Welcome to Snap News, our Summer edition newsletter.
This Issue Includes:
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Disability Pride Month
Disability Pride Month, celebrated every July, is a time to honour and raise awareness about the lives, achievements, and challenges of disabled people.
One journalist who consistently champions these voices is Lucy Webster, who we have had the privilege of knowing for many years. Her insightful articles provide a platform for disabled individuals, fostering understanding and advocacy. Here’s a look at some of her most impactful work for Disability Pride Month 2024.
In Lucy’s excellent "Pride Is An Action," blog, she emphasises that true pride involves active efforts to combat ableism and support the disabled community. She argues that Disability Pride Month should be more than a celebration; it should drive meaningful change and recognition of disabled people's rights and contributions. Lucy calls for both systemic changes and individual actions to create an inclusive society.
Lucy’s blog includes links to further insightful and interesting articles; Disability Pride Month: A history, Why is Disability Pride Month so overlooked? How I found my own disability pride Disability Pride - even when it's hard.
Lucy is a fierce advocate for disability rights, and her articles for Disability Pride Month 2024 often focus on policy and advocacy. She examines the state of disability rights in various countries, shedding light on both progress and setbacks. Her work encourages readers to support disability rights movements, challenges us to think critically about inclusion and accessibility in our daily lives and to understand the importance of policy in shaping the lives of disabled people.
Blog: Pride is An Action
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The Rehab Physio
Christopher Wynne: How technology can help intensive neurological rehabilitation
Intensive neurological rehabilitation focuses on leveraging neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to reorganise itself—to help patients recover from neurological conditions like stroke or brain injury. This approach requires a high volume of specific, repetitive movements, with research suggesting at least 80 hours of intensive therapy for optimal outcomes. Such repetition is crucial for forming new neural pathways and improving function.
The therapy must be frequent, consistent, and tailored to individual needs to be effective. Achieving this intensity is challenging with traditional methods due to resource constraints. However, advancements in technology, such as robotics and virtual reality (VR), are transforming the field. These technologies enable patients to perform thousands of repetitions in a controlled and measurable environment, often beyond the capabilities of conventional therapy.
Robotics provide precise, repetitive movement assistance, ensuring high-quality practice and reducing the need for constant manual support. VR offers engaging and motivating environments, enhancing patient involvement and adherence to rehabilitation programs.
Together, these technologies can lead to faster and more sustainable improvements, offering a promising future for neurological rehabilitation.
For more information see The Rehab Physio website
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Rarely Reframed
Photographer Ceridwen Hughes launched a "Rarely Reframed" project, featuring portraits of individuals with visible differences. Inspired by Dutch paintings, the project aims to challenge societal perceptions and celebrate unique beauty. Participants like Jono Lancaster, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, share their stories to foster understanding and acceptance.
Campaigns like this are so important to help normalise facial differences, making them a regular part of societal representation rather than an exception.
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Discover Digital Summer Festival: Empowering Families with Technology
The Discover Digital Summer Festival, hosted by Family Fund, is a vibrant, free event designed to help families with disabled or seriously ill children explore the potential of digital technology.
Running throughout the summer, this festival offers numerous interactive online sessions, workshops, and resources. Families can engage in activities that enhance their digital skills, learn about assistive technologies, and discover fun, educational digital tools.
The festival aims to empower parents and children alike, providing them with the knowledge and confidence to navigate the digital world effectively. Whether it's through learning new software, exploring accessible gaming, or understanding online safety, the Discover Digital Summer Festival is a valuable opportunity for families to connect, learn, and thrive in today's digital age.
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A Request from our MD, Sally Britton
Some of you will know, or know of, my step-daughter Camilla. Camilla is a delightful young lady who has cerebral palsy and relies on others for all aspects of her daily living. She is non-verbal but can make her needs known to those who take the time to get to know her. She has a sunny disposition and loves company. She is 38, but only the size of a 10 year old.
For nearly 3 years, Camilla has been in a 'temporary' residential setting as no suitable care homes could be identified for her, when the home she had lived in for 15 years, abruptly closed.
The staff try very hard to support her, but this is really a hospital setting and Camilla is not their typical resident. She is often alone in her bedroom, with no company or stimulation. She does not have her own bathroom, so she is denied the chance to use a toilet seat; one thing she is able to do, and experience a sense of achievement. The inability to properly go to the toilet, impacts on her health and well-being.
My Request
If anyone could recommend a residential care home which has a nurse, has residents with physical disabilities who are not elderly, and is within a one hour drive of Southwest London, I would be very grateful to hear about it.
Thank you. Sally Britton
sally@snapcare.co.uk
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The History of The British Nanny
On Saturday 13th July, I had the pleasure of visiting The History of the British Nanny Exhibition, hosted by the British Nanny Association. The exhibition was an interesting journey through the centuries, showcasing the evolution of the nanny's role in British households. From the first paintings depicting a royal nanny back in 1538, through the Victorian era's stern figures to the modern, nurturing, professional childcare workers, the displays were rich with history and nostalgia.
In the section dedicated to the 20th and 21st centuries, I stumbled upon an advertisement we had in a 2005 edition of The Lady Magazine, recruiting was very different back then!
The exhibition shed light on the social changes that influenced the nanny profession, offering a thought-provoking perspective on how gender, class and race all placed a part in the history of the British Nanny.
The History of the British Nanny Exhibition was a blend of education, nostalgia and a glimpse into the lives of nannies through the ages, and the families they worked for. The role of a Nanny and Manny may have changed over the years, but they continue to play an important role in the lives of many children and their families, and from our prospective, especially those providing 1:1 Support for children with additional needs or disabilities.
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Our newsletters are quarterly: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.
If you have useful information you would like to share, please contact sally@snapcare.co.uk
Thank you!
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