A session for the Occupation Therapist students, Wednesday 3rd August 2022.

 " How would you support people with disabilities and mental illness?"

 

“ Hello, everyone, I will start this lecture by introducing myself, going through how disabilities can affect life when disabilities happen and some of the types of disabilities”.

I don’t have any involvement in the University’s course work when it comes to levels, what is involved in each level etc. Therefore, some things you may know already, and other things you may not so sorry if I have told you things you know already.

1.     Some different types of therapy.

2.     Going through some of what an Occupational therapist is.

3.     What are mental health and illness are. 

My name is Sara Jane Gorman, Visiting Lecture on Disability and Mental health awareness for the Success group and Learning Disability team at the University of Wolverhampton.

 

 My disabilities and mental health problems are Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Autism, Epilepsy, Anxiety, and Depression.https://sararevealed.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-difference-between-having.html

Due to the fact I was born fifty-odd years ago, I was not diagnosed for my conditions because very little nothing at all was known. However,’ over the years my family members read up, watched programs, etc to find the symptoms’ matched up to me. I did ask my GP about the possibility of me being diagnosed with Dyspraxia and Autism, at the time she told me there was no funding, which was about five to ten years ago.  I feel I could have had support from childhood if I was able to have got diagnosed back in the 70s and 80s, where I would not have been struggling as much when I was growing up. However,’ this is not all black and white as hopefully, it will help me to help you help others similar if not the same as me in today’s world.

It is important to recognize disabilities, mental health, and other problems, and how they affect people's lives, and you can try to support them. There are no tools, aids, etc to support all difficulties people face but there are some that you could suggest to them, depending on the problems and the difficulties they face.  Here are some difficulties I faced due to my Dyspraxia.

Dyspraxia is a hidden physical learning difficulty.

Dyspraxia affects motor skills and co – conation.

I struggle to cook, sew, cut my nails, etc.

Dyslexia causes me to misspell words, get letters and words the wrong way round, missing words out of sentences, the print  may be too small to read, the text may need too large print, and in some things, I may need pictures.

When I was on very strong tablets for Epilepsy, they made me shake  and I was clumsy which also could partly be my Dyspraxia. This made me feel Anxious and depressed.

I have a small amount of support from my family but not from Support workers, social workers, or carers but I live by myself. It has taken me years to accept my problems but with some things, I have found ways of managing things.

As a child and teenager, I found it hard to accept my problems and make out as if I was like other people.

I could have done with support to be able to grip most things but with the right support, I should be able to learn most things like other people.

I believe being diagnosed with these problems is important to be able to know the right support to give.

Also, as a child, I could have done counseling to support for emotional well-being.

 

 

 

 

Firstly, pretty much most disabilities are, linked to mental illness. I cannot speak for all disabilities and mental illnesses I can only speak for the disabilities and mental illnesses I face. It is important to accept anything from anyone as each person you come across is likely to have different strengths and weaknesses. I know, that with having Autism my Anxiety levels can be high, which can be easily misunderstood by others around me, not just by people at work and in education but people socially and at home as well. 

As an Occupation Therapist, you will come across a lot of people who people with disabilities and mental illnesses are in contact with such as teachers, tutors, managers, staff of people they work with, families, parents, carers, and support workers, health professionals, etc, which who you will come into contact with as well. 

People with disabilities, mental illnesses, and other problems do not enjoy asking for help from others, even though everyone needs help sometimes because having disabilities, mental illnesses, or other problems affects their lives more so than different people in different ways. We can feel as if we are hard work to the world, cost too, much money, are a burden to others, guilty, etc even to a point we feel life is not worth living. Even though we know that is not our fault and beyond our control, we can't help that we have no choice, which is depression but at the same time, a lot of us have had good and bad experiences in our lives when it comes to supporting. However, the positive thing is having the right tools and aids to help us live as independently as possible, but naturally, it is not possible to have the tools, etc with everything we need help with, which is mostly due to funding and disability benefits only pay for so much. 

