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January 2022 newsletter
Your monthly update on all things Inclusion Barnet, as well as local and national goings on which impact the lives of disabled people in Barnet, including people with mental health issues and long term conditions.
Welcome to the January edition of the IB newsletter and a very happy new year to all our members. Whether or not you make resolutions, January feels like a time of fresh starts and a new chapter. At Inclusion Barnet, we want to talk to more of our members in 2022 and ensure that we’re representing you effectively. Whether or not you’ve been an active member in the past, we’d love to see you at our meetings and get to know you better. Other ways of getting involved are in the newsletter below, such as the new Equivox campaign or Stages, the group for parent carers.
We know 2022 will bring challenges as well as new opportunities, for us and our members, but we want to ensure that we know what you’re experiencing so we can keep campaigning for change, and we’d be delighted to hear from you. Whatever is on your mind, please do get in touch with our User Voice Project Lead eve@inclusionbarnet.org.uk to start the conversation.
We look forward to hearing from you
Caroline Collier
Chief Executive Officer
Get involved!
New Instagram project
If there is one thing that you wish people knew about what it is like to face the barriers you do every day, what would it be? What could friends and family, or employers and local authorities do to make life better for you?
We have just launched a new Instagram account, @Equivox_campaign, where we're posting short videos of disabled people’s lived experiences. You can follow us there, contribute your own stories, invite friends and acquaintances to follow us, and comment on/share the stories you hear.
Find out more about Equivox using the link below and start following us on Instagram today @equivox_campaign or contact our project lead, Sam Earle, by email: eqivox@inclusionbarnet.org.uk or telephone: 07732 900 242.
Calling parents of disabled children
We've just started a new pilot project which aims to provide a safe, supportive and empowering space for parents of disabled children and young people.
Together we plan to share knowledge and guidance around the social model of disability, create a support group and resources for families to help them support their children in the best way they can.
We’ve called the project Stages, to highlight the many steps involved in empowering disabled children and young people, as well as our end goal of hearing more young disabled voices at the forefront of society.
Use the link below for more information about the project and find out if it is for you.
Library volunteers wanted
We’re on the lookout for volunteers to help in our libraries at South Friern or New Barnet Library. Minimum 3 hours per week, ideally at the same time and same day each week. No experience necessary, but basic IT and English language skills are essential.
For more information, please get in touch with our Library Manager, Nick, by email at nick@inclusionbarnet.org.uk, or call New Barnet Library on 020 8359 3860 or South Friern Library on 020 8359 3946.
Inclusion Barnet news
User Voice Forums
Thanks to everyone who made it to our forum on 14th December. We had a really good discussion about how people want to engage with us, and will use everyone’s insights to help us improve our User Voice work.
You can download the minutes here.
One thing our members and friends have told us is that they’d like to keep in touch more often, so for 2022 we will be trialling shorter, more frequent meetings. These will take place from 6-7pm on the second Wednesday of every month, which we hope will make scheduling much easier for anyone who’d like to attend. You can book, find the direct joining link and add meetings to your calendar using the link below.
Who wants to go to bed at 8pm every day?
Our Co-Chair, Jennifer Pearl, has recently been raising awareness about the need for more flexibility in care services for disabled people who need support with bedtime routines.
You can view her blog and BBC news appearance using the link below.
If you have any comments or would like to contribute to this conversation, please get in touch with us via any of the following ways:
email: info@inclusionbarnet.org.uk
Twitter: @InclusionBarnet
Or why not share your experiences via our new Equivox project on Instagram: @equivox_campaign
Meet our team
Tracey Reid, Touchpoint Peer Worker
Our core service for the disabled community here at Inclusion Barnet is our Touchpoint service, run by staff who have lived experience of disability. We offer general information about local services and one-to-one peer support advice for those facing more complex barriers. Our aim is to help people access the support and resources they need to live the life they want to live.
1. How long have you worked at Inclusion Barnet?
I have been working at Inclusion Barnet since October 2021.
2. What’s the main thing you are working on right now?
I am a member of the team within the Touchpoint Peer Support Service. So my main focus is related to casework. I am currently building up my caseload of customers in need of additional support.
3. How does having lived experience impact your role?
It is useful to actively use my lived experience in the role to have much better insight into the complexities of each individual customer’s needs, then find the best way to encourage, support and empower them to move forward.
4. The best thing about working at Inclusion Barnet?
Working within a supportive environment that is prepared to go the extra mile by recognising and balancing the demands of the role, and protecting my general wellbeing at the same time.
5. Favourite way to spend time when you’re not working?
I like to experiment with different recipe ideas, which has become much more challenging since stopping eating meat!
Campaigns, consultations and more
Scope petition for the right to an appropriate assessor
The charity Scope are calling on the Government to give disabled people the right to request an appropriate assessor.
Click the button below to read more about it and sign the petition.
Job opportunity
Pro-bono project coordinator – Z2K charity - Salary: £29,577
If you have at least 2 years’ experience of paid or voluntary work in the Advice or Legal sector and an in-depth knowledge of disability benefits and appeals to the First Tier Tribunal - this could be for you! Disabled people strongly encouraged to apply.
Closing 9 Jan 2022
Channel 4 Dispatches
Many of us watched the harrowing Channel 4 Dispatches episode on Friday 17th December. It covered the investigations into deaths of disabled people that were linked to the DWP assessment process. If you can face it, it provides a real insight into the situation, and there’s still time to watch it on catch up. We’d love to hear your thoughts about it, so please do email us at uservoice@inclusionbarnet.org.uk and let us know your thoughts!
About us
Membership
Why not become a member of Inclusion Barnet?
Membership:
• Is FREE
• Connects you a growing network of disabled people in Barnet
• Gives your voice a boost where it counts
• Gives you a say in the future of Inclusion Barnet
Inclusion Barnet services
Have you heard about some of the other community services that we run? Click on the logos or buttons for more information.
Independent Living Centre, c/o Barnet & Southgate College,
7 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, London NW9 4BR
Inclusion Barnet is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Registered Charity Number: 1158632
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