Bolton Data for Inclusion
The
Action Research Centre for Inclusion
(Sponsored
by: The Barrow Cadbury Trust)
at
Bolton Institute of Higher Education.
Data No 34 :
January 2001
Author(s) :
Caroline Tomlinson
Title :
Joe’s Struggle for His Educational Rights.
Abstract :
This is the story about a young man who has had to struggle to get an educational setting that the vast majority of young men take for granted. The journey through this struggle and the recent use of facilitated communication to have Joe’s voice heard in one that many educational officials would do well to hear.
Joseph Robert Tomlinson
History:
Joseph was born on 3rd October 1988 and weighed 8lb 9oz and was a normal delivery. He was in the special care baby unit for 2 days with suspected dehydration, as I had problems feeding him. Joseph returned home after 6 days in hospital and continued to thrive in all aspects of his development. On the 11th April 1989 Joseph was rushed into hospital with suspected meningitis and he was diagnosed with having meningicoccal meningitis at virtually 6 months old. Joseph remained in hospital where he was sedated and very poorly as septicaemia had also become evident. He remained stable yet had a considerable amount of the bacteria in his bloodstream. After three weeks Joseph was discharged from hospital and was kept under the watchful eye of Dr. McGucken at Wigan Infirmary. At 8 months old we all concluded that Joseph’s development was increasingly becoming more and more delayed and opted for help from the services available to increase his level of functioning. Joseph had a Brain Stem test at Manchester University of Audiology and it was concluded that his hearing was above average.
Early Education
Joseph attended the Mary Sheridan Development Centre from 8 months old on a weekly basis where a multi disciplinary team was fully involved. Joseph made steady progress in his development and the approach seemed to be working. It was felt that Joseph needed further input to enable him to maximise his potential and so it was suggested that he should attend a special school from the age of two years. Mere Oaks was chosen for it’s high level of physiotherapy in a school setting as Joseph had very little mobility, co-ordination or balance and we felt it was important for Joseph to acquire some of these skills before his development could improve in other areas. Joseph began attending Mere Oaks but after 9 months we felt the improvement had been very minimal and Joseph was becoming more and more frustrated in ‘his world’. We received alternative advice from varying sources and was led to believe that this was our only option, yet as a family we could not accept that Joseph was to be almost written off at the age of three years old, so we sought other alternatives from the norm. We approached the British Institute for Brain Injured children who devised a home programme based on the Doman Delacato technique in America, we realised the criticism of such a programme but felt it was more positive than the current approach, we embarked on the programme when Joseph was 3 years and 3 months old and within 3 weeks he crept forward on his tummy, in 6 months he crawled and within 1 year he walked – for which many thought he would never succeed. We maintained the programme for two and a half years and then decided to put Joseph back into the education system due to lack of social contact on the programme and his increasingly more challenging and destructive behaviour.
General Health.
Joseph’s health has improved over the years, after contracting meningitis he suffered the usual problems of photosensitivity for several years and many upper tract infections which were manageable. However at 18 moths old he started having Petite Mal seizures which even though were mild were very frequent. We notified the paediatrician immediately who brought Joseph into hospital for a course of steroids for six weeks. These sustained the seizures during the duration of the steroids but they returned when the effect of the drug wore off. Joseph was then put on Tegretol (Carbamazepine) to control the seizures. After two years on the drug and in partnership with BIBIC and the paediatrician we weaned Joseph off the drug with no problems. Joseph maintained a seizure free life for over a year until April 93 when he had a Grand Mal convulsion lasting for up to one hour. This was noted and no treatment was given long term until he had two more Grand Mal seizures in less than 10 months. Joseph was then put on Tegretol Retard (Carbamazepine Retard) 1 x 200mg tablet to be taken each night. To date Joseph has not had a seizure for over two years and we are now considering weaning him off the medication. Joseph has also had a squint corrected in January 1991 and had his tonsils and adenoids removed in August 1992. He has suffered quite severe upper tract infections for most of his life which he had to be treated with antibiotics, however over the last year he has managed to fight off his colds without any ill effects. Joseph does bang his head on a regular basis with his fist and these have caused sever abrasions on his head which have been treated for infections twice – this problem is a daily occurrence and we have to keep a constant monitoring of the damage occurring.
Physical Skills
Joseph still has mobility, balance and co-ordination problems even though he is able to walk independently. Joseph is able to walk up and down steps and stairs with support, he has problems with rough terrain and needs support out of the home, more out of the fact that he has a tendency to return from where he has just left. Joseph does not actually run but can walk at a fast speed if he wants to get to a short distance quickly. Joseph enjoys water and swimming very much and we regularly take Joseph swimming to encourage independence in the water. We encourage Joseph to walk whilst shopping, going to parks etc… and even though this can sometimes need a lot of encouragement for Joseph we feel it is more beneficial and stimulating than sitting in a buggy. Joseph has no meaningful play (in our sense of the word) and has to be prompted to take part in all active play. We encourage Joseph to play ball, we support him on the trampoline, take him out in his Go-Kart (which we have attached shoes so he pedals and we pull him along) and join in physical play with others – if left to his own devises Joseph would simply sit away from the activity having no desire to join in, yet he does enjoy the participation if supported. Joseph cannot hold any feeding utensils, climb out of the bath, use any household gadgets, sit on the toilet independently, use a pen/pencil/paintbrush etc. do jigsaws or construction kits, again in any of the above Joseph needs support and prompting. Joseph spends his free time, if unsupported wandering around the house or garden throwing items, banging furniture, twiddling and spinning anything circular, he needs constant supervision as he can be a danger to himself, to his sister and other children and destructive to furniture and items in the house. It is very difficult staying in the home with Joseph as one can never relax for a minute, the only place of ultimate safety for Joseph is his bedroom as there is no furniture in it apart from a bed and built in wardrobes which are bolted, and he cannot open the bedroom door (yet!). If Joseph has anything or anyone in his room he will not sleep at all, so if we go away anywhere we always have to have a separate room for Joseph and remove all it’s contents before he will sleep.
Self Help
Joseph has no self help skills, he is unable to dress, wash, bath and feed himself however he will eat a pear or an apple himself and will hold a cup with a lid on himself. He has not ability nor understanding about the wrappers food is contained in e.g. he will eat a sweet with the wrapper on, he will throw an open cup, he will lift up a full plate and throw, he will grab and nip you whilst eating a meal. Joseph needs full support at meal times and we very rarely can eat a meal in peace. Joseph has no concept of self help, even though choices are encouraged he never chooses what to wear or assists in getting dressed, apart from lifting up his arms whilst taking off his jumper. He is encouraged to use the toilet and although his bowels are virtually fully continent this is more than likely good management rather than good control as we never have an indication that he wishes to use the toilet. His bladder control is very difficult with him having no communication and he appears to get great pleasure in ‘weeing’ in obscure places as he laughs and chuckles. This is quite annoying as when he was on the home programme his toileting was virtually fully manageable even out of the home, but now it is quite impossible. Joseph’s routine is quite a laborious task now he is getting bigger and I have a great concern that his independence isn’t being encouraged as much as it could be. He objects now, in quite a physical way to things he doesn’t want to do by throwing himself back, tupping with his head, pulling hair, nipping and biting, you cannot reason with him even though we try, but at the moment we have the ability to physically control him yet I wonder if this will be so, when he is 14 years old a lot taller and certainly a lot stronger?
Communication:
Joseph has no verbal forms of communication, he can make sounds and can babble ‘bab ba’ and ‘mam ma’, these are never used in a communicative sense but are often heard when he is being receptive. He makes good eye contact when he wants to communicate and gives the most adorable smiles as feedback to your response. Joseph has no imaginative play and does not imitate any actions. Joseph often locks himself away in his ‘own world’ with his spinning and twizling toys this makes him verbalise in a repetitive, moaning sort of mode which is almost something he can’t help doing and doesn’t find particularly enjoyable. When Joseph is in this mode it is very hard to snap him out of it unless you remove the fixation toys. Joseph has difficulty in coping in noisy and busy environments he withdraws into a world of repetitive shouting and head turning. I believe Joseph is very overly sensitive in his auditory functioning, and much of his ability to lock himself away into a world of his own could be resolved if his auditory functioning was somehow ‘de sensitised’. Joseph is very receptive to visual images and on the home programme were successfully recognising pictures and words presented on a flashcard, (even we doubted this ability until we saw substantial evidence of Joseph touching words and pictures when asked). I think that this is the key to Joseph’s ability to be able to communicate effectively. Much evidence of children not dissimilar to Joseph has shown that if some method of communication is sought, behaviours which are considered challenging and inappropriate are dramatically reduced and in some cases have ceased altogether. I feel that as long as Joseph has no say in his life his behaviours will steadily worsen – as you can imagine if it was you! Linking into Joseph’s abilities I feel the link to his thoughts are through some kind of augmentative communication, I am currently looking into alternatives and certainly ‘Facilitated Communication’ appears a possibility – this I realise has much controversy attached but I am currently awaiting some research done on the subject and evidence of children who use this method. Although I realise the importance of talking to Joseph, making eye contact, imitating his noises etc.. etc.. we have been doing this 8 years and until we do something positive and constructive I don’t think we will ever really know him or provide him with at the very least, simple choices.
Playing and Learning / Activities at Home.
As previously mentioned Joseph has no imaginative, physical, constructive or purposeful play without support. He locks himself away in his world and frustrates himself quite significantly. We all enter him into our world of play and encourage interaction which is usually in a physical sense. Joseph enjoys rough and tumble and prompted physical play, he laughs and makes good eye contact and prompts you for more with the eye contact. He enjoys watching things that fall and will knock over bricks, he will build a tower with support and will place bricks into a tub, he will take out pegged jigsaw pieces with support and much of this work is easier if you place him over a roll on his tummy and stride across him. This stops him throwing back and tupping you. Much of this play hasn’t changed since Joseph was on the home programme and he has acquired no additional skills from what he had to and a half years ago, nor have the skills he has inspired him to play by himself. Joseph doesn’t watch TV or listen to music readily he has very little concentration and cannot focus on any activity for more than a few seconds (unless it’s twiddling). He is constantly on the move and unless the activity is physical one must apply some form of restraint by ones person to engage him in any play activity. We encourage lot’s of children to be around Joseph in the home and actively get him involved in anything going on in the neighbourhood, yet I am getting more conscientious that at Joseph’s age his Mother shouldn’t be with him supporting him the whole time, I do encourage natural forms of support from the other children which works to a point but Joseph is incredibly strong and can be quite aggressive in terms of pulling other children over by their clothes or hair – this is especially a problem with his 4 year old sister ‘Rosie’. I don’t think he is malicious in his actions, but it is something he can’t resist and something he finds very amusing. This makes the problem increasingly difficult to resolve and to find an approach which works yet doesn’t place individuals, especially children, in an area of danger. The problem is so intense with his sister that they can never be left in a room together and she has problems instigating her own play with being in fear of being attacked. (Rosie has significant hair loss through Joseph’s action’s and walks past him with her hands on her head!)
Activities Outside
Joseph attends many inclusive activities such as play centres, swimming, play schemes, after school clubs, parks etc. and does need support at these venues. This does have costing implications to support Joseph as mentioned previously, as I feel the time is right to wean him away from my support as any other eight year old child would naturally be doing. I have to pay for support as currently Joseph only receives 2 hours home care per week. I requested funding for an inclusive holiday care scheme for a support worker for Joseph but was refused so I sought financial support from the Meningitis Trust. I feel that for the ongoing development and acceptance by society it is important for Joseph to access provision in his community and town from being a child, then he will be given the maximum opportunity to make friends and to be known in his own right. It also provides a wealth of education to all children of the locality and certainly the children who know Joseph have developed an empathy and understanding towards disability which many adults sadly lack. I feel that all Joseph’s activities should reflect age appropriateness and will strive to find suitable activities with his peers.
Relationships
I feel Joseph genuinely responds to people that he likes and certainly recognises the ‘fun people’. He responds well to us as parents yet dislikes physical contact unless it is a bear hug or rough and tumble – this is probably due to his tactile sensitivity. He rarely cries unless he has really hurt himself and you cannot comfort and console him physically by cuddling him as he fights the contact (has always been so). He has a genuine love of his Uncle Leonard who lives with us, their relationship is very equal if not Joseph being the dominant one and in the past Leonard would be the only person Joseph would sit with for any length of time, but this is now changing as Joseph is showing more aggression and dominance towards Leonard and Leonard is loosing patience due to Joseph’s actions, painful glaucoma, cataracts and general ageing. Joseph’s sister Rosie has probably the worst end of the deal with Joseph as he is constantly on the prowl, waiting to pounce. She is quite a bright child who handles the situation well considering and I do believe beneath the constant fight on Joseph’s behalf he has a genuine love for his sister, yet something he has no control over instigates him to pull her over, pull her hair and make her cry or angry. I spend my days when they are together keeping them apart. I have to lock Rosie in one room to protect her whilst Joseph remains in my sight. If I need the loo or to answer the phone Rosie literally has to be at my side. I dare not leave them within arms reach of each other. I have many concerns about the effect Joseph has on Rosie and the protection of Rosie has on Joseph – are we not creating an opportunity to develop a jealousy yet to not protect her leaves her in danger. Within situations with other children Joseph can immediately identify more vulnerable children and will home in on them, this immediately stops relationships from forming as a fear of him is instilled in all the children observing the incident. Although we have a good family network none of the family will take Joseph and mind him as they all find him increasingly difficult and destructive to their homes. If anyone minds him it is always at a cost. If we go to family functions it is always a struggle enjoying the day as you feel you have been dragged, kicked and punched by the time you try and sit Joseph still for a few minutes as we were at a family wedding the other week! We had to take Joseph out of the service, one of us keep walking round with him at the reception, feed him during the meal, go for more walks between courses and the speeches and restrain him from attacking other people at the disco all after moving the furniture out of his bedroom – and weddings are meant to be enjoyable! So regardless of mutual support the family network find Joseph exceedingly difficult to manage and is certainly not something they want to do out of choice! I can only foresee the cute looking boy of today becoming an extremely unruly teenager of tomorrow who has the potential of wearing the most committed of us down if his problems continue to go unrecognised.
Behaviour at Home
Joseph’s behaviour at home has been highlighted many times in this report. He constantly is on the move being destructive to furniture, toys, household objects and a threat to anyone around especially children. Joseph will empty out cupboards and drawers if they are not bolted, will throw ornaments if they are not out of his reach, will open the door and walk off down the path on to the road if the door isn’t locked, will eat fruit continuously if within his reach, will put things into his mouth e.g. coins if left about, will grab people in the car and will open the car door if the child locks are not on, will destroy cassettes and videos, will bang doors until holes appear in walls and will bang furniture until it breaks etc.. etc… Joseph constantly has to be manned, which isn’t always possible and problems inevitably occur. Joseph’s behaviour is no different in other people’s homes or social settings. His behaviour is more manageable in more open spaces and environments which are solely designed for children. This is OK in the short term but very soon Joseph will be out of these ‘organised settings’ and the rest of the world will impinge a problem for him if his behaviours are still as active and destructive. Joseph continues to bang his head with his fist on a regular basis and abrasions are often present on his head, he also will bang his head on the floor or windows. This problem has been present for over 3 years yet we have had no support in managing this behaviour which I constantly address with professionals.
Behaviour at School
Joseph
appears to be of little problem in the school setting and it is reported that
the school experience very little of these problems. I believe that within the classroom setting it is organised
with children in mind - obviously. All
the Things in the class are child centred so it doesn’t matter if these items
are disturbed and things which are more vulnerable or precious I presume are
placed out of reach. If we lived in
a home full of toys and plastic articles there would be little need to be
anxious if Joseph were to touch and bang things.
Within the class setting there are several adults overseeing the
children, Joseph does also have a Nursery Nurse employed for his benefit,
however the school state that this person does not constantly shadow Joseph
which may be so if Joseph is twiddling or spinning any objects and retreating
into ‘his own world’. But how
many activities does Joseph participate in without any support? I would be totally amazed to find any activity which Joseph
participates in independently which is of ‘educational benefit’ to him,
without a lot of support from an adult who will constantly have to prompt and
encourage him. I realise all
children need various levels of support but I cannot see positive steps for
Joseph to develop independence when the pre requisites for learning are being
addressed, such as getting Joseph to sit still and concentrate for a few seconds
and working on lengthening and developing this process.
I have seen little improvement in his level of functioning from when he
was on the home programme with regards to participating in any activity.
He still requires the same level of support however what I have noticed
is that his objections are becoming more difficult to manage.
Joseph appears to be of little threat to the other children in the class
but one must consider the amount of adult eyes being aware of Joseph and
preventative measures are probably easier to sustain in a classroom situation. Each week Joseph’s class are
Are more beneficial
than others, however quite interestingly one particular experience for Joseph
was when they went to Bolton to experience the escalators and lifts and a
neighbour of ours saw him – in a buggy twiddling something. How much ‘social educational’ experience was Joseph
gaining from this? Joseph also goes
swimming with school on a weekly basis which he does enjoy and staff are seeing
improvements – which is positive but it is a positive experience because it is
done on a continuum. Joseph enjoys it and one can understand that each time he
goes he can start where he left off last time and it is something that we follow
up at home on a regular basis. This
I believe is the key for Joseph’s future development make something fun, do it
regularly, give him praise and follow it up at home.
I do find that the school policy of home partnership is quite difficult
to achieve. In the past I have made requests to work together to find solutions
to problems such as Joseph’s head banging and a consistent approach should be
being used by ourselves and school and have they any suggestions.
Only to be told that the head banging had gone no worse so why should we
do anything! I found this attitude
very disheartening and frustrating as Joseph had to be treated twice at the
GP’s with antibiotics to combat two infections caused by infected abrasions on
his head through head banging! Joseph
has experienced many falls in school where he has had some quite severe knocks.
I feel more work could be done to improve his balance and co-ordination
to prevent such falls and more input should be sought from the Physiotherapy and
Occupational therapy departments. Joseph’s
personal social education such as his toileting programme needs a more intensive
continuous vigil between home and school – currently I receive Joseph’s
toileting chart two weeks after it has been completed.
If this was a daily chart that moved from school to home on a daily basis
I could see much more point in the practical functioning of charts.
Joseph’s feeding regime must also be something done on a continuous
level if we are ever to achieve Joseph’s independence at meal times.
I have no idea on the methods used in school and would need support at
home to ensure the continuum is achieved. I
have previously expressed my views on Joseph’s communication yet it is
interesting when one reads school reports that Makaton signing is supported but
no one ever mentions the signs that are used. However I still maintain that the
link to Joseph’s communication is through a visual type of communication and I
recommend the Speech Therapist should look into this to support both school and
home. The school I consider to
manage Joseph’s behaviour because of it’s environmental and manpower
differences to home but long term this is going to have little educational value
or impact on Joseph’s life. I
feel it is important to address the home situation as part of the educational
package and to support us with the difficulties we are experiencing rather than
neatly packaging 9 am until 3.15pm as ‘We’re all right Jack!’ It must be
something you’re doing wrong! I
do not believe that Joseph turns into some demon when he walks through the front
door but the fact the environment at school is different, there is more people
keeping an eye on him and he hasn’t learned any new skills which detract him
from his challenging behaviour.
General Views
I recommend that Joseph should be assessed holistically as I fully believe that education is a means in which to prepare you for life. Joseph should not only be observed at school but at home and in other situations as life means outside the safe environment of the classroom. Joseph should be assessed for independency, his ability to learn and how this may be achieved. I feel that Joseph has the ability to function more independently if an intense programme was set and facilitated. I feel he has an ability to communicate by some type of method if someone devised and implemented the method frequently. I feel he could be fully continent and be more capable of feeding and dressing himself if this was done on a continuum in partnership with home. I feel it is important to limit the people working with Joseph to maintain a continuum and to keep a familiarity for him that confusions and cross method’s don’t happen. I feel Beechtree School can offer and meet Joseph’s needs and they do have a place available and even though this is a three year placement it may give Joseph the pre-requisite skills for benefiting from a curriculum such as Two Porches School. I feel that Two Porches School have had Joseph in school for two and a half years and he has shown very little improvement, yet there is a significant decline in his behaviour. Even though we as a family would like Joseph to remain at home we foresee his problems becoming unmanageable and out of control unless some serious steps are taken to improve his behaviour. He is placing his sister at considerable risk and is putting a large strain on the family as a whole. I fully believe that at Joseph’s age he is still receptive and has a lot better chance of correcting his behaviour now rather than in another five years time. It is going to be worth the investment to put resources into him now to give him a future rather than trying to remedy unsolvable problems. We already have waited over two and a half years for a conclusion to Joseph’s educational needs and we must stress that these problems have significantly worsened in the time since his last assessment, so we wait for a swift conclusion this time, as we may not be of a ‘sane mind’ to write yet another report on Joseph!
Update.
Joseph
started to use facilitated communication over 18 months ago.
Since this method of communication was introduced many of the behaviours
mentioned in the above report cease to exist.
Attached is a diary of Joseph’s log of communication in the first few
weeks of him using FC as well as an up to date report which was written for
school. As you will read it is
essential now that Joseph not only has access to communication, but also access
to his ‘own voice’ could change his life considerable.
Joseph is now 12 years old, his sister Rosie is 8 and he now has a new brother
who is 3, Jacob. His uncle Leonard
died 2 years ago and the fact that Joseph now is able to use facilitated
communication helped enormously with Joseph to cope with his bereavement.
Joseph recently attended mainstream school on a part time basis in year 6 in the
juniors. This was very successful
and was a learning experience for all concerned.
Joseph managed with the work load of the same level as the other pupils
in the class and the curriculum was never modified for him.
Joseph managed to pick up the work, no problem.
More importantly Joseph started to develop friendships for the first time
in his life and other young people began to call for him – a real first time
experience.
Unfortunately this year was to end and the other kids were moving on to High
School. I tried to get Joseph in
but this was all put on hold. I
felt the intermediate approach would be to get him into the more local special
school for children with physical disabilities.
I felt the curriculum would be set at a higher level than the SLD school
and the links with our local high school would more likely be there.
We succeeded in getting Joseph into this school but the high school
seemed to keep moving way out of the equation.
Joseph’s behaviour has recently gone really difficult and when asked
why he has expressed that he feels no one at the school understands him and he
has no friends. I have spoken with
the head of year to hopefully resolve some of the issues and felt the only
positive way forward was to try and get Joseph in mainstream high school. This is still being negotiated and as these things do is
taking longer than ever, Meanwhile
Joseph’s behaviour is still quite erratic although I have told him to be
patient and sometimes life means being tolerant.
I have asked him to try and behave at school and really try to
accommodate his surroundings and the people within the setting. This has seemed to help although I can’t influence some of
the day to day happenings.
So it is a case of watch this space and continue to negotiate for a place for
Joseph as I believe fighting and arguing will not work.
Joseph really needs to feel welcome and wanted if he is to settle
anywhere as environmental factors and people’s attitudes affect Joseph so
deeply. I really hope 2001 will
bring about change for Joseph and most importantly the formulation of
relationships with others. Meanwhile
unknown to Joseph he has a beautiful black pony waiting for him on Christmas
day, a sort of bridge to provide him with a special relationship that only
animal lovers will understand. After
all we all need special friendships of our own and responsibilities and this is
a taste of life for Joseph in the future.
Joe’s Story
Sit back in your seat, relax take a moment and think back in time
Remember what you did when you were only just nine
Those memories of childhood of mystery and fun
You probably remember those summer days of great joy in the sun
Little thoughts of secrets will make you smile in delight
And even those moments when you couldn’t sleep at night
But it’s not what you remember, but who you were with at the time
That will stay with you forever and will continue to shine
But just for a moment stop and think what it is like to be put in a taxi at two years old
To travel with two adult people you’ve never met – does it feel cold?
Then you go into a classroom of silence and rules
Apart from all the adults who keep giving you cues
No-one speaks to you, you’re just passed around
He does this or that they say, oh and watch cause he frowns.
You cry for your mum – it’s his disability they say
It’s not, you say silently, I just want to go home to play
You’re past from pillar to post but most of the time you just sit, stare and groan
The other children are in the room, aptly placed, but they too are alone
No-one talks to you or refers to you by your name
Only when it suits, but that’s a waiting game!
If only someone would find out what you liked to do
I’m sure you could make a choice of even one or two
Time moves on the taxi comes again
At least you hear the gossip or when it’s going to rain
At home Mum cuddles you and says sorry an awful lot
She knows it doesn’t feel right but says “It’s the only choice I’ve got”
The family keep saying you must do what you thinks best
But how can Mum know, she’s no different from the rest?
When we go out shopping some people stop and stare
They never say anything – but I don’t really care
Others say what’s wrong with him, or how did he get like that?
And some say to Mum “You must be a saint from heaven” she’d no choice you stupid prat!
Time moves on and the best advice we got was true
There’s only one real person interested in him they said, and that is you
And so Mum took control and read every book she found
She wrote letters, made phone calls and really asked around
She searched high and low to find help and finally got some relief
It wasn’t some high tech methods just some pure belief.
And so life began again to be included was the key
To take part in ordinary things no matter how limited I may be
The inclusion into real life changed my life completely
I started the local school although only once weekly
First time ever I got Christmas cards signed by my real mates – in fact I got a lot
I wasn’t just added on to my parents cards just in case others forgot
My mates began to knock on my door and ring up on the phone
So much so my parents really began to moan
My proudest moment came though this valentines day night
When I was asked out at the school disco – with a bit of all right!
And so my story continues at eleven I’ve still time to grow
But I am really clear about the future and I think that you should know
My dream in life is to be myself to make the choices that I see
To go to college, to get a job and have my friends for tea
Eventually I would like to leave home to somewhere of my choice
I would like my own way of getting around – perhaps a chauffeur and Rolls Royce!
But most importantly I would like to see opportunities for everyone to live the life they choose
To have real friends, to live in real homes and for them to win not lose.
Just one last point before I go which is really important to me
Make sure that you take account when writing your strategy
It’s people who are important consider each person to be you
How would you like your services, please think this through.
Would you want equal choices, dignity and respect?
Would you want privacy, your friends around and even be able to have pets?
Never forget it is a plan with people, for people that we write
Take these valued points into consideration and you are assured you will
Further information is available from:
Karen Barton (k.barton@bolton.ac.uk)
Bolton Institute
Chadwick Street
Bolton, BL2 1JW
England