 

Before we can support disabilities and mental illnesses we need to learn about the strengths and weaknesses people face who disabilities and mental illnesses. I only know the difficulties I face from my disabilities and mental illnesses.

It is believed that ADHD Attention Hyperactivity Disorder and Anxiety have a link, which is most common to be linked to Autism too.  For example, finding it hard to focus, acting without thinking, and finding it hard to sit still.  

I see Dyslexia as an educational learning difficulty, most people see Dyslexia as someone who cannot read-write, or spell, which is only partly the truth. Where a person can read, and hear what people say but struggle to remember, as for writing and spelling, even reading that can vary where something where mostly the person who could write or and read something the wrong way round or and something missing, etc. Such as letters, words, numbers, etc.  For example, bs, ds, ds, PS, qs, 26, and 62 could get mixed up, and words missing out from sentences. We can have stages of having ideas about what to write to going blank probably as much as most, regardless of,  whether our ideas are good or bad, etc. On the positive side, people with dyslexia can be creative in different people in different ways. https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/what-is-dyslexia/

Dyspraxia is mostly a physical motor skill learning difficulty, which can be linked to Asperous Syndrome, anxiety, depression, and ADHD. There also can be education difficulties too if not the same but similar. https://sararevealed.blogspot.com/2012/ https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/what-is-dyspraxia/ The strength in dyspraxia is mostly being creative but different people in different ways. http://www.dyspraxicfantastic.com/the-positives/

The difficulties people with dyspraxia face are mostly physical skills climbing, jumping, catching a ball, riding a bike, driving, cooking, cleaning, and many more. How can life be made easy for those with physical difficulties without depending on others?  grippier such as disabled aids to help open tops, lids off bottles, jars, personal disabled aids, etc, which could be ordered off many websites such as Amazon, bought from many disabled shops, which may be spent by disability money, funding of services or both. https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/occupational-therapy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=dyspraxia+aids&crid=3I9K4DUNDDRKH&qid=1658928272&sprefix=dyspr%2Caps%2C240&ref=sr_pg_1

 

https://www.lighthouse-therapy.com/occupational-therapy/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxIOXBhCrARIsAL1QFCZfUQn7FpKGtvfmKDDV_qINd6ossnapD7GkDU7xHf3T6m1VQFTwnb0aAgF_EALw_wcB

https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_three_types_of_learning_disabilities/article.htm

Difference between a learning disability and a learning difficulty. It is probably possible to have one or the other or both. In some and if not most cases because it probably does not work this way. Is it someone facing physical problems who has a learning difficulty and someone who struggles mentally for example reading, studying, etc has a learning disability? A learning disability may cause them to be slow to think, answer questions, etc longer than others if not most walks of life but all.

However,’ it has been known people see dyslexia as people not able to read, write and spell at all which is not the case but certain words, etc they may have difficulty reading, writing, etc, which can vary from person to person and also there are so many letters, words, numbers, etc. Where someone, for example, may have seen a word loads of times but still can’t read but oddly able to spell it or and even the other way round. It sounds crazy to a lot of people I guess and I understand why but believe it or not it sounds impossible but is possible.  

 The difference between  Dyscalculia and  Dysgraphia.

 

Dyscalculia is problems with numbers and Dysgraphia are problems with writing. Similar to Dyslexia but the difference is Dyslexia is really problems with words and letters, but Dyscalculia is problems as I said with numbers. This can link up to Asperges Syndrome a type of Autism and Dyspraxia. Like Dyslexia, Dyscalculia is a learning difficulty in the sense that a person could take a long time to work a sum out for example. Dysgraphia is not that the person can’t write but the writing may not look untidy across the page without the paper being lined and margin by the side and maybe the person’s writing is untidy. Dysgraphia is linked to Dyspraxia because the person may struggle to hold the pen or pencil without pressing into the paper, which may see on the back of the page they may have written on, which pen, or pencil gripper not only prevent that but if they do a lot of writing, for example, their wrists may start to ache after certain of time and break even very short ones may help. These days it may be worth trying to encourage children, young people, and even older people, in fact, to type more than write on a computer for those who wish to or and can.

