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In August 2008, Toby Hewson attended the ISAAC (International for Augmentative and Alternative Communication) 13th World Congress in Montreal, Canada. ISAAC brings people together with communication disabilities, professionals, researchers, and academics from all over the world to present and discuss the latest advances for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Toby gave a talk entitled ‘Come see my house, learn about my life, and meet my great personal support team’. download notes
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We would like to welcome Debbie Allen who has recently joined us as Workshop Coordinator. Her role is to liaise between the schools and workshop presenters and manage all stages of the workshop booking process. Debbie has in-depth experience of managing sales teams in the field, and is a skilled administrator. She is currently in training and will be ready to manage the bookings from the end of October.
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Already a Charitable Company by Guarantee, we are proud to annouce we are now officially a Charity in it’s own right. It’s been a long time in the making but Registration Number 1125004 was bestowed upon us last week.
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Beyond Boundaries Live is an event showcasing a wide range of products, services and interactive activities to people with disabilites.
Come and visit the JUSTDIFFERENT team to chat informally about becoming a Workshop Presenter - talking to children in schools about your life with a disability, a life very similar to theirs in which you do the same things as them, you just do them differently.
Our Head of Human Resources and Training, Julia will be there to answer any questions about employment with us, and Alison one of our new Workshop Presenters will be on hand to give advice on what’s involved in creating and presenting a workshop in schools. Toby Hewson, the founder and inspiration behind the work that we do will be popping in on the Friday. Find us all on stand ESM140. We look forward to seeing you there.
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Due to the high demand from schools for our workshops on disability, we are now seeking someone to join our team as a Workshop Coordinator.
Working at our modern offices in a beautiful barn conversion on the outskirts of Chichester you will manage the workshop bookings. A friendly and helpful disposition is a must, as an important part of the role is building relationships with teachers and taking care of our workshop presenters. Reporting to our Head of Services and Marketing strong computer and adminstrative skills are vital for this pivitol role.
click here for details and application form
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Creating their workshops was a challenge for our new presenters, Alison, Adam and Matthew. The complex but rewarding process was a bit like learning to drive with lots of things to consider and learn at the same time. Heads down they worked extremely hard for two days solid. They talked over ideas together and with each day, they gained confidence as they saw their presentations take shape.
Aside from thinking about what parts of their life story they would share - to finding the images to use, they also had to learn how to use the electronic equipment, which they would use for the delivery of their workshops. With a little bit more work to do, they are not quite ready to trial at Westbourne House School this week as originally planned.
With some final tweaking and practice with timings, they will present to the team at the office on the 1 July before trialing to a real live pupil audience at a school later in the month. Watch this space!
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We are thrilled to welcome two more workshop presenters ‘in the making’ to the team.
Matthew who was born with cerebral plasy has a wicked sense of humour, plays Boccia for England and has a passion for opera. He lives in Hampshire and will be presenting in primary schools in his local area and surrounding counties Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.
Adam was born with Spina Bifida. He has a keen interest in keeping fit, in particular body building. He too loves music and is an ardent fan of the legendary Elvis Presley. Adam has a large collection of the entertainer’s memorbilia. He lives in West Sussex (Adam, not Elvis) and like Alison will be presenting in primary schools in his local area and parts of Hampshire, East Sussex and Surrey.
By the end of this week, all three would have completed their training induction and their workshops on disability will almost be ready for release into schools for the autumn term. Local school, Westbourne House, has once again lent it’s support and very kindly offered to be their first audience helping with the final review and assessment process. Pupils from Year 8 will appraise the presenters’ style and presentation content helping them with any developments needed before they launch their workshops into primary schools across the South this coming September.
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We’d like to welcome Alison from Bognor Regis to the JustDifferent team.
Alison is full of energy, ambition and infectious enthusiasum. She was born with short arms as a result of her mother being giving a drug called Thalidomide to treat sickness during pregnancy. At an early age Alison was told that her life wouldn’t amount to much. She has definitely proved this theory wrong.
She’s married with two children and leads a very sporty life. She works out at the gym reglarly, and has won numerous awards for competitive sports and horse riding. She’s also had a successful career as a legal secretary.
Alison starts her training and production of her workshop in June and will be ready to visit schools at the start of the autum term in September.
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In April this year an innovative volunteer project, devised by the Ace Centre and funded by the V Charity in conjunction with Fox Fm and GCAP Charities, is being implemented in five secondary schools in and around Oxford.
The purpose and aim of the project is to train and support sixth form students in the chosen schools to become volunteer advocates for children with disabilities within their school.
Our very own CEO, Toby Hewson, has been invited to train these volunteers in ‘disability awareness’ assisting them in their role as advocates.
The Ace Centre is an Oxfordshire based disabled children’s charity which has a renowned reputation in the field of communication aids and assistive technologies for children with disabilities. Offering assessment and training, plus software and publications (much of it free) they aim to find technology to provide solutions alongside other methods of communication, like signing and gesture.
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Due to the huge demand for services in schools, we are desparately seeking disabled people to works with us in presenting workshops. We are holding another Information Day on Monday 28 April at our offices in West Sussex.
Contact us: If you are an aspiring and inspiring individual happy to share your life stories as a disabled person.
We will give you all the support, training, equipment and help you need.
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