It is hard to have the right idea for a writing idea.

 

 

I'd like to think things have come a long way in my career since the mid-90s but I will be honest to say I can't say that I have hit all my goals to be what I have always wanted to be from when I was young. Still, I am grateful for what I have achieved over the years. All this boils down to getting the right support which I have some areas not all.

I'm now 52 nearly  53 in October. I have to say like everyone I am not getting younger and no one is. Despite that, if I don't achieve everything wanted to, as long as I am on this planet, even if it earns me very little or no money, fame or no fame, etc, I may not be physically fit but I am not someone who does nothing at all. Even at home, I have at least got a project on the go even if it's off my own bat.

Like it has for everyone covid has been tough but I guess we have learned some things in ways we may not have if Covid and lockdown hadn't happened. For eg; I wouldn't have experienced working volunteer from home. I have achieved two Qualifications Counseling and Mental health awareness level 1 back to working for the Beacon center but from home and this is a very different role to what it was back in the mid to late 90s, that was basic Admin at that time this is for Beacon Befriending service, phoning people up who are facing emotional problems, lacking friendships, etc. Hopefully after facing my own issues and having had a break - down I can do my best to help others face if not the same but similar to what I did.

In case you cannot see what the report above is about, what it was at the time I was doing work experience at the Compton hospice shop, making staff drinks, and tidying up the shop. 

I was 26 years old at the time in 1996, and Compton hospice was not much ideal career but they supported me with little bits of what I was aiming to do along the way by supporting me to write this report above. They also, helped me build my confidence. 

As for writing a year have that report was written in 1996, a for a year I faced a Mental - break down in October 1996 break - down but that wasn't anything to do with Compton hospice but so many months after I discovered writing poetry. 

I stopped on Compton, I think only so many months after my Adult training schemes had finished, and moved on to placements like the Motions, Beacon center for the Blind, etc.

Little did I realize then I was going to racing Learning disability and mental health awareness so many years later.

Accessible information easy read part 1

 No jargon and information written in small print to point words are jumping off the page, most people find that eye-straining and even blinding.

This could mean different coloured paper, for example, some people purple writing on pink paper. Most people do not get on with green. Some people like codes and colours. Words in white (reversed out text) on the coloured paper background can be harder to read. Remember everyone manages with colour in different ways so I would ask people who you are before you go through the trouble of guessing if I were you first. Try to use your full stops at the end of every sentence, which also can help to break your information down for your reader.

Try not to use other punctuation if your reader likes it that way. Do not use abbreviations like don’t for example.

One subject on – one page, if this is not possible making you put some type of guide mark on to show your reader what is what if your reader likes it that way.

Also, use page numbers if you are doing pages of writing.

Avoid columns

It’s easy for some people to read across the page.

Make sure there’s plenty of space for people to write when creating forms. 

If using and taking photographs, if the building etc you may be taking a picture of etc, if it doesn’t belong to you, do not take the picture without the owner’s permission. If the answer is no please accept that and explain to reader why the picture isn’t answered if they have answered or while planning the information let the reader know depending what the owner says you may or may not be allowed to add the picture.

Some people may like you to write on the right – hand side of the page.

Do not float the text on top or across the page unless the reader wants it that way.

Useful tips.

Show pictures of clocks or even watches etc to show when your appointment is with the person and a picture of where your meeting, if you have your boss’s permission a picture of the building of the office you may work or somewhere outside, town, library, café etc but always check the permission of the owner in case they have policy rules etc and let the person know whether your allowed to take pictures or not. If there are certain pictures you can’t access, and this makes it’s hard for the person to access the information make double sure that the information is in large print. If this still makes it hard for the person to follow like say they are finding it hard to get to a certain place then then direct them and keep in touch on the phone if you can’t plan transport for them etc.

This could be you are writing your information step by step, in bullet points, 123, ABC, however, the person likes, so they know what to do first, second and so on. For example, turn left, turn so on.

Most people find cartoon pictures childish.

 

Another tip could be that some people may find PowerPoint more accessible than information on word, even though the word is like PowerPoint. For example, picture of a clock or watch that shows the time they need to be seeing you for slide one say, then slide where if you have the owner’s permission, and maybe letting know if you are wanting them to bring anything etc.

Some people might find a pretty power on a leaflet may be more accessible.