    Most education disabilities and difficulties need learning tools easy to read and understand much as possible which help these people to achieve sooner with the tool or should say aids, than they would or would without them. Even those of who face the problems understand that there are tools and aids that are pricey even if don’t understand how much. How much they cost depends on how many problems a person has, even most people themselves understand they not going to get tools and or aids for every one problem they face and even if they do, it won’t be an easy one. For example, large print, colored writing, pens, pencils, high light pens print, certain size paper, IT, internet, pictures, etc. All these things may vary to what the person is doing. In fact, there not be as much involved in some things compared to others. However,’ with the cost of living crisis these days, even with the smallest amount of support can be a huge cost but I guess it can vary to what is involved.https://welfareweekly.com/2022/07/25/the-additional-costs-of-being-disabled-in-the-uk/?fbclid=IwAR3aDM6lZI-lkB2aGzNCNWIlAZ8LN6cLXkc3QFyYQJq2ijCwDRIvcrtkKC4

 

 

 

 

The differece between dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, epliepsy, anxiety, depression and how should we support them

 Before we can support disabilities and mental illnesses we need to learn about the strengths and weaknesses people face who disabilities and mental illnesses. I only know the difficulties I face from my disabilities and mental illnesses.

It is believed that ADHD Attention Hyperactivity Disorder and Anxiety have a link, which is most common to be linked to Autism too.  For example; finding it hard to focus, acting without thinking, finding it hard to sit still.  

I see Dyslexia as an educational learning difficulty, most people see Dyslexia as someone who cannot read-write, or and spell, which is only partly the truth. Where a person can read, and hear what people say but struggle to remember, as for writing and spelling, even reading that can vary where something where mostly the person who could write or and read something the wrong way round or and something missing, etc. Such as letters, words, numbers, etc.  For example, bs, ds, ds, ps, qs, 26, and 62 could get mixed up, and words missing out from sentences. We can have stages of having ideas about what to write to going blank probably as much as most, regardless of,  whether our ideas are good or bad, etc. On the positive side, people with dyslexia can be creative in different people in different ways. https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/what-is-dyslexia/

Dyspraxia is mostly a physical motor skill learning difficulty, which can be linked to Asperous Syndrome, anxiety, depression, and ADHD. There also can be education difficulties too if not the same but similar. https://sararevealed.blogspot.com/2012/ https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/what-is-dyspraxia/ The strength in dyspraxia is mostly being creative but different people in different ways. http://www.dyspraxicfantastic.com/the-positives/

The difficulties people with dyspraxia face are mostly physical skills climbing, jumping, catching a ball, riding a bike, driving, cooking, cleaning, and many more. How can life be made easy for those with physical difficulties without depending on others?  grippier such as disabled aids to help open tops, lids off bottles, jars, personal disabled aids, etc, which could be ordered off many websites such as Amazon, bought from many disabled shops, which may be spent by disability money, funding of services or both. https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/occupational-therapy

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=dyspraxia+aids&crid=3I9K4DUNDDRKH&qid=1658928272&sprefix=dyspr%2Caps%2C240&ref=sr_pg_1

https://www.lighthouse-therapy.com/occupational-therapy/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxIOXBhCrARIsAL1QFCZfUQn7FpKGtvfmKDDV_qINd6ossnapD7GkDU7xHf3T6m1VQFTwnb0aAgF_EALw_wcB

 

 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/developmental-coordination-disorder-dyspraxia-in-adults/ https://www.understood.org/en/articles/dyslexia-depression?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=dyslexia+depression&utm_campaign=EN_CG_PD_DyslexiaDepression&gclid=https://www.qlmentoring.com/about-dyspraxia-1Cj0KCQjwof6WBhD4ARIsAOi65ajwgVpJt5P0zmdmXgthjlAVOunr1SEg2CwzTKQOHiNnPmzkqy 

https://www.hcbgroup.com/types-of-special-educational-needs.html

Home, education and work support disabilities and mental illness

 A session for the Occupaient Theppiest students, Wednesday 3rd August 2022. 

