After we had done our NHS play on our experiences of NHS care, we are now planning two plays. 'OUR EXPERIENCES ON BEING VICTIMS OF CRIME AND BULLYING; 'OUR EXPERIENCES IN DISCRIMINATION WITH TRYING TO GET EMPLOYMENT'. Like the NHS play, we will be telling you our negatives stories in the play but hopeful bring them into positives. When the play is finished, us as a group Our Shout will be letting you all know the positives we want to make things better for us to be equal with you in this society, not only to improve the lives of people with disabilities but how non - disabled people are towards people with disabilities. Our Shout are hoping to perform our NHS play again in front of the student nurses at Walsall University, GPs and children at mainstream and special schools.
Hi everyone, I hope you will be glad to know that the Employment play was very successful. If any of you turned up, I hope you enjoyed it. I understand if all, some or even none of you couldn't make it. Those of you who may have not read about me telling you about the play, it was at the Lighthouse in Wolverhampton on Friday 20th June 2008, I wrote it myself. The time of the show was on at 10.00am - 3.00pm. We didn't do drama all day, other people who work with disabilities as well us Our Shout did some speeches and other things too to try and raise more awareness to help and encourage people to accept people with disabilities to be in employment. We were very disappointed that not many employers turned up and many people who work in disability employments services. We will have work harder to see that people with disabilities get equal rights to non - disabled workers and employers. If you or if you know someone who can be any support to us on the subject of employing people with disabilities, please contact Mencap or me. sarajgorman@googlemail.com you could even email me about subject on my email address on Face book sarajgorman@gmail.com http://www.mencap.org.uk/
The purpose of this play is to tell you the positives and negatives experiences that people with disabilities have to face with employment and the support we want to have positive futures for ourselves and others like us. I will be asking Our Shout if it will be alright for me to put on their stories on my website besides my own, as soon as I can get all the group together. Nine times out of ten we all seem to be doing difference jobs at times. Hopefully you should find out soon on this website whether I can put Our Shout's stories on this website or not. I hope to get someone to support me to put the DVD of the Employment play and my interview about the play.
The good news was that the people who saw the play were very impressed with us. We would like to find out how many work placements and employers accept people with disabilities and how many don't in Wolverhampton. What is the future going to do bring? How many non - disabled people do we need to educate to accept us to be equal to all human beings? Please email me or and get in touch with Mencap if you know the answers to those questions! Thank you.
Our Shout are hoping to do our own website as soon as when we get time to do so, we will try our best because we have so many other things to do. Please do accept the things that either take ages to do or some things we don't get around to doing at all. We will be doing the Employment play over B'ham on Tuesday 8th July 2008, I can't remember where they said but I will keep you posted on the response we get.
We are hoping to write a comedy play for us to do on the radio, if that's going to happen I will let you know what station. Like I said please be re with us, as we do so much work or many cases so much work we want to do. I will let you know about as soon as we find out myself,, we have only just started taking about it. We have so much research things to do first, if all works with fitting it in with the other things we. Well I say Our shout but there's also another group joins in with the drama called the Discovers or the Discovering group, I can't remember play which. I think two people in that group took part in the Employment play.
We have Drama classes every Tuesday 7pm - 9pm at the Wolverhampton Art Centre so if anyone with a disability wants to join us, your welcome. The only thing is that the Discovering is full, you have to put your name on a waiting list for that or may be you could join Our Shout if you want. I'm trying to get on the Discovers as but as I said we're full up at the moment, we'll be lucky get a place. I still go their to get a taste of drama though with Our Shout.
If your interested please ring Anne Humphrey - Jones 01902 - 824301 to see if we have a place for you or not.
We had told our directer Ricky that we want to do a Horror play, which isn't based around disabilities issues for a change. We have done plenty of research on ghosts, haunted places and etc. It will be at the Wolverhampton Art Centre. We are are very sorry we didn't let you know in plenty of time, tickets are sold out but If I can get someone to put the DVD of the play on this website after we have performed, I will do.
