Do you see me?

Photo: Do you see me?

Can you see me? If you don’t see me you won’t know what I can do!

Learning Disability Week: Monday 17 June – Sunday 23 June

Learning Disability Week is a time to celebrate the talents and achievements of people with learning disabilities, and to challenge the barriers we still face.

This year’s theme is “Do you see me?”

There’s an Easy Read guide about the theme from Mencap. Click here to read it.

We Have 3 New Films!

Coming to a place near you – three new films from DIY Theatre Company. DIY’s new films stop us being invisible – we’re knocking all the barriers away so we can be seen!  – Charlotte

To mark Learning Disability Week and Salford’s Big Health Week, we’re excited to be releasing three new films created by DIY Gamechangers.

We will be holding a special Premiere Screening of the films, at The Angel Centre on Friday 20th June, from 1pm to 2pm. If you would like to attend, please let us know by emailing us on diytheatre@gmail.com  

There will be films, there will be popcorn and there will be an opportunity to explore the messages of the films with members of DIY!

About the Films: “Acting for Health”

The films are part of our “Acting for Health” resources which have been created by DIY leaders working with film-makers Hilary Easter-Jones and Ian Dean. They are designed by people with lived experience of learning disability for use with health professionals and to raise awareness of Health Inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities.  

Did you know that DIY’s films show different health practitioners how to understand people with learning disabilities?

We can educate you and we can help you change your minds! – Charlotte

Three DIY Theatre Company performers are acting out a scene from the Acting for Health film series. On the left side of the split screen, a woman in a wheelchair sits in front of a man and a woman dressed as a doctor, all wearing red DIY Theatre t-shirts. On the right side of the screen, the same three performers are seen mid-scene from a different angle. The woman dressed as a doctor is smiling, the man stands behind the wheelchair, and the woman in the chair looks ahead with a focused expression. The caption at the bottom reads “CHARLOTTE: ACTION!

🎬 What the Films are about:

  • DIY’s Five Ways to Wellbeing shows how DIY Theatre Company uses theatre and a technique called “human machines” to explore the Five Ways to Wellbeing (developed by the New Economics Foundation). 
  • Listen to us! explores why it is so important for health professionals to recognise and value the lived experience of people with learning disabilities.
  • Talk to me!! highlights the need for good communication between health professionals and people with learning disabilities and offers some top tips on what good communication can look and sound like.

There will also be fun, interactive activities after the screening, to help everyone explore the films messages in their own time and way.

We want to change the world and change perceptions – people shouldn’t just cast people aside – they should always listen to us! – Charlotte

This News Item was Co-written by Charlotte

We’re really pleased to share that this month’s Latest News was written with the help of Charlotte Little. Charlotte is a DIY Artist and has recently started a new role supporting us with Digital Communications.

Some of the quotes throughout this piece are Charlotte own voice, and some of the pictures were her ideas. As part of her new role, she’s been coming up with ideas to get people talking about Learning Disability Week and Big Health Week, and helping people feel more confident in speaking about the experiences of people with learning disabilities.

Charlotte brings creativity, honesty and a strong voice to DIY’s comms – and we’re excited to be working with her in this way.

The “Acting for Health” Project was made possible with NHS Greater Manchester Mental Wellbeing funding.