Some may not like shiny paper.

Some may find it hard to see words and pictures if they are not clear.

Some may find an A5 notepad or book may be easier rather than carrying loads of loose sheets of paper.

Maybe for some CD or and DVD.

Make information easy for the person to find.

Maybe if need be use a buddy system where they can go through the information and ask questions if they wish.

Some people may need plenty of notice before their appointment or meeting, therefore I understand it’s not always easy your so busy but they set up their information at least before their appointment so they understand what’s all going on and what’s all excepted from them.

Effects of Dyslexia.

 

Try not to give them too much information at one time.

They may overthink or go blank so make sure you and they have a copy of whatever they are supposed to be doing or saying for example if they are doing any public speaking, meeting etc.

You may have to step because they may mistakenly miss information out without meaning or even, they may struggle reading certain words etc.

They do things not wrong but in the wrong order for example, if something is on the 21^st June, they may say or write the 12^th June, another example might be mixing bs and ds mistaking say dog for the bog.

Dyslexia aids maybe say coloured overlays, highlight pens, forber castell grip 2011 propelling pencils. https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro/

Chapter eight supporting disabilities and all problems Accessible information is easy to read.

 Accessible information is easy to read.

 

Everyone sees accessible information in different ways, when accessible is really in my view where you just do not miss what you reading and it is staring you right in the face, it is so clear. My advice is to save yourself as much hard work as possible, whether writing for people with disabilities and other problems or other people, if you know who you writing for is to ask them first. It’s not always the case but in some situations, if the information is not clear enough for people could be the answer to why there are no replies, why people may not turn up for appointments, or many reasons people don’t get the response they may except depending on the situation.

With IT, the internet,  the icons on word, etc, whatever the right word is to choose,  there are so many different ways you can choose how to make your information, which at one time wasn’t there other than say a paper, pen and an old fashioned typewriter, which was still just about there when I was child, Computer weren’t around as far as I’m aware. This is where there are different types of fonts, styles, sizes of writing, etc. Such as bold, italics, underline, size 18, comic san, Ariel, or FS Mencap etc.

Most people feel as if they have been shouted at someone when people do a lot of writing in blocked capital letters when it is not people’s intentions.

Most people tend to like titles in bold and sub-headings underlined, instructions, directions etc very often in bullet points, 123, ABC, etc, which tends to break the information down and make it bitesize for most people. 

Anti -disability,bullying and hate crime part 3

 One subject we hate talking about is abuse, rape, etc but if we do not say anything too many people get away with it, which makes no difference if you disbelieved and misunderstood. There is a feeling times some people think you're saying what your saying to seek the attention of others, which I admit no one is perfect but less likely the victim is not lying if they have been trying to say most of their lives and not been understood or even believed.  

People with disabilities and other problems seem to be looked upon as weak members of society which may be true in some ways and not in others but each and every one of us is likely to be different from one another. We need to be seen, heard, understood, and believed more. We know these days there are cameras in most places, but they are not everywhere. Most people are scared to report crimes etc in fear nothing will be done through being disbelieved etc, which is something people without disabilities and other problems face as well with. However’ we not saying no one lies and we are not saying that there aren’t people who lie to try and get attention etc, which makes sense as to why there are people who have faced crime but haven’t had their crime sorted, all the same, there must be ways that things should be looked into more carefully.  However’ even though in most cases by the time crimes are believed and understood if they are, years may have gone by those responsible, etc may have died or anything, which I understand looking to these things isn’t an easy job for the police or anyone. https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/bullying/mate-and-hate-crime

 Learning Disability Hate Crime Awareness.

On Monday 20th February 2012, at 8.20pm, I faced Learning Disability Hate Crime by home area in Bradmore. I was just going into town for a drink to meet friends.

As I was going out to lock my door at 8.15pm, I saw an Indian guy with a pale blue sweater with a hood, he had black curly hair, and mid-brown skin and he was roughly about just over 5 feet 5 in height.
He was on the opposite side of the road to me, he headed off faster than me. I didn't think anything of him because I don't know him.

I walked along the road, stood waiting for my bus.
The same guy came behind me as he grabbed my bag out my hand, ran across the road, go into a blue car while it was driving.
Whoever was driving was driving so fast he or she would have been done for speeding if the police would have seen them.
At speed it was going I couldn't catch the reg number.
I am not very good with numbers anyway.

For 5 minutes I walked around in shock and Sheree panic.
I knew my phone and keys were in my bag so I ran across the pub, the staff were very good as they rang the police and I had a free pint.
The police came down, took my details and then drove me to my sister's home.
Lucky my sister had a spare set of my keys.
My sister and her boyfriend were very good, they drove me to my home to get my computer and laptop to take to their home.
My sister stopped my calls on my phone, rang Centro to sort me out a new Disabled bus pass and stop my bank because my card was taken out of my bus pass, which was also in my bag.

 

 

The next morning the police came to my sister's house to take a statement off me.
I hadn't slept very well there that night, everything was all going round and round inside my head.
By the time I did a statement with police I had a bad job remembering anything other than this Indian guy with blue sweater and the blue car he jumped into.

From there my sister and her boyfriend drove me up to my home to change my locks and put my computer and laptop back where it was before the crime.

On the Thursday of that week the police came down to my home lucky for me bring back my bag.
My bank card was taken out of my Disabled bus pass, but my Disabled bus pass card was taken out it's wallet.
My bank card had gone.
The police did finger prints on an Iceland shopping card, my library card and my Disabled bus pass card but nothing was found.

Not long after the police left that day Victim support rang me to ask how I was feeling. I told them I was in shock but the police, my sister and her boyfriend have been great support.
In a couple days Victim support sent me an attack alarm.
At the end of last week someone from Victim rang me up to make an appointment for me to have some counselling on Tuesday this week at 1.00pm

Someone had handed my bag into the police station.
I think he took what he wanted and left the bag just anywhere, which is good for me but he's made himself found out without him knowing about it.
Then isn't good, he shouldn't have took my bag at all.

Last Thursday me and my sister went down to the Police station so I could look at some picture but none of them looked like him.
Saying that I drew a picture of him, which I gave the police.

Lucky for me even though I couldn't ring anyone or get into my home the night of the crime because my keys and phone were in my bag.

I am lucky I live near a local pub, I would have panicked more.
It can be very hard to trust anyone today.
I would be scared of knocking on people’s doors mainly if I don't know them because I could be anyone to them, even though I am not that kind of person but they don't know that. I guess I may have found help but it would have taken longer than it did if I hadn't lived near the pub.
I only panic for about 5 minutes wondering what to do because I was in complete shock.
There are some people with disabilities and health problems worse than me.
They may have been wandering around all night having families, carers and etc worrying about them.
Lucky for me my communication skills aren't that bad so I was a bit understood by the police compared to how I was years ago, this is why nothing has been done about the crimes I have faced in the past.
This can make a lot of crimes disbelieved because a lot of people with disabilities and health problems find it hard to make themselves understood.
Like I said in one of my reports last year, there are no CCTV cameras everywhere.

All disabilities and health problems are different some get better as people get older but others don't.

 

People who commit crimes always pick a quiet moment where no one is about to be seen.
Normally outside my local pub, mostly there are people smoking outside but for some strange reason, it was very quiet that night of the crime.
When I walked into the pub after the crime there were only two members of the bar staff and one customer who was gone in no time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anti - disability bullying and hate crime part 2

 A lot of people think that bullying and hate crime just happens in schools, which is not always the case. Even though I have not faced bullying in colleges, workplaces etc that does not mean it is does not or has not happened elsewhere. Although I have faced hate crime on the streets, and I guess it could happen in pubs etc.

Learning from the past I think the future needs to be where we need to teach main stream people around learning disability and mental health awareness, bully and hate crime is one of them where we need to be asking why people with disabilities and mental health face hate crime and bullying.

This where people who commit crime on these, people whether they are children, teenagers, adults and even the elderly is because we are classed as vulnerable, we are less likely to report it or if we do we are less likely to believed and understood in the way the police can understand us.

I’m no professional but by a guess those who commit hate crime and even bullying know the minds of people with disabilities, therefore choose places where’s no CCT cameras and where they are less likely to be seen, knowing that the victim is going to find it hard to explain to people they know and the police.  Therefore, they know it is a very slim chance someone the victim knows is likely to see what happens.

This is concerning because the victim is not intentionally telling anyone but worried, they may be disbelieved and be misunderstood.

