One For All https://www.one-for-all.org.uk mainstream in the millennium Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:07:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 As seen on TV https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=250 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:16:46 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=250 Reading from 'Taking The Time'Maresa was featured on Central News this month to promote awareness of her book.
Link to Central TV clip

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Nottingham Playhouse exhibition https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=240 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:38:37 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=240 Beginning on 22 November 2011 UK Disability History Month sees an ongoing series of events and exhibitions celebrating the rich history of what disability meant and means today with a national scale showcase of experiences, stories and voices.

Nottingham Playhouse is hosting ‘What Does Disability Mean To You?’ an exhibition curated by Maresa MacKeith and Jim Hall featuring many individual’s expression of their personal responses to how society disables, with a mixture of creative writing, poetry, and image.

Maresa is part of Quiet Riot, a unique group of individuals who all use non-verbal, alternative methods of communication to express themselves, present their stories and words, allowing their collective and individual voices to be heard loud and clear.

Nottingham Playhouse’s The Mouthy Poets, have provided words and images from a blend of encounters they themselves have had with disability: from first hand accounts of having a perceived disability, to how the term ‘disability’ can impact negatively upon a person.

Interspersed with these works comes eye-opening material from 18th Century disabled poets, powerful statements of what living with a learning disability can feel like and additional background information on everything Disability History Month hopes to achieve.

The exhibition, located on the upper foyer of the Playhouse, will be on show until 22 December.

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New publication https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=208 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:07:46 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=208

TAKING THE TIME; ESSAYS, POEMS AND OCCASIONAL WRITING Maresa MacKeith

“I want to talk about us, who can’t talk, taking part in ordinary life. It’s about learning, real learning. It’s about learning who we are, and how we think, and how we can contribute to the wider understanding of humanity.”

‘TAKING THE TIME’ is a book that contains the first ever collection of Maresa’s writing from the past decade. In these years Maresa created keynote presentations at conferences and workshops across the UK and beyond; always unique in their perspective Maresa’s thought-provoking essays are fearless in challenging how we do and don’t build relationships in the 21st century. Maresa knows there is still much to be done to secure the full inclusion of those with significant support needs in our societies and even more to be done before we recognise and nurture their unique contributions to the health of those societies. If you are looking for writing that will severely challenge your thinking about disability and difference and– this is it.


“I want to give to the world. I watch, listen, and think. I am not distracted by endless things “to do”, as I can’t do them. I need help to express myself, as I can’t talk on my own, and if I didn’t have physical help I would die. I can still give. The experience of being hidden away, with the assumption that I was worthless, still haunts me with a terror I can’t describe. Nobody should be put through that. Yet there are hundreds forcibly excluded from life everyday.
Listen to us, we can teach you.”

ISBN: 978-0-9546351-7-6
Order online from Inclusive Solutions £8.99

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Making Inclusion a Reality in Europe https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=218 Sat, 01 Oct 2011 09:27:52 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=218 It is the accepted view in countries around the world that the right to education is a fundamental right for everyone. However there is still a wide gap between this understanding and reality. This is particularly the case for the 77 million disabled children and young people around the world 90% of whom don’t attend school. This is despite the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 28 , the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights’ Article 14, the 1994 Salamanca Statement and more recently Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

For some time now it has been the aim of the UK Inclusion movement to shift the debate away from ‘inclusion vs segregation’ because all evidence shows that education that is ‘inclusive’ benefits not only disabled learners but the whole of society.

Invited by the ‘Alliance for Inclusive Education’ Maresa MacKeith (accompanied by Caroline MacKeith and Ange Taggart) took part in an inspirational project* bringing together families, young disabled adults and professional working together across Europe from other countries with different perspectives on inclusion. The project aimed to assist in moving the debate on by focusing on current good practice in inclusive education working with each of the partners involved to disseminate that good practice widely across Europe.

It was a fabulous opportunity to meet people from all over Europe taking inclusive education seriously. Over a period of two years delegates from different countries met together in Iceland, France, Italy, Romania and the UK to both work on the project and visit classrooms to experience a range of international education systems at different stages of putting inclusive education into practice.

“We were able to listen to each other and move out of our own zones of knowledge” Maresa.

Working with partners from other EU countries broadened our views enormously and helped us to clarify what needs to be done here as well as noticing what we do well here. One of the key outcomes for the project was to gain an agreed definition of inclusive education.

” It’s not about an end product, it’s a way of being, a constantly evolving process that goes on for life” Maresa.

The project combined the varied knowledge, experience and cultural differences of three core groups, young disabled adults, family members and professionals to develop a resource for future use.

“It broadened our views enormously and clarified what needed to be done. It helped us put into perspective what we do well in the UK but also what some other countries were doing better.” Caroline MacKeith.

