Glasgow does Strictly for disabled people

 

 

Ten disabled people across from Scotland travels to Glasgow to take apart in an inclusive dance event “Strictly All Ability” next spring

Strictly All Ability 2025 sees dancers from all over Scotland from Glasgow, Argyll and Bute, Stirling, Falkirk, Renfrewshire, Easter Ross, South Ayrshire and Stranraer.

 

Strictly All Ability is an inclusive dance competition, where 10 adults with disabilities take part in a “Strictly Come Dancing style” event. There are participants coming from all across Scotland to represent their region in the competition, they will be partnered with a professional dancer and have 8 weeks of lessons,

 

Clair Murphy, the “Participation and Inclusion co-ordinator” for TAG and the organiser of Strictly All Ability explains: “Strictly All Ability is an inclusive dance competition, where 10 adults with disabilities take part in a “Strictly Come Dancing style” event. There are participants coming from all across Scotland to represent their region in the competition, they will be partnered with a professional dancer and have 8 weeks of lessons.”

The charity “The Advisory Group” (TAG) is having a fantastic, fund raising and inclusive dancing event held in at The DoubleTree by Hilton, Cambridge St Glasgow on the 26th April 2025 from 6.30 to midnight called “Strictly All Ability”

All of the money which fund raised will go to two great charities, which they are The Advisory Group and Giving hope.

The Advisory Group is an organisation run by people with disabilities. It promotes social inclusion and the creation of a Scotland where the gifts and talents of everyone are recognised and every citizen is seen to have equal value in society.

Giving Hope charity support the mental health of children and young people and their families. They also help vulnerable families with food vouchers.

Both charities work in partnership to host the event and all profit made on the night is split between both charities to help them continue their work promoting inclusion. 

back in 2023, TAG held the first Strictly All Ability which it was a huge success, people who took part had

the opportunity to showcase their talents and be celebrated with all their friends and family cheering them on. Some of the audience felt so inspired by the dancers that they jumped at the chance to compete next year! Following the event, one of last year’s pro’s has started an accessible dance class in the south side of Glasgow where people get together to enjoy their love of dance every week!

Stephanieann Mcewan took part in Strictly All Ability 2024 and really enjoyed dancing, she adds: “I really enjoyed it was a great experience”, I got to meet lots of other people and it was exciting to be on stage in front of my friends and family.

Clair adds; “The idea of Strictly All Ability comes after TAG were running an accessible dance class in Paisley,” where TAG hired studio space from Giving Hope charity. They organised Strictly style events to raise money for their charity and asked if TAG would like to organise an event together. That’s where it all began!

 

Tickets are £60 adults and £40 for children, this includes a three-course meal, wine on the table, great entertainment and a disco.  You can get tickets here: Buy tickets – Strictly All Ability - 2025! – DoubleTree by Hilton, Cambridge St Glasgow (tickettailor.com)

 

  Written by Jill Clark 

Ability Today

 Getting more disabled people into Journalism.

Ability Today is an online platform which provides news, resources and education support for disabled people.  Grant Logan, the founder and CEO of Ability Today adds: “our mission is to inform, educate, and inspire the disabled community by sharing relevant news, opportunities, and personal stories of triumph”.

  Ability Today has been working with the NCTJ to provide Journalism courses to disabled people world-wide for 5 years now and it has been a big success, Grant explains: “I am incredibly proud of the students who have studied through Ability Today's ADJs. Watching their journey and seeing their successes has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. These individuals have not only excelled academically but have also become strong advocates and voices within the disabled community.”

 Grant set up Ability Today after suffering from a spinal cord injury after a road accident in 2003. He adds: “I started Ability Today out of a desire to bridge the information gap for people with disabilities. When I faced my own challenges, I realised there was a lack of centralised resources and news tailored to our community”.

By Jill Clark 

 

Communication

 Communication is the key to everything!!!

Without communication the world couldn’t go on.  We communicate with each other every day in many ways. Not just through speech.

Some people communicate through symbols or just body language vice or sign language.

Kim Hartley Kean has been a speech therapist for many years now, she explains: “I wanted to be a speech therapist because I like communicating myself and I wanted to know how and why people do communicate.” 

It is so important that everyone has a chance to communicate, Kim adds: it is how we connect with everyone, it is how we express ourselves it is how we socialise.”

In 2021, Kim and another speech therapist set up a social enterprise called Communication Inclusion People. The team of Communication Inclusion People includes Kim, another speech therapist and 12 Co-Producers who communicate in different ways.  The team delivers projects to organizations who want to   improve their inclusive communication, such as deliver training on how to communicate with someone who has communication difficulties.   Kim adds: “if we can get organisations to be good at communication inclusion, it will give people more of a chance to communicate with organisations.” 

By Jill Clark 

Inclusion

 Everyone should be included in the world no matter what!

We live in a world where inclusion should be the front of everything but sadly is not.  

There is an organization called The Advisory Group or TAG for short where inclusion is at their heart of their work! 

Leam MacKeown the, Development Manager (Participation and Inclusion) of TAG thinks that the meaning of inclusion is creating a level playing field for everyone, he adds “inclusion is for everyone to have a chance to say what they need to say 

Leam says: “the members of TAG drives forwards what TAG does” for example campaigns for more changing places toilets.

