Page 54

Employment as a disabled person

Today, Jill shares with us her experience of trying to gain employment when you are disabled.

“As a person who has cerebral palsy I try my very best to live my life as normal as I can. One of my goals in my life was to get some kind of employment, paid or voluntary.

At school in my 4th year I did a work placement in my primary school for a week, I was working with a wee p1 pupil showing her to use a Communication device. I loved the placement and I knew then I wanted to go down the road of making awareness of disabled people.

After I left school I went to college and studied employment for 3 years and I did ECDL for 2 years. During my first year at college I got a voluntary job in the Feid Martin project at Quarriers, doing admin stuff, which I still do now.

After being at college for 5 years I wanted to get more days working but sadly I couldn’t get more days at Quarriers so I needed to find something else and it was really hard to do. Because I am in a wheelchair it was more difficult to find a job and somewhere has the right access for me like having a hoist in the toilet. I think I emailed my CV to everywhere and anywhere that I thought of. I felt like I was going around in circles and not getting anywhere. It felt like I was letting cerebral palsy stop me from getting a job and I was starting to think that I needed to go to college for ever or go around the shops for ever and I didn’t want that to happen.

At last I found an organization called Project Scotland where they help you to get a voluntary job. So I contacted them to see if they could help me and they did. They were very understanding with my needs and they put me in contact with Bobath Scotland where I used to go for therapy when I was younger, but I never thought of contacting them myself to see if they had anything going.

So I have been working (volunteering) at Bobath for 17 months now and I love it! I do thank you letters and in the past few months I have been working on my own project called “Join Jill”, where I am doing a lot of activities like skiing, swimming, horse riding and zip lining, and then I will be writing blogs about what I did.

Being able to work is a big thing to me and I am very proud to be able to be working. As I am disabled I could have said “OK, let’s just go around the shops every week for the rest my life because I am disabled” but no, I want to work like everyone else, why can’t I? I think being able to work shows anyone that I don’t let my cerebral palsy stop me. I know that I work for just two days a week for few hours and it may seem like I am not doing a lot and do just one thing each day but it is a lot to me especially if I am using my head tracker.

Like I said before I am just a volunteer at Bobath and Quarriers but it is just a job to me. Would I like to get paid someday? Well, to be honest it is my dream to get a paid job someday but don’t get me wrong, if I don’t get a paid job I will be more than happy to carry on volunteering but you never know!

I am very proud of my volunteering and I hope I am a good help to Bobath and Quarriers.

I hope this blog will inspire people who are disabled or knows anyone is disabled that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”

Sandra-the-OT’s Toy Thoughts!

The lovely Sandra has let us in on the must have toys for girls and boys this Christmas, with her list of the best gifts for both young and older children. With something to suit everyone, she has all of your present woes sorted!

While most OT’s love the world of arty crafty glue and paste, this OT much prefers to get stuck into construction toys and loves the challenge of adapting activities so that children can enjoy this type of play regardless of their physical ability/limitations.

For those who are able to use their hands construction play offers numerous opportunity to develop many different skills – grasps, in-hand manipulation, accurate placement, maintaining grasp against resistance to mention just a few…

For the child who cannot use their hands, or who needs assistance to do so, construction play still provides a rich experience for developing play skills for example: selecting what components to use, choosing where items are to be placed, indicating ‘GO’ to release the marble or crash something down!

Here are my all-time favourites which I am sure people have heard me wax lyrical about on previous occasions!

Marble Run

So SO many different ways of building the ultimate run. There are loads of versions on both the high street and online – to be honest a starter size usually provides ample fun. Just remember to count how many marbles you start with to ensure you have the same number at the end of play!

Duplo

I like using our farm version but there are loads of lovely Duplo sets around and it is worth keeping your eyes peeled for the reductions in the toys section of supermarkets.

Popoids

Sadly these tend to be quite expensive but I am still including it as they are so popular with a wide age-range of children and young people. The economy boxes or tubs tend to retail around £39 but it could be something a number of family members may wish to club together to purchase. I also like the ‘essentials’ packs of Popoid Bellows that can now be purchased separately. The bellows are a super fun way to encourage finger skills – kids just love the popping noise as they pull the concertina open and then push it shut again. They cost in region of £9.

Car Ramp Racer

I love this toy and buy it for most of my friends children at some point! There are various versions around…Sainsbury has had their Grow & Play Switchback Racer on offer for under £7 recently…

Magnetic Fishing

I wasn’t convinced that the magnets would be any use when my physio colleague purchased this recently….but I was wrong. This toy has been a great hit.

Orchard Yard Games

I can’t keep up with all the Orchard Yard games. We have a good number here at Bobath but I always tend to return to the same two as I find them easy to play and easy to adapt: Shopping List and Insey Winsey Spider.