" How would you support people with disabilities and mental illness?"

My name is Sara Jane Gorman I am a visiting lecturer in learning disability and mental health awareness for the Success group at the University Wolverhampton. My disabilities and mental health problems are Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Autism, Epilepsy, Anxiety, and Depression.https://sararevealed.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-difference-between-having.html

Firstly pretty must most disabilities are linked to mental illness. I cannot speak for all disabilities and mental illnesses I can only speak for the disabilities and mental illnesses I face. It is important to except anything from anyone as each person you come across is likely to have different strengths and weaknesses. I know me, that with having Autism my Anxiety levels can be high, which can be easily misunderstood by others around me, not just by people at work and in education but people socially and at home as well. 

As an Occupation Therapist, you will come across a lot of people who people with disabilities and mental illnesses are in contact with such as teachers, tutors, managers, staff of people they work with, families, parents, carers, and support workers, health professionals, etc, which who you will come into contact with as well. 

People with disabilities, mental illnesses, and other problems do not enjoy asking for help from others, even though everyone needs help sometimes because having disabilities, mental illnesses, or other problems affects their lives more so than different people in different ways. We can feel as if we are hard work to the world, cost too, much money, are a burden to others, guilty, etc even to a point we feel life is not worth living. Even though we know that is not our fault and beyond our control, we can't help that we have no choice, which is depression but at the same time, a lot of us have had good and bad experiences in our lives when it comes to supporting. However, the positive thing is having the right tools and aids to help us live as independently as possible, but naturally, it is not possible to have the tools, etc with everything we need help with, which is mostly due to funding and disability benefits only pay for so much. 

  

History of mental illness, health, and disability.

Having disabilities and mental illness is always hard, living is hard for everyone no matter what time period it is. That does not mean that life is all negative, all black and white, etc. Only as time goes on some areas of life may improve, even get worse others don’t and the reasons are so unknown to be completely honest.

When facing disabilities,  mental illnesses, and other problems it can make it harder to be understood by others even though every human being has their faults and crosses to bear. Others may have seen people for those they are not, while others may have thought the person was thick, stupid, etc because they did not of understood some or and may have been slow to pick up on something, etc or not at all. Most people may not have understood why someone may have been slow etc, may not have been patient with them, may have got cross with them thinking they may have been rude, naughty, nasty, etc. This would have made the person feel, useless, hopeless as if life is not worth living, etc. The other person may have felt the same because most back then people did not understand them and were not trained to see the positive in them, which I hope we have come along since then and I think we have always got a long way to go.

You may wonder why I am writing about this and of course, I do see the positive, but I think it is important to learn about the past to be grateful the future even though the future matters.

No more different from anyone in the 19^th century, life was hard for people with disabilities, mental illnesses, and other problems, mainly in industrial areas. Those who lived in poverty such as windowed, alcoholic, physical or mental disabilities,  those who weren’t in the care of parents, etc, were put in almshouses, poorhouses, warehouses etc. There could be many reasons behind this for example sadly back then the most common ones were parents having died mainly because not many illnesses such as TB etc weren’t cured as they are today so many people died young.

It is hard to think about what everyone was going through back in the 19^th century let alone the most vulnerable.

Such writers as Charlies Dickens wrote about what people, in general, were facing in those times, which is good to raise awareness, but it was not good for what they faced I am not aware of anyone writing about what life was like for those with disabilities, mental illness other problems not much if any at all.

Those of us who face disabilities, mental illness, and other problems know what it feels like to feel and even be misunderstood where may have some idea how those people may be living even though we live in a different time periods to what they did.

I would guess in those time that people with disabilities, mental illness and other problems have in those time been over protected or some if not most neglected. Therefore, their wants, needs and rights may not have been taken into consideration at all or as much because of very little or support, which makes me think not a lot has even changed today.