Tuesday 8th July 2008, Our Shout did their employment play in B'ham a place called Black Country District in Solihull. Our play kicked very successfully anyway. People enjoyed it and told us that we gave good reasons behind the play. They agreed that society needs to do more about employment for people with disabilities. I think there were some employers who employ people with disabilities, there was a guy who runs a scheme called Links For Work.
Tuesday, 8 April 2008
Saturday, 22 March 2008
WHAT HAVE I DONE TO HELP OUR SHOUT?
The first thing I have done helped Our Shout is, I have taken part in a play with the other members of the Our Shout group, called 'Bad Experiences That People With Disabilities Have Faced With The NHS.' We enjoyed raising awareness of what people with disabilities go through, which is mostly neglect. I have read out Our Shout's stories and someone from Our Shout has read mine. It's hard to explain our stories but these things shouldn't have happen so we want to work hard to create a future so people disabilities will be taken care of. What made Our Shout do this play is, I was reading the news on Mencap website, there was a report called Death Indifference. Six people with disabilities had been neglected by the NHS. For eg this young woman named Emma, she was only twenty - six, she had cancer. When they tried to save her, she wasn't responding to the treatment so the doctor didn't carry on trying. Her families' views were, that they let her die unnecessary. At the time I had only just started with Mencap Our Shout, I rang up Lucy our group leader of Our Shout to tell her that I had a looked at the Mencap website and told her about the very upsetting report I had seen. Lucy said
" Thanks, I like the way you inform me, Sara,"
If you want to find out more about the Death Indifference report. WWW.mencap.co.uk/media files/death-by-indifference.mp3. You will get two women who work for Mencap telling the stories about the people with disabilities. Emma's story is the first story. We will understand people don't want to read these sad stories but it just shows that thing need to get better. We need to treat people with disabilities like human beings instead of just like nobody because they all somebody just we are all are. If the website address is wrong or slightly, just type Death by Indifference in the search engine.
From then on it gave us the idea to do the play, tell people about our experiences we've had from the NHS and raise awareness. We have Performed our play at Pond lane Clinic Park fields, The Partnership Board Meeting at the Civic Centre and New Cross hospital in Wolverhampton.
Several Health care staff watched our play, they found us very successful. We told the Health staff, how we and want to be treated by Health staff in the future. Debra Edwards who holds the hospital meetings had told us, we had been through a lot but not as much as the six people who died under the NHS care. She also told us that they will work very hard to improve things but it will be a very slow improvement. I told her, we agreed but our reasons for performing this play is to raise awareness in hopes that people with disabilities don't die unnecessary in the future, she agreed.
We are now going to perform the NHS play at The University of Walsall to educate the Student nurses.
On Thursday the 18th September 2008, we had been to the University of Walsall to educate the student nurses with our play. They were very successful, we have been ask to perform in front of GPs and people who sell medicine behind counter in the Chemical. We will also be performing our play Wolverhampton University in December this year.
I might ask Mencap if I can do a talk about the effects of my old medicine so other people don't have to go through with what I did. It affected me getting out and about without support, my educate, I was unaware if car, person or animal was about to bum into me and many other things too.
On Friday 17th October 2008, we had a meeting at The Bingly Centre, the Health and Welbeing group about people with disabilities having dental care. One things I spoke about at the meeting was most tablets people take can make people's gums soft, I think is very hard thing to look into.
I know funding from the government can be a big problem but they tend to spend the money on the least important things, health is important. For eg I guess Health staff are getting paid less wages, they are short of staff and people's health are neglected.
I know funding from the government can be a big problem but they tend to spend the money on the least important things, health is important. For eg I guess Health staff are getting paid less wages, they are short of staff and people's health are neglected.
WHAT HAVE MENCAP OUR SHOUT DONE FOR ME?
Our Shout has made me realise without them themselves realising, that I'm not a lone in the world with having a learning disability. Our Shout has also helped me come to terms with my Nan's death in June 2007. I'm so thankful for that. I had joined because I wanted help others like myself. I know my Nan wouldn't have wanted me just looking at the four walls at home alone.
My Nan would have been pleased that I'm working with Our Shout.
Our Shout is supporting me with my writing career, thank you Our Shout.
