

It talks about how to help as many people with disabilities as possible into work. The jobs should be for at least 16 hours a week. We shouldn't be trapped in this benefit trap we have a job to earn enough money to live our lives, that includes paying for our Health care just like other people. Benefits should be given to families and carers who look after people with disabilities who need a lot more care than what we do.

Government leaders say " We need more people with disabilities in jobs".

" We know that people with disabilities want to work and can do a good job that employers value.

" Employment is a fundamental part of life and only when people with disabilities have the same chances as all people."
This values us people with disabilities the same as all human beings.

This is going to be planned so that people with disabilities can work like all people but with the right support they want and need.

I am pleased to say it looks like without building any hopes that the government hopefully won't let us down that things are starting to look up even though if it's took over a year to get feed back from the Employment play I wrote last year June 2008. Thank you those who supported us.

November 2010 update.

All people over Britain are stuffer cutbacks for everything. When it comes to people with disabilities needing support for everyday skills for eg running a home, then there isn't the money to pay Social Care staff to support them. Families and carers aren't getting any younger so what does the future bring? These cutbacks affect every topic to do with peoples' lives which affects you whether you have disabilities and Health problems or not.

It is more dangerous for people with disabilities to look at the four walls 24 hours a day we need to work and go to college, we will just depressed otherwise. We need more to life than just keeping our lives and minds busy, we want a career just like you.

If you would like to email me on anything at all, I would be very interested here from from you if it's anything to do with learning disability, meaning family member, carer, parent or a person with a learning disability yourself. You make want to talk about the cutbacks or and learning disability rights. sarajgorman@googlemail.com