 

Back in the past, those who faced illness were treated bad. https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/witchcraft-or-mental-illness

 

Back in the 19^th century and beforehand the word disability and mental illness was not said, it was called words like handicap, cripple, insane, out of one’s mind, off one’s rocker, loopy, etc.

In the 19^th century, they tried to treat mental health and disability electric shock and locked them down from society. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/history-inhumane-mental-health-treatments/

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170215-the-strange-victorian-fashion-of-self-electrification

Some asylums were poorly cared for in institutions with a lack of compassion.  They were treated in abbeys, which were types of churches and hospitals, where they were made to say prays and other regions things. Most people faced mania, dementia, melancholy, relapsing, hysteria, epilepsy, idiocy, luere,  normally, misunderstood, and seen as drunk in the eyes and mind of society. It is believed that in Middle Ages that mental health was used in region us ways in America due to sigma towards those who face mental illness. There were negative attitudes in the 19^th century, in some cases due to misunderstanding, lack of communication, and education.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The difference between having disabilities and mental health problems.

 

“ What is the difference between having disabilities and Mental health problems?”

Mental health affects us emotionally whereas learning disabilities affect everyday skills such as home, personal, learning skills, etc.

People can face disabilities physically, mentally even in both ways, the case may be.

Sorry to confuse things most people even face learning difficulties.

https://www.mencap.org.uk/?gclid=CL3C3M6o-qsCFcRO4QodcRHSlQ

https://www.newtimes.co.rw/lifestyle/understanding-difference-between-mental-illness-and-mental-disability

Can you face one without the other?

As a person with facing disabilities and mental health problems myself, I would say it is not possible to face one without the other but that does not mean to say I am right, as there are all sorts of causes of Mental illness such as bullying, abuse, neglect, loneliness, racism, money problems; relationship, marriage, friendship beak – ups, stress, home, housing problems and more, many of us face.

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/

 https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/mental-health-problems-introduction/causes/

Is it easy to get confused with disabilities and mental health problems, if so, why?

Disability and Mental health problems should not confuse easily because they affect lives but in different ways, mentally, emotionally, and physically or even all of those, which can vary from person to person. https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/mental-health-mental-illness

  https://www.helpguide.org/articles/autism-learning-disabilities/learning-disabilities-and-disorders.htm

It is likely that due to disability most people are likely to face poor mental health problems due to most peoples’ point of view when they hear about people with disabilities struggling in life but that is not all reasons why most people with disabilities face mental health problems. https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/research-and-statistics/health/mental-health

 

 Most people struggle to realize, that people with disabilities face positives in our lives as well as negatives, we have strengths as well as weaknesses. We all need the right support but some of us need more support than others. More awareness is needed on positives in disabilities and mental health problems. Otherwise, most people with disabilities are likely to think negatively of ourselves even more so. Examples of strengths arts, talents hobbies, interests, careers, etc. https://hive.evenbreak.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwheyUBhD-ARIsAHJNM-NLW68oB82ipdQZHiiBMbCH2BuHLXtTlEPXxANoyM7CG-WmAVJKOxQaAt0bEALw_wcB

 

 

Awareness of disability, mental health and talent

 Do you share this experience of the same or and different or do you know anyone who does?

The purpose of this report is to raise awareness by letting you know that people with disabilities and mental health have minds, thoughts, ideas, etc just as much as everyone else does, most if not all of us may struggle to express what we are thinking in the way others may understand. This mostly means the right support needs to be around for those who may need it and who may want it.

For example, most of you may can see my blog, etc, since I was 23, now I am 52 nearly 53, that is for 30 years nearly I have been wanting to be a writer. Having ideas etc is one thing but spelling, grammar, etc is another. Now don't think just because whether people comment or not, puts me off writing this blog, it does not despite of the difficulties I face. Not just with this blog, I have a word processor too on pc, etc but with the right support, I feel I will get by. I face Dyslexia and Dyspraxia, which can affect my spelling, grammar, etc but not necessarily my thinking it just may not be understood on paper, etc. This makes me wonder if I am going to get published or not, I guess many others who face similar wonders themselves, which raises concerns to wonder whether or not we are going to see our work shown to the world or are we going to be discovered when we are no longer on this earth? 