Spiderman & Friends (or rather, enemies!)

Calling mums of Super Hero mad kids…TKMax are currently selling these fantastic Marvel Spiderman hard-books for £4.99. The main attraction of this item is that it comes with 12 mini figurines…including Spidey himself and his 11 villainous ‘friends’.

Treasure Chest

I find that a treasure chest is a great motivator and/or reward. Kids love the excitement having the chest opened to reveal what surprise items are inside……game components, super heroes, stickers, cosmetic jewellery, raisins….or good old chocolate coins!!

Fib Finder

Older kids – boys and girls – love Fib Finder. The original version we have appears to be discontinued but a website called Games & Party appear to sell a similar item, although I cannot vouch for the site having never used it before.

Books

Spot’s Noisy Peek-A-Boo – Sadly they seem to have replaced the lift-the-flap with a press button version – but still looks like fun.

Now for the more sensible part…surely everyone had these presents…you know, the ones that you quickly opened to get out of the way – for me, as a child, it was always the ‘soft ones’ that nearly always had new gloves, pants or socks!! So on my therapists list of ‘boring but useful’ presents I would recommend the following:

Exercise Blocks

These are great for using as a surface when little ones are playing on the floor. You can often get them in sports/fitness shops or from numerous suppliers online – they are usually called yoga or fitness blocks. Prices vary so best to shop around. Be careful not to get the ‘brick’ version which is half the size.

Non-slip mat

Whether you opt for the original Dycem™ or one of the many variations, a placemat size of non-slip matting can help stabilise toys or yoga blocks etc.

Andrew’s trek to the Roof of Africa

We are continually amazed by all of the wonderful things our supporters get up to in order to raise funds for Bobath, but next year one of our supporters, Andrew Tomlinson, is taking on something truly special…in January he is travelling all the way to Tanzania to climb not just one, but TWO mountains! Andrew will be trekking to the summit of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Bobath Scotland and Glasgow City Mission, and we can’t put in to words how we grateful we are to him for choosing us as one of the beneficiaries of his fundraising. But enough from us! Andrew has kindly written a blog post for us all about the exciting challenges he will face as he treks to the ‘Roof of Africa’.

On January 24th 2017 I’ll be on my way to Tanzania to trek towards the roof of Africa, up Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro is a personal challenge both physically and symbolically. Everyone has their own mountains to climb, one of the keys to climbing any mountain is developing an understanding of who you are. A mountain is a mirror in my case – it’s about holding a mirror to myself and my relationship with cerebral palsy. Bobath Scotland was a natural choice as one of the benefactors of my fundraising from climbing Kilimanjaro. I only heard of Bobath a year ago and I’m 33! I feel the whole idea of Kilimanjaro is a symbol of life and its challenges, the highs and the lows. I grew up as the only person I knew with cerebral palsy, with no peers or role models I could relate to. Perhaps Kilimanjaro itself can be a role model of life’s possibilities.

I’m also raising money for Glasgow city Mission, as when I decided to climb Kilimanjaro I wanted to help charities in Glasgow to reach a range of various support needs. I have a close friend who volunteers for GCM and as well helping provide services like a kitchen to provide food for Glasgow’s homeless in Glasgow’s city centre they also have a family centre in Govan. I think both Bobath Scotland and GCM symbolise all the mountains Glasgow faces, whether that’s physical disability, homelessness, addiction and poverty. An example of this is 50% of poverty involves someone in the household with a disability.

As Kilimanjaro gets closer the excitement is building. The first person with cerebral palsy to climb Kilimanjaro was Bonner Paddock during 2008, with Dave Pagden the first Brit to reach the summit. He used Meru as an acclimatisation aid however decided with guides that Kilimanjaro was the main objective and so decided to bypass the chance to reach the summit.

I like the experience of different cultures and climates; Kilimanjaro has many distinct climates from rain forest, grassland, moorland, Lunar Desert, and the artic at the top. The trek will take myself physically and psychologically out of my comfort zone, although the opportunity to attempt to summit all three peaks (Little Meru, Meru and eventually Uhuru Peak) is too good to turn down. As far as I know I’ll be one of the few with cerebral palsy to climb all the associated peaks, and I have always looked towards things that are often dismissed as out of reach by society. “How can a guy with mobility problems travel and trek to the summit of Meru and Kilimanjaro?” – Again it’s about taking yourself out of your natural environment. So much of the infrastructure in modern society has not been developed with disability in mind. I find so much of what “disables” us in our everyday life is not the disability itself, but a mix of infrastructure and social ignorance, which when combined act as a real barrier.