Long before I joined Our Shout, I started writing my Autobiography in 1993, it's called Introducing Myself. I was twenty -three to twenty - four years old. I've written a lot towards my Autobiography on and off over the years. I'm still not sure whether my work is good enough for the public to read. Now That I'm helping out with Our Shout, may be I will be able to make my work more interesting by telling my readers about not only my learning disability but my experience of working with and supporting others like me. On the other hand I don't like saying anything without their say so.
My Nan would have been pleased that I'm working with Our Shout.
Our Shout is supporting me with my writing career, thank you Our Shout.
Long before I joined Our Shout, I started writing my Autobiography in 1993, it's called Introducing Myself. I was twenty -three to twenty - four years old. I've written a lot towards my Autobiography on and off over the years. I'm still not sure whether my work is good enough for the public to read. Now That I'm helping out with Our Shout, may be I will be able to make my work more interesting by telling my readers about not only my learning disability but my experience of working with and supporting others like me. On the other hand I don't like saying anything without their say so.
OUR SHOUT, THE STORY OF MY LIFE.
Our Shout is a small self - Advocacy disability group funded and supported by Mencap in Wolverhampton. There are about seven of us with learning disabilities,who speak up for others like and besides ourselves, we do this off our own backs. We get involved in meetings for all difference things, we do Drama play and we don't give up until our voice is heard. We understand we can't win all the time but we do our best to improve the lives of others with disabilities in the best ways as possible. There are two more groups that I know of who are funded and supported by Mencap, Circle Of Friends that help to give people with disabilities social lives and One Voice who help people with housing, I think even independent living in the home and even shopping. Our Shout are hoping to be supported soon by Mencap to have our own Travel Buddy schemes as transport and independent travelling can be hard for people with disabilities. The Travel Buddy schemes should start to kick off January - April 2009, it will be a Social Enter Prise. If you have a disability or have contact with a person or people with disabilites who may need support in anyway, you are very welcome to contact us or if you want to support us in anyway. We can support you to support us, we are based at the Science park in Wolverhampton. Anne 01902-2824301 or Lucy 01902-2824362
May be you may you want to join us as a member of Our Shout, may be work as a volunteer or paid from Mencap. In case I'm wrong or slightly you are best to ask Mencap themselves how it works. You will have find out if they have any room to take on, vacancies in other words sorry.
We'd be very grateful for your help, if you want to and or can join us. I think you are accepted whether you have a disability or not but if you have a disability you could help and be apart of Our Shout if you want. Like I say you will have to find out from Mencap themselves to be sure. I'll be truly I can't sure that I'm right on everything that's why. It's possible, you chose to work with any or and as many issues you want. Only Mencap know the answer to that.
I have had a disability all my life, which is the same age as me nearly thirty - nine years old. My disability was born with me in the same place, at the same time. My disability has stopped with me all my life and it will go on the rest of my life. I like many others have seen so many changes for the better and worse, Some things we have improved to what they were, others aren't good enough yet and others we haven't even started to improve yet. We still have a long way to go and we always will do.
It's our job to see that non - disabled people who support people with disabilities in all services do their job to how people with disabilities want and need them to.
It's good that all things aren't good other wise it would be a boring perfect world. we wouldn't have any jobs to do.
May be you may you want to join us as a member of Our Shout, may be work as a volunteer or paid from Mencap. In case I'm wrong or slightly you are best to ask Mencap themselves how it works. You will have find out if they have any room to take on, vacancies in other words sorry.
We'd be very grateful for your help, if you want to and or can join us. I think you are accepted whether you have a disability or not but if you have a disability you could help and be apart of Our Shout if you want. Like I say you will have to find out from Mencap themselves to be sure. I'll be truly I can't sure that I'm right on everything that's why. It's possible, you chose to work with any or and as many issues you want. Only Mencap know the answer to that.
I have had a disability all my life, which is the same age as me nearly thirty - nine years old. My disability was born with me in the same place, at the same time. My disability has stopped with me all my life and it will go on the rest of my life. I like many others have seen so many changes for the better and worse, Some things we have improved to what they were, others aren't good enough yet and others we haven't even started to improve yet. We still have a long way to go and we always will do.
It's our job to see that non - disabled people who support people with disabilities in all services do their job to how people with disabilities want and need them to.
