Tag: disabilities

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Feel the Force Day on the Radio

Simon & JJ from Feel The Force Day are on the radio / podcast.

Richard talk to Si & JJ, they are a local charity that puts on a Comic Con (although they have much more on now) for Disabled people. The event has a worldwide reach, is the only one of its kind in the world and has people flying in just for the convention. We talk to them about the beginnings, the trials and tribulations, how they get things done and also recent events that have been well publicised here in the East of England. All of this mixed in with some Space themed music! Enjoy.

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Game of Thrones star – Disability charities ‘on the brink of a crisis’

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington (who playes Jon Snow) speaks out.

Disability charities ‘on the brink of a crisis’

In this candid  interview witk Channel 4 News, Kit talks  about how his cousin’s learning disabilities helped him to see the stigma around disability and the financial challenges affecting charities that care for people who are severely disabled. He is working with charities such as mencap to raise awareness of some of the issues that charities are facing.

Well worth the 9 mins to watch and good on him for using his fame to raise awareness of this issue.

 

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Father creates world’s first ultra-accessible theme park

This is a totally amazing story.

Gordon Hartman realised there were no parks where his daughter Morgan, who is disabled, could play. So he decided to build one.

Hartman and his wife Maggie asked other parents where they could take their daughter – somewhere she would feel comfortable, and others would feel comfortable interacting with her.

“We realised such an inclusive place didn’t exist,” says Hartman.

So in 2007 he decided to build it himself. A former property developer, he sold his homebuilding businesses in 2005 to set up The Gordon Hartman Family Foundation, a non-profit organisation that seeks to help people with disabilities. Then he set about creating the “world’s first ultra-accessible theme park”.

@Feeltheforceday #inclusive #endtheawkward

Read the full story here: http://bbc.in/2v6b1oD

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Please help spread the word

Sharon

Sharon here asking for you to Please help spread the word:

Another plug for the sponsored run for Feel The Force Day – 6 of us are running 5 & 10k races at the #rundisneyfrance half marathon weekend at Disneyland Paris in September (21st – 26th) – we are doing this at our own expense to raise money for #FTFD. Last year 2 of us raised just over £1,000 which enabled the team to put on the biggest event for disabled guests so far.

This year, sponsorship hasn’t been so good and with just under 6 weeks to go until the run we are desperately trying raise awareness of the cause, the run and what Feel the Force Day is about. The Run 4 Feel the Force Day team has been trying to publicise it as much as we can to get some sponsors and every penny counts.

If you can share either

The just giving page: http://bit.ly/run4ftfd17
Or the #run4ftfd Facebook page: Run 4 Feel the Force Day
Or the #run4ftfd Website: http://run4ftfd.co.uk

That explains what Feel the Force Day is and why its such a great cause and why the 6 of us – including the amazing Jonathon who has cerebal palsy, Mandy who is Jonathan’s carer and bakes for FTFD, Sharon (me) who raises funds for Feel the Force Day along with fellow East Kent Costume Club friends Samantha, Ben and Sam’s son James are all running for this great cause (at our own expense) ..

Every single penny raised goes straight to Feel The Force Day allowing them to put on fantastic events.

1 in 4 people feel awkward talking to people with a disability. One of the reasons FEEL THE FORCE DAY exists is to make it possible for guests with disabilities to enjoy a sci-fi convention / comic con in the same manner as (and I hate to use this word) a normal guest. Not all disabilities are visible and some are very visible – so the amazing team at FEEL THE FORCE DAY put on an event that EVERYONE can feel comfortable at. FTFD events are accessible for wheelchairs and scooters of all shapes and sizes, aisles are wide to allow guests with walking aids to pass, tables are at a height that chairs and shorter guests can access. There are sensory rooms and touch tables for guests with visual or hearing problems, quiet rooms for guests who are anxious, autistic and have other issues with noise and crowds. Guests are encouraged to touch props and costumes – it is a festival of sound and vision, touch and taste – something for all the senses – even if that means very quiet and one on one experience. These events are UNIQUE and only possible through donations from rundraisers like this run and volunteers.

So if you can share, encourage someone to sponsor the team (even if its only £1 every single penny helps), and to raise awareness of this amazing cause – I and the rest of the #teamftfd runners would be SO greatful.

If you happen to be attending the Run Disney France event come and say hi there are lots of us running and a bunch of guys from Run DV would love to be cheared along.

Thank you for reading this very long post and thank you for your support

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How Feel the Force Day is helping

Department of Health Report into Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities – sounds serious right?

 

Happy Days is an event designed to enable people with learning disabilities the opportunity to meet people from health related services at a fun event. Happy Days was held at the Peterborough Town Hall and had over 250 people attend, providing much greater reach than had previously been achieved and allowed the services to better understand their audience.

In 2014, Feel the Force Day worked with Peterborough City Council to bring Happy Days into our Peterborough event. By introducing stands from Happy Days, Feel the Force Day enabled people to access those support services in an environment designed for fun instead of trying to introduce fun in an event designed for health services.

As a result of the success achieved through the integration between Happy Days and Feel the Force Day, both have been cited as best practice within the Department of Health Report into Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities, which updated on work being done to bring greater health equality to people with learning disabilities.

Read the full article here on the Feel the Force Day Page, where you can also download a copy of the report from the Department of Health (Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities: Progress Update) in easy read and full pdf format.

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