Everyone who climbs Kilimanjaro will experience stiffness, muscle aches and fatigue, spasms and nausea at some stage of the trek, so in many ways maybe I have a head start! The most daunting aspect of climbing Meru and Kilimanjaro is the night walk to the summit where the only light you’ll see is the 25 feet of light that’s omitted from your head torch. That’s when we become exposed, as Kilimanjaro slowly chips away at the masks we wear in everyday life, even disability. On the mountain we are all equal and that’s the message I hope to share, a message that has the potential to be transformational.

How do I speak to someone who uses AAC?

We’ve asked two bloggers, Jill and Claudia, to share with us some of their top tips for communicating with someone who uses AAC, or who has a speech difficulty.

In some of our previous blogs we have heard from Jill, who uses an AAC device (very similar to Stephen Hawking’s!) to speak and communicate. Claudia does not use AAC, but has a speech difficulty as a result of her CP, and so faces a different set of challenges when communicating. Below, they’ve each given us some advice on speaking to someone when they do have a disability, and what you can do to make sure that the person you are speaking to feels as though they are being heard.

Jill

If you meet someone who can’t talk themselves and is using a communication device, symbols or something else, don’t be scared to talk to them because they can’t talk like you. Just talk to them as normal, because they are just normal.

When you talk to someone with a disability, it is good to wait and listen to them, so that you can try to understand what they are trying to say. Some people may not know how to say it right or maybe they aren’t able to talk clearly. Also, be patient. If you can’t work out what they are saying try to work it out by asking them a few questions. If the person is taking time to say sentences don’t jump in and finish it for them.

Body language is really important when you are talking to someone. It is good to be face to face with someone and have eye contact. Don’t be right in their face when you’re talking to them.

If you are talking to an adult with a disability don’t speak to them as a baby, because they are adults just like you. Some people with a disability find it a bit difficult to understand what people are saying, so try to explain more what about what you are saying.

If you are talking to someone who uses AAC to talk, like a Communication device or symbols, give them a chance for them to say what they want. I know that it may take some time for them to get sentences together, but they have the right to speak like everyone else.

Jill’s ‘Top Tips’ on speaking to someone who uses AAC

Face them when you are talking to them
Don’t finish their sentence for them and guess what they are saying just wait until they finish their sentence
If you are in a group and someone with an AAC device wants to say something the group should wait until they talk don’t talk over them

As I am a person who can’t talk and who uses a Communication device, I see that a lot of people don’t know how to talk to me and it is sad because communication is most important thing in life! However, I hope these tips will help people to understand how to better communicate with disabled people.

Claudia

Communication is something that people do every day, however people with Cerebral Palsy may have different ways of communicating. They may take longer than others to say simple words or sentences, some may have a stutter and some may use an AAC communication advice. No matter how people communicate, they are just like you!

Some people with speech difficulties may attend speech therapy to try and improve their speech. Even though they will always have a speech difficulty, speech therapy can help their speech become clearer and even help with eating and drinking. Speech therapy can help with the tightness of muscles around the mouth and also activities liking blowing and making letter sounds can improve speech.

As part of my Cerebral Palsy I have a speech difficulty. I work hard every day to make myself clear and understood when talking to people. At the end of the day I may slur my words as I’m tired and people find it difficult to understand me. If I’m in a noisy environment I use my phone to type what I’m saying and show the person or if it’s something I’m talking about and I’m nearer the subject I would point to it.

Claudia’s ‘Top Tips’ on speaking to someone with a speech difficulty

Don’t try and finish what people are saying or cut them off as they can become frustrated.
If you don’t understand what people are saying, don’t just go along with conversation, ask the person to repeat what they were saying.
The person may repeat themselves using different words, as they may feel that the words they were using are not clear enough.
If I slur my words, don’t judge me and think I’m drunk – I just have a unique way of speaking!

Join Jill at Riding for the Disabled

In the first of our new blog series ‘Join Jill’, Jill tells us all about Riding for the Disabled, and the benefits of taking part in the sport.

My name is Jill and I am 24. I have cerebral palsy, and I am in a wheelchair all the time. I have been going to the RDA Glasgow group for 8 years now and I love it.

I go once a week on a Thursday night for an hour during term time, and the horse that I ride now is called Heart. He is black and white and he is just beautiful.

Due to having cerebral palsy I find it difficult to hold myself up when I am out of my wheelchair but when I am on my horse I can sit up myself nicely. I always have 2 side walkers who walk around with me. Over the years I’ve learned how to hold myself up, for example, when I went at first the side walkers needed to hold me up and now they have their hands on my legs and I can do everything else myself.

My horse riding isn’t just a sport, it is like physiotherapy to me because it does really drive me like my back muscles and my legs muscles too. When I have not been for a while I feel my legs tight, so it does really help.

If you want to find out more about Riding for the Disabled click here.