It's good that all things aren't good other wise it would be a boring perfect world. we wouldn't have any jobs to do.
HAVING A LEARNING DISABILITY.
This world is confusing and unexplained.
I used to think a lot of negative, now I'm learning to think positive.
Most people look at people with learning disabilities in a strange way
If you look disabled, some people discriminate you more.
If you don't look disabled, they will not be able to understand why you don't understand they, I don't realise that you have communicate needs but they have too if they don't understand you.
Lack of communicate can be a cause why friendships and relationships are so hard to have or even keep.
Their needs to be a lot of education from people with learning disabilities to main stream people understand them or including myself us.
A learning disability could have happened to you.
We're human too, are you?
I used to think a lot of negative, now I'm learning to think positive.
Most people look at people with learning disabilities in a strange way
If you look disabled, some people discriminate you more.
If you don't look disabled, they will not be able to understand why you don't understand they, I don't realise that you have communicate needs but they have too if they don't understand you.
Lack of communicate can be a cause why friendships and relationships are so hard to have or even keep.
Their needs to be a lot of education from people with learning disabilities to main stream people understand them or including myself us.
A learning disability could have happened to you.
We're human too, are you?
Many of us have wondered why we are here if life is like this.
Why do you make us feel like the odd ones out when we have one another who understand each other?
Why do you make us feel like the odd ones out when we have one another who understand each other?
What does it feel like to have a learning disability?
I used to bang my head against a brick wall but not anymore.
Now I put my head up high up to the sky.
I still feel angry, weak and useless to society but as I achieve more skills it gets less each and every day.
There comes a point you get fed up of being in your own world, you want to help others like yourself.
Now I feel strong enough to help others like me.
I hope you receive more support than what I did, I hope life isn't too hard for you.
Tuesday, 8 January 2008
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT MY PAST EXPERINCE.
In the past I have had a poem published in each of about eleven books. Lost Love 1998, I Love You, Do you Love Me? 1998, The Homeless Youngest's Mind 1999, Crying Out For Love, 2000, I Love My Man And He Loves me 2000, There Are So Many Lonely People 1998, This Is A Real World Not A Dream World 1999, Good Friendship 2000, Guilty And Hiding Away From The Truth 2000, My Longest True Love 1999 and My Life Without You 2002.
I did work experience at Compton Hospice Charity shop near where I live in Wolverhampton. I wrote a small report in their newsletter. The report was called WRITE IDEA FOR SARA, which I wrote October 1995 when I was 26 years of age.
In the mid 1990s I wrote a Newsletters for a disability social club called ' The Happy Society, which I enjoyed.' The Happy Society didn't turn out as happy as it sounds. I don't know if it's still going but the guy who ran it charged us too much money, so at least I left I don't know about the rest.
I have also passed four exams in Creative writing, Creative communication Level one, Away with Words Entry Level 3, Level one and Level 2.
I did work experience at Compton Hospice Charity shop near where I live in Wolverhampton. I wrote a small report in their newsletter. The report was called WRITE IDEA FOR SARA, which I wrote October 1995 when I was 26 years of age.
In the mid 1990s I wrote a Newsletters for a disability social club called ' The Happy Society, which I enjoyed.' The Happy Society didn't turn out as happy as it sounds. I don't know if it's still going but the guy who ran it charged us too much money, so at least I left I don't know about the rest.
I have also passed four exams in Creative writing, Creative communication Level one, Away with Words Entry Level 3, Level one and Level 2.
MY DYSLEXIC, READING AND WRITING.
I would like to study animals and humans beings worse off than myself, which I hope will give me ideas for stories in the future. My aims are to raise money and awareness for children and animals whose need are worse off than what I am.
A lot of people have said to me, how can I be a writer if I'm dyslexic? Being a dyslexic doesn't mean, you don't thoughts in your mind. Ok we may well have a memory problem but we don't forget everything. For eg: we remember some parts of our childhood at least I do anyway. We also know what we would like for the future whether get or not, such as dreams, aims and etc. I know I want to be a writer and improve the the live of peopl with disabilities. I know also that I want a partner in my life.
