One of the nice things about working for Inclusion Barnet is that we get to work with some amazing partners. We have a great opportunity to do that this year, working with inclusion London and other DDPO partners on an exciting project to create strategic communications for our sector. 

Deaf and disabled peoples organisations have been around for perhaps 50 years, but there’s still work to do to raise our visibility with the general public. This project will create communications that explain what a DDPO is, why the way we work is important and who we can benefit. 

We won’t solve everything immediately, but we think raising the visibility of disabled people and the organisations that represent them is a good base for future campaigning. 

Speaking of campaigning, in the next issue of our newsletter I’ll be talking more about what we’re doing to campaign for disabled people’s rights.

Caroline Collier
Chief Executive Officer

Members meeting outcome

We were delighted that some of you were able to attend our member meeting in person last month with some joining us online. This was our first attempt at a hybrid meeting, and we are now busy reviewing our technical equipment to ensure the next one is even better! 

As a result of your feedback at the meeting we are asking our local election candidates to focus on making the following pledges for disabled people in Barnet:

1. Provide emergency grants for food and energy, and support and resource Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations (DDPOs) to enable disabled people to access them.

2. Prioritise disabled people for support from the discretionary fund for those ineligible for April's council tax rebate.

If you’re on social media you may have seen that several local candidates have already retweeted this pledge. If you want to support this call to action, simply retweet whenever you see it!

Goodbye to Yasmin

Last month we sadly said farewell to our lovely colleague Yasmin Rahman, Peer Research Officer at Healthwatch Barnet. We are delighted for Yasmin securing an exciting new research job in Newham and we thank her for all her fantastic work with us over the past year.  Yasmin told us:  

”I gained invaluable experience and was able to improve my research skills. I was able to talk about my experiences as a Peer Research Officer with Healthwatch Barnet and the social model of disability which IB subscribes to during my interview with my next job. I also learnt a lot about neurodiversity from working at IB which I discussed during my interview and this helped secure my next job. I’ll definitely miss all the IB colleagues who are extremely supportive and understanding!”

Judi (she/her), Healthy Heart Project Co-ordinator | Previously: Representation Lead

1.    How long have you worked at Inclusion Barnet? 
     
1 year (on 3/5/22).

2.    What is the main thing you are working on right now? 

As I transition, I am completing on two large reports as Representation Lead, 1) State of the Sector survey results report (working alongside my colleague Banos Alexandrou, our in-house researcher), and 2) Applying to NAVCA (a national charity supporting infrastructure organisations), for an accreditation award for CVS work to Barnet charities, voluntary, community and faith organisations. This has been a tour de force, after interviewing 27 staff across the different sectors. I am so grateful for the time people gave to be interviewed and I am getting excited about completing on this project, I have been working on for the past 7 months.

As of the 1 April, I officially began my new role of Healthy Heart, Peer Support Project Co-ordinator. Supported by Head of Service, Debbie Bezalel, we have been interviewing potential Peer Support workers to join me in delivering the work. The project is a joint venture between London Borough Barnet Council and Inclusion Barnet, looking to address hypertension issues for Barnet residents from African, Caribbean and South Asian communities. Input from our Public Health, clinical divisions, VCS and social care partners is crucial to make the project a success.

                                                                                                                
3.    How does having lived experience impact your role?  

My lived experience of hypertension and being someone born in the Caribbean provides me with direct experience of being part of one of the groups we will serve and support. I have lived with high blood pressure for the past 20 years and yo-yoed with my weight, my level of exercise, my looking at the way I eat and using medication. The past 2 years have impacted me, as it has so many others both mentally and physically. Working in Barnet and being in conversation with Royal Free Hospital staff about renal health has opened my eyes to the potential long term impact of hypertension. I knew about the potential for stroke, but kidney/renal failure was a wake up call!

4.    The best thing about working at Inclusion Barnet? 

As Representation Lead I had the privilege of working at a strategic level with a variety of Forums. Here is a flavour of what I have been involved with: (reducing) Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Refugee and Asylum Seekers Support, Community Safety Partnerships, Social Prescribing Advisory Group, Barnet Resilience Forum and working on its risk register, Barnet Vaccine Oversight Group, Royal Free Equity Recovery Programme, Barnet Carers Forum, Suicide Prevention Strategy and Barnet Food Security / Foodbanks. At times it made my head spin, but it has been a wonderful grounding for the new role and an insight in to Barnet. Something I would never have gained through any other job. What I have learnt in IB, is that my voice matters.

5.    Favourite way to spend time when you’re not working? 

I wished I could say something exciting like scaling mountains and daily hot yoga…sadly I am a total psychology geek and read all sorts of non-fiction books on peak performance and understanding how the brain and mind work. Now that most things are online, I attend lots of webinars on new psychological developments (Weekend University member). My most recent passion since the murder of George Floyd has been anti-racism and championing this work in schools. I am a Chair of Governors for a secondary academy (in post since 2008) and a Co-chair for a primary academy (in post since 2017), both in south London and these two roles take up most of my spare time. I love it and both will come to an end by July of 2023, so I am looking at what next?

Thanks for all your feedback on this newsletter. We’ve started this new section to help promote accessible activities and events in Barnet and the surrounding areas. We’ll only include content that has been designed with disabled people in mind or includes specific accessibility info and is free or heavily subsidised.

If you belong to, know of, or run a local activity that you would like us to promote here, please get in touch with us by email info@inclusionbarnet.org.uk, tag us or send us a direct message on social media.

Lifting the veil: Removing the invisibility of adult social care

The House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee is now launching a major inquiry to consider how that entrenched invisibility of adult social care impacts on the lives of people across the spectrum who draw on care and support and their carers. It will explore what needs to change to create a fair, resilient and sustainable care system that better enables everyone to have choice and control over their life. 

Individuals and organisations are invited to submit evidence to this enquiry.