At the end of the two years we heard repeatedly from participants that they’d gained more confidence, there was a greater understanding amongst the young disabled adults that they are the experts in their own lives and should have genuine choice and control about their education.

“It was important to be listened to and taken seriously and know that I’m already doing a good job”
Maresa.

The Alliance for Inclusive Education has produced three resources based on learning outcomes

An Inclusive Education Guide for Families

This is a web based Guide for Families to help them seek inclusive education opportunities for the disabled child. The Guide has been written by Linda Whitehead and encourages families to think of themselves as allies to their disabled children by thinking about disability in a positive way by using the Social Model of Disability. The Guide will help families ask the right questions of schools and to be more confident to seek out a school that is inclusive of all children from the local community. The Guide is based on learning and evidence from visits to each of these countries and is funded by Grundtvig
Download pdf

Advocacy and Training Toolkit

This is a toolkit to support advocacy and training work led by disabled people. The toolkit was developed by disabled people from France, Italy, Iceland and the UK and is based on learning and evidence from visits to each of these countries. The toolkit offers information and advice to disabled people across Europe to encourage their participation and leadership in the implementation of inclusive education for disabled children and young people. The Advocacy & Training toolkit is funded by Grundtvig

Download pdf

An Inclusive Education Guide for Professionals

This Guide has been written by education and social care professionals from France, Italy, Romania, Iceland and the UK and is based on evidence and learning from each of these countries in terms of what works for the inclusion of disabled children and young people in mainstream education.

The Guide offers practical advice and information to those professionals already working with disabled children and their families and also to those professionals unfamiliar with this area of work. The Guide is based on learning and evidence from visits to each of these countries and is funded by Leonardo

Download pdf

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ATOS – national day of action https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=223 Fri, 30 Sep 2011 20:00:03 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=223 One-For-All joined many others on a National Day of Action against ATOS Healthcare and the government’s attack on benefits for people with disability and illness through the ‘Work Capability Test’ and Welfare Reform Bill. Protesters assembled in Hockley, Nottingham city centre, to head over to protest at the ATOS assessment centre on Stoney Street.

This organisation has the government contract to re-assess claimants for the disability allowances. But folks claim that all they are doing is shifting people from this benefit to other lesser benefits like Job Seekers Allowance. Irrespective of the claimants abilities.

On arrival at the office, people gathered around the entrance, displaying banners and handing out leaflets. Protesters, including many in wheelchairs and some partially-sighted then entered the office. Claimants and supporters then exchanged stories of what assessment by Atos had meant to them.

After about 30mins, 4 police cars containing 7 or 8 police officers arrived at the building. After talking to Atos management, then proceeded to read out the section of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, concerning ‘aggravated trespass’. This included the bit about obstructing or disrupting a lawful activity and workers there feeling intimidated by all these folks in wheelchairs in the outer office! As you would expect, this was greeted with a certain amount of credulity!! Anyway the threat was clear. Leave within minutes or all would be arrested.
Photos Alan Lodge

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HobBlog https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=193 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:49:46 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=193 I’m concerned about the isolation of young people who can’t talk and the fact that non-disabled young people hardly ever meet their peers who can’t talk.” Maresa MacKeith

HobNobs group meet once a month, right now ages range between 12 -18 years. Activities depend on who comes and what they like to do, we hang out, play games, play pool, darts and football, go for walks and go to cafes.

It’s all about friendship.

AIMS

* To combat the isolation of young people who cannot communicate verbally and who use a variety of communication tools to communicate.

* To promote awareness of the unique insights and experience that young people who do not communicate verbally can bring to the wider community.

* To promote understanding of the social model of disability from the perspective of young people.

* To create opportunities for young people to meet, socialise and pursue common interests with young people who do not communicate verbally

HobNobs meets monthly at various venues in Nottingham
Link to the HobBlog

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London demo https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=180 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:38:04 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=180
Maresa went to London 29 June 2011 with a few of her friends to send a clear message to the government about inclusive education.

]]> HobNobs group https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=55 Tue, 25 May 2010 13:58:59 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/wp/?p=55 Maresa with help from Elliot has started a new group ‘HobNobs: Getting Together to Talk or Not’.

Elliot, Reva and Emma, all in their teens have written about why they want to be involved.

Maresa “ I was really concerned about the isolation of young people who can’t talk and the fact that non-disabled young people hardly ever meet a young person who can’t talk. So in August 2008 we had our first meeting of eight young people altogether. Since then we have met approximately once a month. We have played games, sat and talked, played football, gone for walks and eaten in cafes. In December we had a musical evening with hidden talents emerging.

We all believe that friendship is the key to a good life whatever we do with our lives.”

Elliot “I knew a friend ( Yoshi) before he came to Bluecoat ( my school) and I was pleased when he came because I thought we could get to know each other better. Our (mine and Yoshi’s) relationship was going well at our ‘inclusive ‘ school but later on in our school life our relationship was hindered, rather than nurtured, by staff. The need to do something out of school came from being Yoshi’s friend. Having a friend on the autistic spectrum made me realise how he was being treated. It opened my eyes to what is happening behind the scenes. The way people are separated and treated.

Reva I would never have known this stuff if I hadn’t met Maresa. I wouldn’t have known how much inclusion was needed and how vital it is. Meeting Maresa and knowing how important inclusion is…… it is life changing, I would never have known this without meeting Maresa.

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Emma https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=53 Tue, 25 May 2010 13:57:59 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/wp/?p=53 A moment that made me think

I once said to a friend that if I found out I was pregnant with a baby who had severe disability, I would get an abortion. I was twelve at the time, and had an ambition to be a writer. That friend introduced me to Maresa MacKeith two years ago. I am now 14, and my opinion has changed radically! The following speech was written for my GCSE English coursework in 2009 and was delivered it to 120 Year 10 students. Afterwards, everybody was really interested, and they asked me lots of questions about Maresa. Now, I’m thinking about talking to my teachers to invite Maresa to come and speak at my school. Since meeting Maresa, I have been involved in the HobNob group she organises once a month, where I’ve met other young people my age who can’t talk.

A moment that made me think was when I received a text from my friend Maresa, telling me that she’d got a 2:1 in her English Literature degree. This might sound like a fairly normal thing to most of you- lots of people get degrees, after all. The first thing I thought when I received that text was what a great achievement it was. You see, Maresa has cerebral palsy and no speech. For those of you that don’t know, cerebral palsy is a condition that affects the part of your brain that controls your body. This means Maresa cannot control her body and cannot move on her own. I expect it seems like a bit more of an achievement now!

The next thing I thought when I received the text was one of incredulity. How had Maresa done it? She was in special education from 5 and was not allowed into ordinary classes until she was 14 (what this says about the education system I don’t know, but moving on swiftly…) At one point in her education, she was put in a predominantly glass room, completely isolated, and people just stared at her like she was an object. Over the years, it has been a constant battle for her and her mum Caroline to get her into a state school where she would be included and able to learn things. She didn’t even get into mainstream school until she was 14. In a way, I felt angry about the ignorance of everyone around her, and their incapability to just accept differences. Shockingly, many people didn’t even believe that Maresa could think properly, just because she couldn’t communicate in the same way. Of course, my incredulity was at the fact that Maresa didn’t just handle all of this, but overcame it with dignity.

I also thought about the physical struggle of it all. Even after Maresa had fought (and, in many ways, won) this battle to get an education, there was still the problem of actually doing the degree. Of course, Maresa didn’t see this as a problem; she overcame it like everything else. The way in which a single sentence is written starts with Caroline asking Maresa if she feels like writing. She picks up Maresa’s hand, and Maresa pulls inward for ‘yes’ and pushes away for ‘no’. Then, Caroline must pick up Maresa’s hand again, hold a QWERTY keyboard printed on paper in front of her, and Maresa taps out each letter. Caroline types it in, asks if it is right, and Maresa will say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. And that’s the process of typing a single sentence. I expect I’ve exhausted you just saying that. That is the process Maresa had to use for a 14,000 word dissertation.

What I finally thought was what an amazing woman Maresa is. The sheer emotional strength of handling all those years of isolation and exclusion didn’t stop her. The fact she had to laboriously type everything out with one hand didn’t stop her. Not even pneumonia, with which she became gravely ill and was hospitalised in the final year of her degree, could stop her! If I had to name a role model in my life, it would be Maresa who I look up to most. It makes all of my complaints about a lot of homework seem silly. She is an incredible person, and truly someone I look up to, especially with all the adversity she has overcome.

Emma Scriver, 14

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France https://www.one-for-all.org.uk/?p=51 Tue, 25 May 2010 13:57:17 +0000 http://www.one-for-all.org.uk/wp/?p=51 Still on ‘Inclusion’ Maresa went with ‘The Alliance for Inclusive Education’ on a visit to France in December 2009. The trip was part of a European initiative to see how inclusion operates in different countries in Europe. Over the next eighteen months there will be visits to Italy, Iceland and Romania as well as ALLFIE being host here in Britain.

It was really interesting, if not a bit depressing, to see how even with enormous enthusiasm and vision educators are still struggling to enable inclusion to happen. The people in Lille in France were the most generous hosts and their underground transport system has been wheelchair accessible for over 20 years!

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