Values Into Action Conference- Friday 13th march 2009

Me, Ellen, Lynne and Faye went to London for a conference. It was run by VIA about how we can get good support from different people and how we need to ditch the jargon. It would be good if all information was made easier to read, no big words- so let's ditch the jargon!

We had some group discussions, one was about our thoughts and worries and the future of social care. The other one was about problems, possibilities and will it work. The group discussions worked really well as everyone had their say
Some one had done DVD about her life. Her name was Ellen Goody, it was about independent living scheme and how she liked living on her own, and who she employed as a support worker. The scheme had worked for her, but this might not be the same for everyone.

We all had a really good day out.
Zoe

Promoting the National Lottery

Our exhibition photographers were asked to help promote the National Lottery by being on the other side of the camera for once. Alan, Michael, Peter and Paul posed with a giant lottery ball in the new gallery at the Herbert in Coventry.So far the Coventry Telegraph has used the story. This photograph was taken by Michelle Tennison. (www.tennisons.co.uk)

Learning disability partnership board

I am a representative on a group called the Learning Disability Partnership Board. Other reps are the NHS, councillors, carers, parents etc, they talk about the help people with learning disabilities need and we have presentations from the visitors. I sometimes have to give feedback on how the media team are doing and what is coming up next for them. I do enjoy going to the meetings. This photo shows myself and another Grapevine worker named Dave McCann acting on stage. We did a comedy to show what a good partnership board looks like. This was something we did for the review of the partnership board. The review was to make things better for the partnership board.

blogging at curriers

Me, Denise and Rob went to Curriers Enterprise to talk to a group about how to blog. first of all we told them what blogging was and it can be fun, some of them did managed to leave a massage on the our blog. It was good as some of them had not done blogging before they all had a really good time doing it, and we are going again next week, so i will let you know how we get on, that is all for now. here are some of the curriers group doing some blogging.

from Zoe

Getting a job

Can you please help us? The government want to know what people with learning disabilities think about getting a job. We have have put some questions on our blog and would like you to answer them. If you have more to say about work then leave us a comment here. Thank you. Naomi will be taking your comments to BILD next week, who will send them to the government.

experiment posting a video clip

We thought it was about time we tried to post a short video clip of the media team. This was recorded in December when the team made their own TV show called Grapevine Today. This short clip shows Christine interviewing Alan about his photography book on Coventry.

Being an advocate

Grapevine runs an advocacy group called Citywide, a group for people with learning disabilities. I had been a member of citywide before I started working for Grapevine. Since I started work I sometimes help out. There was a 2 day training event at citywide and I went to do the training. It was great, I really got into that meeting, the meeting was about choice and control. This means that people with learning disabilities have the right to choose where to live or even have their own money. Control is where people with learning disabilities have their own money taken off them by their carers or parents. Or when the carers and parents are concerned that people with learning disabilities can’t live or even run a house and that is where they are wrong.