Day 74 was adopted by Fiona, an eLearning designer and video producer from Northern Ireland, who is interested in how we might use technology and media to reduce inequality and injustice. This is what she had to say about why she’s supporting #JusticeforLB and #107days:
A few months ago, a couple of tweets from a lady called Sara Ryan were retweeted in my Twitter timeline. Shocked by what I read, I looked at her profile and made my way to her blog. Two hours later I was still there, reading Sara’s blog. It was fantastically joyous and devastatingly sad in equal measure.
Many years ago, I lost my brother to cancer. He was 13 and I was 15. Unlike Sara’s son, Connor (aka Laughing Boy = LB), there was no incompetence involved in his death. But it was at a time when cancer services for children could at best be described as primitive. When you overhear a GP telling your mum that she’s being selfish when she’s feeling afraid to give her child morphine, you know there is something not quite right.
So, when Sara described trying to push the horrors away so that she can remember the good times with LB, it resonated with me. I was hooked into Sara’s story and wanted to become involved, and help, somehow.
And grief is a strange beast. In the immediate aftermath of a death, it almost protects you – numbness, shock, shutdown, self-preservation, darkness. As time goes on, chinks of light get in. You try to remember what was good about the person and use it to drown out the horrors. For years, I remember not being able to see my brother’s face, then one day, I could.
So today I dedicate this blog to letting the light in. In my own family, they couldn’t talk about my brother – It took them almost 10 years to put a headstone on his grave. His name is rarely mentioned, even now, some 25 years later. I loved how in Sara’s blog, she shared stories of LB, and little snippets of conversation. How Sara is coping with her pain and grief is a true inspiration.
This is what Fiona has to say about #JusticeforLB and all dudes/dudettes:
As well as seeking justice for LB, I love how the #107days campaign is highlighting the general crap provision and support for people with learning disabilities in our society. There are so many inequalities around people with learning disabilities. I continue to be shocked when I read statistics on this, for example – more likely to die younger – on average 16 years sooner than everyone else. If this was any other section of society, there would be people on the streets! You can read more about the inequality research here.
The very people we should be protecting the most in society are often discounted as an ‘inferior species’ not worthy of our full attention.
But improving life for our brothers and sisters with learning disabilities is not all about statistics. It is about all of us. In her blog, Sara talked about people who worked with LB, the Charlie’s Angel story made me smile so much. Sara also talked of how LB’s brothers and sister and their friends seemed to find an easy way of happily being together. If this can happen at a family and local community level, then there is no excuse for wider society getting it wrong.
Nurturing the Potential
We all need help to reach our potential. Sadly, if you have learning disabilities, this doesn’t happen in the way that it should. I’ll leave you with a story from a dude that I know. Eoin is 23 and lives near Derry in Northern Ireland. He tells us about his love of learning about World War II and his work as a volunteer in local events. Eoin is thriving and has had several short work placements in local businesses who have welcomed and supported him. Here’s Eoin…
The video is taking a while to sync within the post, but you can watch it on YouTube here.
We’re grateful to Fiona, and to Eoin, for sharing their experiences with us. Our hope is that everyone will receive the support they need to reach their potential, otherwise, to be blunt we’re talking about lives half lived. Surely we’re past that?
#107days 