Some people say that dyslexic is if you can't read and write, others say that you just have a few problems along the way. For: eg seeing things the wrong way, forgetting that you have already written something down. As for spelling words you may know that those letters are in these words but may be written down. With essay you may find it hard to write things down in a short way, that's my big problem, I think I have almost ended up writing a novel. Don't laugh, I know I want to be a writer but let's just say writing a novel when I don't want to. This is why I need someone to check my work. It can be a memory problem. Some mistakes I notice others I don't this is why, I have to get someone to check my work through. If you know what dyslexic really is. Please send me an email on sarajgorman@googlemail.com or sarajgorman@gmail.com . If I don't have dyslexic why can't make my work easy to understand? Maybe this could help others as well as me if anyone knows the true answer. My Auntie thinks I'm not dyslexic but when I was at college they assessed me on the computer, it classed me as dyslexic. I have been assessed at two colleges, one says I have been that I what you call borderline dyslexia.
When I write I can miss words out of sentences. I can problems with sound, sometimes words aren't what they sounds. Like said in some words I know what letters are in there but there not always written in the right order. It's hit or miss whether I notice these mistakes or someone else. I couldn't take my GCSE English because I would need a dictionary but I got through my mocks. I can proof read my work but I can't always see everything that needs to be put right. They say Dyslexia is word blindness so may be I am.
Because I have dyslexia I can only read so much at a time, I have also found by reading the shortest of information can still help me with the ideas of a story, one idea just gives me a little kick start, which then I end up writing a story. I keep promising myself that I'd read fifteen to twenty minutes a day but I don't seem to have the time. When I read it's hard because I can only read for so long and everything seems to be hazy, it depends on the size of the print. Really small black print on white paper, I find it hard to read for long. Yet my reading has always been very good but I always used to have a big problem taking in information, I still have problems with that now a bit but not as much. Sometimes I have problems reading some word. It can be strange, they can be long or words, mainly if they are new to me. When someone talks, knocks the door or whatever when I'm read although I used book maker, I forget whether I was on page one or two for eg. I am still trying to learn what coloured paper and writing is more easier for me to read.
At Our Shout we do do easy words, pictures, easy read, clear texts, etc and no jargon. We have a meeting about it once a month to talk about difference ways of writing information more clear for people. It's very hard to make it easy for everyone because every one's needs are difference. We all have difference communication problems. Some people can't read and write so we do pictures on the computer, take photographs. You can only do pictures out of nouns, people, places and objects. For eg you can't do a picture of could because could isn't an object, person or place. of the so we have to support people with that. For eg; a cat sat on a mat.
When I learned to write as a child my rs used to be an o with two sticks and ks used to be one stick used to be at the top of the stick and the other stick used to be at the bottom, if you understand what I mean. Sometimes I get numbers the wrong way round for eg 23 could be 32. I used to get confused with left and right but not as much had now. I can't cope with big map, directions have to be written step by step with bullet point numbers what to do first, second, and so on, 123 or abc.
As a child I used to get confused with bs and ds but not as much now. I also used to get confused with ps and qs. Most of the time I find it proof reading hard as you may guess with me writing my website, I spend a lot of editing which every writer does but even more so when someone has dyslexia. They used to say dyslexia is a word blindness, I know we don't like it said way but It could take me ever to make sure everything is proof read in a text. Still used the word dyslexia, it not only a because it's shorter to say than word blindness. Every now and then I will ask my Mum to proof read my website. I had get someone at work to proof my work when I wrote the Employment play.
When I was in school, no one really knew about dyslexia, I used to get told off for my dyslexia errors I have told you about.
If you have dyslexia or you know anyone that does, you are welcome to send me an email if you want on sarajgorman@googlemail.com or sarajgorman@gmail.com If you would like any dyslexic websites or anything like that would or could help you, I would be more than happy to help. I would also be interested if you have your story about experience of dyslexia, if you would like to tell me. May be I can find out if Mencap know anything about dyslexia support websites or anything if you want.
A lot of people have said to me, how can I be a writer if I'm dyslexic? Being a dyslexic doesn't mean, you don't thoughts in your mind. Ok we may well have a memory problem but we don't forget everything. For eg: we remember some parts of our childhood at least I do anyway. We also know what we would like for the future whether get or not, such as dreams, aims and etc. I know I want to be a writer and improve the the live of peopl with disabilities. I know also that I want a partner in my life.