TAG really pushes for inclusion, Leam adds “we invite guest speakers to our meetings to let our members voice their issues like accessibility or taxis issues.“

In 2024, there are still barriers for disabled people getting included in the world such as people’s understanding of Disabilities.”

But Leam believes that it is getting better for disabled people getting included in the world, he adds “when I started working with disabled people, there was a lot of them living in hospitals but now there is a lot of disabled people living in their own homes”.

By Jill Clark 

changing places awareness day 2024

 

Today (19^th July) is changing places awareness day.  For you who don’t know what changing places is, let me explain.

 

Standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of all people with a disability. Over ¼ million people in the UK with a disability need extra equipment and space to allow them to use the toilets safely and comfortably. These needs are met by Changing Places toilets. So, a changing places toilet have the all Right equipment in it such as a hoist, a changing bed and it is very big to move around for a wheelchair user and 2 carers. I am just one of these people.

 

Everyone goes to the toilet up to 10 times a day or may be more but sadly this is very difficult for a lot of disabled people who requires a changing places toilet because of the lack of changing places.

In Scotland, there is 270 changing places and 26 in Glasgow (where I live) even although this is better than it was when I started campaign 10 years ago there is still a lot of work to be done.

 

As a disabled person who like to go out and about a lot I always work my day or trip around where I can get to a changing places and  let me tell you it isn’t fun! Who would of  thought that getting to  the toilet would be a big problem? Well, that is my life and many others.  Like I said there is just 26 changing places in Glasgow now but  there is still a lot of work to be done.   For example, I would like to see some restaurants, pubs, parks, supermarkets, hotels and many more places.   So, this changing places awareness day I want to make everyone aware of the importance of changing places toilets and the need of them everywhere!  can I ask everyone who is reading this post to share this to show your support for changing places toilets pleas? And together we can make the world a more inclusive place!  #CPAD24 #inclusion

 Written by Jill Clark 

A Poem

 Here is a poem by me.

Just as normal as you 

I communicate in a different way as you, through a communication device but I am just as normal as you.

I am in a wheelchair but I am just as normal as you.

I take time to say what I want to say but I am just as normal as you.

I still hug my Blobby teddy at 32 but I am just as normal as you.

Sometimes I laugh to myself but I am just as normal as you.

Sometimes I get really angry but I am just as normal as you.

I need special equipment to get to the toilet but I am just as normal as you.

So, if you meet me in the street. Please remember, I am just as normal as you.

Written by Jill Clark 

My Great Success

Sometimes, everyone feels that they are not getting anywhere with things, especially when they have been trying so hard and for so long. That was what I felt like when I was trying to get a Changing Places toilet in Clydebank shopping centre.

Clydebank is my local shopping centre, where I go a lot.  But it was getting difficult to go there because I couldn’t get the toilet in the centre because I require a hoist to get to the toilet.  I remember one time my Mum and myself asked at the information desk if they had a hoist in the toilet, but sadly, they said no.  We thought it was terrible because they just had a baby changing toilet installed but they didn’t have the right disabled toilet. So, I decided I was going to get a Changing Places toilet installed in Clydebank shopping centre.

It was back in 2018 when I started campaigning.  First of all, I wrote a letter to the shopping centre with TAG‘s help and lucky enough they got back to me quite quickly and asked to meet with me.

 

At the meeting I explained my issues and how it would make such a difference if they installed a Changing Places toilet to a lot of disabled people, including myself. The manager seemed very positive that they could get a Changing Places installed. This was a very good start, but little I did know that we had a long road ahead!

After that first meeting, I kept emailing them to see what was happening, but I just kept getting same answer, that they were waiting for all of the planning to go ahead. This took years!  I was getting frustrated.  I know these things takes while and it can’t happen overnight, but it is an important facility to have in the centre.

 

In 2020 the world closed down so; I knew that would hold everything back.

 

In summer 2022, I got email to say that Clydebank got the go ahead for the changing places and I was delighted to hear it, but it took another year and half to build it.

 

It was summer last year when they finally started to build the toilet. I was so glad to see it started.  A few months later it wasn’t finished and I started to wondering if it will ever open! 

 

I kept emailing the manager and I kept being told it was all ready, but it needed to be officially signed off. Once again, I was very frustrated. Knowing it was ready, but it couldn’t be used. Finally, on the Friday before Christmas, it opened at last!  I was emailing the manager every day that week before Christmas, then on the Friday I heard that it was open,  so me and my Mum went straight to Clydebank to see it.

That first time that I saw the Changing Places I thought it was a fantastic facility and I couldn’t believe that it was opened!

 

The facility is next to shop ability.   There is a button you press and someone will come and open it. I know that some people don’t like this way because they need to wait but, in my opinion, this is better because it is locked so everyone can’t use it because this toilet facility is for someone who requires a hoist or a changing bed.

 

Inside the toilet, it is very big with a ceiling hoist and a changing bed.  I know there is 1 hand bar but there should be 2, but I know that Clydebank is getting this sorted with a couple more things.

 

Having the Changing Places in Clydebank now is so much better for a lot of disabled people and for me   personally. It means that I can go to my local shopping centre and get to the toilet!

 

Even although it took about 6 years, I am very proud of myself that I campaigned for a Changing Places toilet in Clydebank, it is my great success!

If you wish to get some more information on this or give feedback.  All of my contact details is under contact me on this Website.

Written by Jill Clark