This could lead the victim to face emotional stress, nightmares, thoughts of suicide, etc or taking their own lives, which I have faced myself in childhood was back in those days there wasn’t counseling, etc, mainly crimes such as rape and sexual abuse wasn’t an easy one mostly for children because it was the sort of world them children wasn’t supposed to know about these things yet it happened to most them.

Also, it’s like, regardless of how strict adults were with children back then, it was never thought back then that children would murder, which therefore was very rare but it did happen such as Mary Bell in the 60s, then about 25 years on the murder of James Budger, which happened by two teenager boys, then I think child murder started to slowly sadly increase from there, well more so we were more aware then.

I feel it’s important that adults now talk and listen to children more so than ever before, voices need to be heard more, mainly children and young people, even adults really to those who face disabilities and other problems as well.

 

 When a person is not been listened to or disbelieved, the people who have faced them with hate crime may commit thousands of crimes against other people, which for whatever reason the victims may find hard to report for not necessary the same but maybe similar reasons, which hugely concerning how many unknown crimes, etc may have happened. Don’t get me wrong, this may not be necessary the case where some just may have the ability to report them, which these things are unknown but I may even vary, depending on the people who commit the crime and the type victims they chose, I guess.

 

Anti- Disability bullying and hate crime part 1

 Some people may bully because they face bullying themselves, but others understand what it feels like so much they would not dream of it. Some people bully because they can be jealous of you if you have something they have not, which is hard for one to understand. For example, if you come from a well-off or rich family or they are not but strangely it can happen the other way round too where for example someone well dressed can take offense of someone say who has a hole in their shoe example.

 

As strange as it sounds either in a good or bad way where there is something good about you, they feel that they wish they had or something makes them angry but most likely it’s not anything that should make anyone angry. Some people are just, not sure why to have some very strange ways of thinking where they feel ashamed to say why which is very often naturally unknown. I am not sure, but I guess this may be wrong as to why most people commit hate crimes too, which for all is no excuse though. Some people tend to have nothing better to do, which is why they have it in others, another reason tends to be if they not having a positive time in life themselves, no excuse and on the whole, they are never sorry.

 

As I said I had been to one mainstream school and three special schools and I faced bullying in all. All adults could say really school days are the best years of your life, not when you are getting bullied, they are not, which was why it played on my mind for a long time, which can be another cause of suicide risks. This is where I think counseling and therapy is important, which I know do not help everyone but most people where mental and emotional stress can affect though who stuffer from it physically and mentally.

Chapter seven Introducing Learning disability Anti – bullying and hate crime.

 

Mencap is worried about people with disability disabilities all ages etc facing bullying and hate crimes. Support goes out from Mencap to families, carers, etc. This can happen to people who have not got a learning disability too, but it seems to happen to people with disabilities, etc mostly without us being the center of attention, we are as human as everyone. For everyone bullying and hate crime has a huge effect on lives, such as the body and mind, nightmares etc. Everyone goes through good and bad in life, but no one deserves to go through bullying and hate crime.

 

I faced bullying all my school life and only went to one mainstream school, all the rest special schools and one boarding school, Kingwood Special Boarding school, Saint Luke’s Infants Mainstream school, Hales bury special day school and Penn Fields special day school. When you are a child, you do not understand right from wrong and it is hard to understand how others feel. I think many of the children in our school picked up each other’s disabilities. Children without disabilities etc need learning disability awareness to understand people including children. When I was in school, many children with special needs bullied children because of their disabilities even though they had disabilities themselves, which is odd where you would there be understanding there.

The most common reason why most children to bullied are race, beliefs, disbelief, disability, color, religion, nationality, sexuality, etc, which has always happened and even today. People are human beings and they have feelings. Why can’t we respect one another or keep away from one another? People with disabilities etc and other raises should be allowed to educate those who need educating on why bullying, hate crime, and war is wrong more so on the raise. We do agree there’s no perfect world, some people are okay, and others are not. Although I do believe that the UK is an overpopulated country, we can’t affront to feed, house, etc the whole world, and the UK is only a small country but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone is against people from other counties, like us some are okay and some are not.

Those of you who have been bullied or and faced hate crimes like I have are more than welcome to tell me your story if you wish on sarajgorman@gmail.com also, how can you help others who may be facing the same thing now, if you wish to? How can you raise awareness of disability bullying and hate crimes if you wish to?