Finding
Their Feet
Abu
is 18, he has dreams for the future …. he wants to be a
Bangra star. However Abu’s mum is worried about his future
because he has a learning disability. What about Abu’s
dreams? Will they come true?
‘Finding
Their Feet’ is a 30 minute play
which follows the story of Abu, a young man with a learning
disability who has reached an important period of
transition in his life: leaving school. What is out there
to help Abu achieve his dream of becoming a Bhangra star
and more importantly, how does he find out about it?
Through Abu’s story the varied emotions experienced by
young people with learning disabilities and their families
as they make the transition, are explored. The concerns and
anxieties faced by carers, as the young person faces these
major life changes are reflected in this vibrant theatrical
piece. The complex issues faced at this time are
highlighted, as feelings of confusion and uncertainty arise
when the carer tries to untangle her way through the
various services. Abu’s aspirations and hopes for the
future, as well as his talents are artistically
represented.
‘Finding their Feet’ reflects many of the authentic
experiences expressed by carers and young people as it was
based on findings from a 3 year study, entitled ‘Evaluating
support services for school leavers with learning
disabilities with special reference to ethnicity’. The
research was conducted by Dr. Raghu Raghavan, Neil Small
and Nicole Pawson from the University of Bradford. The
transition of school leavers with learning disabilities
from school/college to post school services in Bradford,
was the main focus. Funded by the Department of Health, the
project was commissioned to investigate some of the many
issues highlighted in the ‘Valuing People’ White Paper
(DOH, 2001).
The
main aims were:
• To identify the particular
impact of ethnicity on service usage and user satisfaction
for Bradford school leavers with learning disabilities.
•
To help young people and
their carers articulate their needs re engagement and
inclusion in society
•
To offer guides to good
practice that can be monitored by user groups and
implemented by statutory and voluntary service providers
and specifically to provide a template for the newly
established Connexions Service.
It was a
longitudinal study of a group 43 young people and their
carers which sought to capture their voices. The project
utilised methods to include young with a range of learning
disabilities and communication difficulties.
‘Finding their
feet’ was commissioned by
the researchers to creatively disseminate findings from the
study to the young people and carers who participated, in
order to make it accessible as well allowing for ownership
of their stories. It was also performed to service
providers and other professionals to raise more awareness
of the issues faced by families, with the intention of
provoking discussion around practice and service delivery.
It was written by Julie Garton, who successfully combined
various themes which emerged from the study, into one
dynamic story. The superb performance was by carried out by
Mind the Gap, one of the country’s leading theatre
companies.
Contact Nicole Pawson
School of Health Studies, University of Bradford
www.bradford.ac.uk/
