Page 26 - Community Living 35-4

inclusion

Tradition turned over Who is Allowed to Speak, Karl Marx’s
reserve army of labour theory – which
really does help explain why people with
learning disabilities sit on the boundaries
of the labour market – normalisation and
The expectation that people with learning disabilities will enter social role valorisation (Who is Normal?),
spaces run for non-disabled people is being flipped by projects and, rather anxiously, eugenics – or Who
is Allowed to Live?, presented by
that push the boundaries of inclusion, says Jan Walmsley Community LIving editor Simon Jarrett.

Each Big Idea session included a pre-
circulated, easy-read handout, an illustrated
t’s more than 50 years since inclusion comfortable, meeting new people and lecture and a game devised by Nicola Grove.
appeared in the formal policy lexicon. having a sense of belonging. Wave is
IThe 1971 white paper Better Services terrestrial, relying on meeting people face Cinderella silenced
for the Mentally Handicapped made it a to face. What a joy that is. A highlight was a role play of Cinderella to
“general principle” that “mentally Wave is presently confined to parts of illustrate Spivak’s Who is Allowed to
handicapped children and adults should London, but let’s not forget that social Speak? If you think about it, no one allows
not be segregated unnecessarily… from movements can take off if they hit the poor Cinders to speak, neither the wicked
the general life of the local community” right note. Within 10 years of its founding, stepmother nor the ugly sisters, the
(apologies for what is now considered Mencap had 167 branches across the handsome prince or the fairy godmother.
insulting language). British Isles. And that was in the days Cinders is silenced by those who loathe
Progress since then has been slow and before social media. her and those who love her. Sound
halting. In the last issue, Chris Goodey familiar? It did to many of the audience.
wrote powerfully about schools that start Learning theory behind experience After the Who is Normal? workshop,
a life of segregation. A survey published My other example of pushing boundaries one person fed back: “The whole Idea of
by Hft in 2021 found that more than 30 of inclusion is in the academic space, based normal doesn’t make sense. It becomes
per cent of adults with learning disabilities on the widespread adoption of online normal that I don’t fit in what is normal.
did not feel part of their community and activity by people with learning disabilities “Today, I enjoy going out for karaoke.
felt lonely most of the time. – a longer lasting benefit of the pandemic. That hasn’t been like this my entire life. In
There are some current initiatives that There are several examples. The one I my younger years I was bullied and so I
might help address this. What they have will focus on is Big Ideas that Changed the spent hours playing computer games and
in common is that they avoid what I call World of Disability. This is about explaining just going out with mom and dad – till in
insertion – an expectation that people the big ideas – theories – to those most my early 20s when things started
with learning disabilities will enter spaces affected by them but who rarely have the changing because I came into groups like
run by and for non-disabled people. opportunity to know what these ideas are. People First.”
Instead, they set out to create spaces The idea was pioneered by Dr Nicola What an indictment of special schools
for adults and children with learning Grove and Professor Gertraud Kremsner as that haven’t helped people understand
disabilities that also attract people face-to-face workshops but, during the the theories that shape their experience.
without learning disabilities. pandemic, modest funding from the Open Our ambition is to extend the series to
University and the University of Leipzig more thinkers and make it accessible to
Waving hello meant we could open it up via Zoom to lots more people, ideally through a free
The first of these inspiring examples is self-advocates, support people and Open University online course.
Wave, a north London social enterprise academics in England, Wales and Germany. Big Ideas is but one of many initiatives
founded by people who have a disabled It was fabulous. We were fortunate in academia that are pushing the
child, bringing people with and without enough to persuade Tom Shakespeare to boundaries of inclusion in unprecedented
learning disabilities together. kick off with the Social Model of Disability. ways. I have no doubt that those
What is unusual if not unique about Other Big Ideas we shared were Paolo boundaries will continue to be pushed,
Wave – We’re All Valued Equally – is its Freire on Learning, Gertrude Spivak on and long may we continue to do so. n
ethos to create spaces for people with
learning disabilities and their families,
with a warm welcome for everyone else.
People visit the Wave Café in Muswell
Hill to enjoy drop-in art activities, yoga
and good-value vegan and vegetarian
community lunches.
Wave is also a church in Little Ilford in
east London, with a monthly service for
everyone, carefully geared to people with
autism and complex needs.
I worked with Fatos Tezal, Marisa AG
and Jess Hardie. an inclusive team of
newbie researchers, to develop tools to
assess Wave’s impact. We found very high Bernice Hardie
levels of satisfaction around feeling The Wave church: services are designed for people with complex needs and welcome everyone

26 Vol 35 No 4 | Summer 2022 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk