Page 28 - Community Living Magazine 35-2

communication
Connect for a good life part-time staff. We reach members from

across the UK and train volunteers from
across the world.
We received a Surrey Lieutenancy
Award and were finalists in the Breaking
Covid-19 has highlighted how important communication is to a Down Barriers category in the Learning
good quality of life. Alix Lewer describes how an inclusive Disabilities and Autism Awards. Sounds
communication charity kept people in touch like a fairy tale, right? And yet…
We lost touch with many of our
pre-Covid members because, despite
phone calls, pleas from parents and offers
truly believe that communication skills of volunteer support, people in care were
are vital when supporting someone with and are not supported to get online.
I a learning disability in any setting. A There are many reasons, such as a
skilled communication partner and lack of staff confidence, reduced staffing
inclusive communication environment can levels and no management support,
transform their lives from existence to or simply no understanding of the
fulfilment. Sounds radical but I’ve seen value of inclusion, interaction and
it happen. maintaining skills.
OK – I’ll admit something first. As a
speech and language therapist, I’m totally Assumptions and choice
biased. As founder of an inclusive People were assumed to be unable to
communication charity, even more so. interact online although we found, with
But don’t judge me. There is substantial skilled family or staff support, even those
academic research to back me up and with significant levels of learning disability
– more importantly – an awful lot of could engage in sessions.
people with learning disabilities and their That old chestnut choice was regularly
families say the same. wielded as an argument by staff: “She
Nothing I’ve seen during the pandemic chooses not to join the sessions.”
has changed my mind. On the contrary, How can someone make an informed
everything has strengthened my Strike a chord: Rosie Mumford takes part in choice to join something they have never
conviction that there is simply not enough Include.org’s online choir from home experienced and do not understand? It’s
awareness of the value of communication not just in healthcare that we’ve seen the
or investment in embedding inclusive accessible newsletter proved hugely principles of the Mental Capacity Act take
communication skills training across popular. People craved contact and a battering, with subsequent loss of
health and social care. genuinely needed the chance to connect autonomy, skills and quality of life.
and share those little triumphs which
Crazy Covid changes made the lockdown day worth living.
Covid-19 has been a crazy time for We all need to tell our story – even With support, even those
communication for all of us. Every normal when words and speech are tricky. with significant levels of
interaction has been affected in one way By the end of the second lockdown, we
or another. were running four weekly inclusive learning disability could
This runs from being forbidden to hug communication sessions. This included a engage in online sessions
or hold hands with the people we love to Sing Sign and Smile Session, which
covering our faces, and from struggling to allowed members and staff to practise
work out our choices from reams of Makaton and raised people’s mood.
impenetrable government guidance to We also held a Chat & Chill session, As we have restarted face-to-face
relying on digital interaction to meet. which developed as we watched people’s alongside digital services, we are
Covid-19 has highlighted how integral anxiety grow while struggling to process delighted to slowly reconnect with old
all forms of good communication are to complex issues such as lockdown friends but I do wonder what effects we
daily life and the quality of that life. and vaccination. will see from their enforced exclusion
Suddenly, in March 2020, the world was We used visual resources such as over time.
Zooming. Despite limited resources, Talking Mats and accessible information Inclusive communication and Mental
Include.org did too. Training went on hold, to assist understanding, followed by Capacity Act training are needed more
but the Include Choir (an inclusive mindful body percussion, which involves than ever and, whatever the difficulties of
communication and awareness-raising making musical sounds with the body to the funding landscape, we will deliver it.
choir for people with and without learning help regulate mood. We are working with our members to
disabilities or autism) went online, offering To meet the needs of people who had rebuild our training content and will be
free Facebook Live sessions to all, and nothing else in their week thanks to rolling out a range of innovative training
quadrupling our Facebook membership. service closures and care package cuts, we programmes in 2022 and beyond. n
The weekly Virtual Tea Break was provided more activities online and through ● www.include.org
started as we noticed how the absence of the post – and the need kept growing. ● https://include.org/the-include-choir
social interaction affected our members. From two staff and 15 volunteers, we
This facilitated news-sharing session and now have 50 volunteers and eight (very) Alix Lewer is the founder of Include.org

28 Vol 35 No 2 | Winter 2022 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk