Joseph
Rowntree Foundation: Findings - Informing
Change
Making
change happen for black and minority ethnic disabled
people
Four grassroots development projects were supported by the
Joseph Rowntree Foundation to generate practical learning
about how to make change happen for black and minority
ethnic disabled people. EQUALITIES aimed to increase the
local voice of black and minority ethnic disabled people
and carers. International Somali Community Trust employed
direct advocacy and set up a user forum for Somali-speaking
disabled people. People in Action supported ROOOTS, six
African Caribbean people with learning difficulties, to
deliver training to local service providers. Tassibee
trained Pakistani Muslim women with experience of mental
health difficulties to run self-help groups. Becca Singh
was commissioned to work with these projects to identify
common lessons. The study found that:
• Black history and
heritage, faith and strong cultural traditions played a key
role in three projects, for example in providing the
inspiration for and focus of the projects, and in building
trust with participants and the wider community.
• Projects were most successful where they responded from
the outset to the complexity of participants’ identities,
multiple support needs and experiences of multiple
exclusion.
• Sharing personal life stories in safe group settings
(training sessions, user forums, self-help groups) proved
highly effective in changing individuals’ lives.
• Projects and participants benefited from:
- handing over
decision-making to the participants directly involved;
- blending new ideas with valued traditions;
- using different arts media;
- accessing disability equality training;
- getting out and being part of the local community;
- local and national networking.
• Flexible funding
arrangements supported experimentation, enabling projects
to change pace and process. However, having short-term
funding put organisations under strain.
For
further information and to download the full report visit:
www.jrf.org.uk
Other formats are available.
Tel: 01904 615905
Email:
info@jrf.org.uk
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
November 2005