Some people say that dyslexic is if you can't read and write, others say that you just have a few problems along the way. For: eg seeing things the wrong way, forgetting that you have already written something down. As for spelling words you may know that those letters are in these words but may be written down. With essay you may find it hard to write things down in a short way, that's my big problem, I think I have almost ended up writing a novel. Don't laugh, I know I want to be a writer but let's just say writing a novel when I don't want to. This is why I need someone to check my work. It can be a memory problem. Some mistakes I notice others I don't this is why, I have to get someone to check my work through. If you know what dyslexic really is. Please send me an email on sarajgorman@googlemail.com or sarajgorman@gmail.com . If I don't have dyslexic why can't make my work easy to understand? Maybe this could help others as well as me if anyone knows the true answer. My Auntie thinks I'm not dyslexic but when I was at college they assessed me on the computer, it classed me as dyslexic. I have been assessed at two colleges, one says I have been that I what you call borderline dyslexia.
When I write I can miss words out of sentences. I can problems with sound, sometimes words aren't what they sounds. Like said in some words I know what letters are in there but there not always written in the right order. It's hit or miss whether I notice these mistakes or someone else. I couldn't take my GCSE English because I would need a dictionary but I got through my mocks. I can proof read my work but I can't always see everything that needs to be put right. They say Dyslexia is word blindness so may be I am.
Because I have dyslexia I can only read so much at a time, I have also found by reading the shortest of information can still help me with the ideas of a story, one idea just gives me a little kick start, which then I end up writing a story. I keep promising myself that I'd read fifteen to twenty minutes a day but I don't seem to have the time. When I read it's hard because I can only read for so long and everything seems to be hazy, it depends on the size of the print. Really small black print on white paper, I find it hard to read for long. Yet my reading has always been very good but I always used to have a big problem taking in information, I still have problems with that now a bit but not as much. Sometimes I have problems reading some word. It can be strange, they can be long or words, mainly if they are new to me. When someone talks, knocks the door or whatever when I'm read although I used book maker, I forget whether I was on page one or two for eg. I am still trying to learn what coloured paper and writing is more easier for me to read.
At Our Shout we do do easy words, pictures, easy read, clear texts, etc and no jargon. We have a meeting about it once a month to talk about difference ways of writing information more clear for people. It's very hard to make it easy for everyone because every one's needs are difference. We all have difference communication problems. Some people can't read and write so we do pictures on the computer, take photographs. You can only do pictures out of nouns, people, places and objects. For eg you can't do a picture of could because could isn't an object, person or place. of the so we have to support people with that. For eg; a cat sat on a mat.
When I learned to write as a child my rs used to be an o with two sticks and ks used to be one stick used to be at the top of the stick and the other stick used to be at the bottom, if you understand what I mean. Sometimes I get numbers the wrong way round for eg 23 could be 32. I used to get confused with left and right but not as much had now. I can't cope with big map, directions have to be written step by step with bullet point numbers what to do first, second, and so on, 123 or abc.
As a child I used to get confused with bs and ds but not as much now. I also used to get confused with ps and qs. Most of the time I find it proof reading hard as you may guess with me writing my website, I spend a lot of editing which every writer does but even more so when someone has dyslexia. They used to say dyslexia is a word blindness, I know we don't like it said way but It could take me ever to make sure everything is proof read in a text. Still used the word dyslexia, it not only a because it's shorter to say than word blindness. Every now and then I will ask my Mum to proof read my website. I had get someone at work to proof my work when I wrote the Employment play.
When I was in school, no one really knew about dyslexia, I used to get told off for my dyslexia errors I have told you about.
If you have dyslexia or you know anyone that does, you are welcome to send me an email if you want on sarajgorman@googlemail.com or sarajgorman@gmail.com If you would like any dyslexic websites or anything like that would or could help you, I would be more than happy to help. I would also be interested if you have your story about experience of dyslexia, if you would like to tell me. May be I can find out if Mencap know anything about dyslexia support websites or anything if you want.
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