However' find poetry is a bit easier for me to write than short stories etc. Now I guess most people may be thinking, which you will be right but also when having disabilities, mental health, etc for most of us, certain support we need like, easy reading, accessible information, etc, we cannot always access. Yes, you would be right to say you need to read and write every day to be a writer, which I try my best to, such as watching things on tv, online, etc but not everything is accessible. 

If anyone faces similar issues or and knows anyone that does, please feel free to give me a comment on this website. What I face is an example but someone else may face things in a similar way such areas say, drawing, painting, etc.  We must remember that it is probably not just people who with disabilities, and mental health who may face situations like this but other people too. 

Up to date Cinderella.

 

Up to date Cinderella.

Up to date, Cinderella lived in a flat on Merry Hill, Warstones Wolverhampton, it was no castle. Up to date Cinderella always seemed to be in rags, she never seemed to have a fella. Her mother always seemed to nag about doing the housework. That's all she did, she never seemed to have a life of her own. She never seemed to have any other clothes.

The up-to-date Fairy God Mother bought up to date Cinderella some very nice clothes, short tops, miniskirts,  black dresses, black tights, and a fur coat. It was a cold night so up to date, Cinderella wore a black dress, tights, and not forgetting black shoes.

" Where am I going up to date Fairy God Mother?"

"Are you going to the Coach and Horses on the Cannock road?"

" That's a bit common but it's better than nowhere at all."

" Like hell, it is updated Cinderella, you will be traveling on the Travel West Midlands bus."

" Oh well, that's nether polish or common?"

" Who will I be meeting by the way?"

" You will be able to get to know a group of people."

Up to date, Cinderella caught the 6.00pm to the rough bus in Wolverhampton, then she was off on the 6.30pm bus to the Cannock road. The up-to-date Fairly God Mother introduced up to date Cinderella to a lot of people but she saw Prince Spanish Anthonia was giving her the eye, she took no notice until he kissed her at 11.40pm and took her to the bus stop. She started to feel very merry at the end of the night.

Up to Date, Cindrella's Mother went mad when she saw the drunk state, she was in.

The next morning up to date Cinderella went to town to do some shopping for her Mother. She saw the handsome man waving at her as he kindly bought her back her fur coat, she left in the pub the night before because she rushed off for the last bus. He asked her out for a drink, and he asked her for her mobile number as well.

It turned out they were together fifteen years on and off.

 

 It was thought that Romano, wasn’t sure whether he loved Cinderella or not when really, he didn’t know who he wanted, he was on in love with another priciness as well as her, least Priciness Liz thought he loved her too but who knows?

 
Cinderella, wrote Romano a letter, which she regrated, he was not paying her any attention at all, it was no use, he was using her but her feelings towards him were far too strong to let go at that time, it was just a waste of time, and she knew it.

 

Things got worse but not better, he became her history fella.

There was no use her knocking on his door he loved no more, the truth is I think he never did but she kept on knocking far too long,

She feared he didn’t love her anymore until she didn’t care anymore.

As the years went on, Priciness Liz or whoever else was more than welcome to Prince Romano, to a point Cinderella had made up Romano’s mind, which he could never do himself. She was sick of his silly mind games.

“ Your stubbed, you cannot make up your mind, stop playing games with my mind.”

“ I’m not sure whether I love Liz or you, the problem is I love both and I cannot have you both.”

“ Well have made your mind for you, go with Liz!”

“ Are you sure?”

“ Well,  I have no choice, Romano, I’d be waiting forever otherwise.”

As time went on there was no anxiety Cinderella on her mind about whether Romano was going to choose Liz or her

 

 

She loved him, lost him but in the end, he lost her, now she misses him no more, she’s glad he’s gone, anyone is welcome to Romano as far Cinderella is concerned.

She does not understand now why her love used to be blind toward him, why she wanted to be his bride, she must have been out of her mind with madness.