Category Archives: Disability

Disability, Diversity, Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – November 2017

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World Diabetes Day is on 14 November and with that in mind we have chosen James Norton as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

James is an actor best known for his roles in the TV series’ Happy Valley, Grantchester and War and Peace. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2010 at the start of his acting career. He finds managing his diabetes challenging but he has not let it get in his way and refuses to let the condition hold him back from success.

James is a supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and their #T1DLooksLikeMe campaign which aims to help educate others about Type 1 diabetes.

To find out more about James see here http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3584268/ .

To find out more about the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and World Diabetes Day see the links below.

https://jdrf.org.uk/

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/World-Diabetes-Day.html

Disability, Diversity, Inclusion, Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – December 2017

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On 3 December it is International Day of Disabled Persons and with that in mind we have chosen Jonnie Peacock as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

At the age of 5, Jonnie contracted meningitis, resulting in the amputation of his right leg, just below the knee.  He had always been a very positive young boy and despite initial difficulties soon got used to his new leg.

Jonnie had always loved sport particularly football but that was not an option with his prosthetic but at the age of 15 whilst waiting for an appointment at his prosthetic centre he saw a poster inviting anyone interested in sport to attend a talent identification day.  Jonnie was allowed to go and tried his hand at a number of different sports, however it was athletics that suited him best and his attendance at the event started his journey to becoming an international athlete.

He ran his first international race at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester in May 2012 and at the 2012 Paralympics, just four years after seeing the poster, Jonnie won the 100m T44 final with a time of 10.90 seconds, claiming the gold and the Paralympic record in the process. In 2016 at the Rio Paralympics Jonnie defended his title and in 2017 he won the World Championships in London.

In September this year Jonnie joined Strictly Come Dancing becoming the first disabled person to compete on the show with the idea that he could show everyone what an amputee could do rather than not do. Jonnie was partnered with Oti Mabuse and despite not having danced before made it all the way to week 9.  Despite his disappointment Jonnie was honoured to be the first disabled person on the show and thanked the panel for judging him as an equal.

Jonnie was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to athletics.

Disability, Mental Health

‘Sharp rise’ in student mental illness tests universities

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Almost five times as many students as 10 years ago have disclosed a mental health condition to their university, say researchers.

In 2015-16, more than 15,000 UK-based first-year students disclosed mental health issues, Institute of Public Policy Research analysis suggests.

The 2006 figure was about 3,000 and the rise risks overwhelming university services, the IPPR says.

Universities UK said student mental health was “a strategic priority”.  More

Age, Disability, Diversity, Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – September 2017

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September is World Alzheimer’s Month and with this in mind we have chosen David Baddiel as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the month.

 David one of Britain’s most popular comedians. He was first known as one of the stars of The Mary Whitehouse Experience and then Newman and Baddiel In Pieces. In 1992, with Rob Newman, David performed to 12,500 people in the UK’s first ever arena comedy show.

In 1994 David and Frank Skinner created Fantasy Football League allowing them to talk about football for a living for over 10 years. The pair, along with The Lightening Seeds, wrote the iconic unofficial England anthem ‘Three Lions’, which has been number one three times and is still heard at games around the world.  In 2000 David and Frank created the hit ITV show Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned, going out live and unscripted for over 60 episodes. They joined up together again in 2006 and 2010 to record one of the first hit podcasts, Baddiel and Skinner’s World Cup Podcasts, live from Germany and South Africa. The show was downloaded over a million times and was one of the first podcasts to be nominated for a Sony award.

Away from the screen David has been writing for nearly 20 years. He has published seven books to date and in 2010 David wrote his first movie with the hit indie film The Infidel, starring Omid Djalili, Richard Schiff, Matt Lucas and Miranda Hart.

After nearly 15 years away David returned to the stage in 2013 with his critically acclaimed show FAME: Not The Musical.

David is also an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society.  His Dad is currently living with Pick’s Disease a form of Dementia and this was the subject of his stage show ‘My Family: Not the Sitcom’ and Channel 4 documentary ‘The Trouble with Dad’.

David wants to use comedy to talk about dementia to raise awareness of what dementia is, and how it affects every person differently. He is joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Society to continue this conversation and to encourage others to unite against dementia so no-one has to face the condition alone.

To find out more about World Alzheimer’s Month see here

https://www.alz.co.uk/world-alzheimers-month

To find out more about David see his website http://www.davidbaddiel.com/

 

Age, Disability, Diversity, Equality, Ethnicity, Gender, Inclusion, Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month, LGBT, Mental Health, Race, Religion, Transgender

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – August 2017

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International Youth Day is on 12 August and as 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) we have chosen them as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the month for their with the local community and programmes for young people.

The community programme was established in 1992 and became Charlton Athletic Community Trust in 2003. Known as CACT, it is famed for its work in its local communities and has scooped numerous prestigious industry awards over recent years.

The community initiative began when the football club returned to The Valley in 1992. It started with just one member of staff, a bag of footballs and a telephone and has now grown into an organisation that employs 100 permanent staff, has a pool of over 100 casual coaches and engages with thousands of people on a weekly basis.

CACT uses the power of football and sport to engage, empower and provide positive opportunities and activities for young people.

The trust delivers successful community programmes is the following areas:

  • Education
  • Social Action and Enterprise
  • Early Help And Prevention
  • Equality, Diversity And Inclusion
  • Football And Sports Development
  • Youth Services
  • Health Improvement

 As well as young people the trust has many other initiatives in the community, with their work on mental health in the over 65 age group, recently being nominated for a national award.

The university has strong connections with the football club and continue to be a patron following a three year period as the shirt sponsor.  Our LGBT+ staff network have continued links with Proud Valiants, Charlton’s LGBT+ fans’ group and the trust have often attended university events, particularly in relation to their stop smoking campaign.

To find out more about CACT and the excellent work that they do go to their website at http://www.cact.org.uk/

Follow them on twitter at https://twitter.com/CAFCTrust

Disability, Diversity, Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – July 2017

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Disability Awareness Day is on 16 July and with this in mind we have chosen Henry Fraser as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

In 2009 at the age of just 17 Henry was injured whilst on holiday with his friends.  He dived into the sea as he had done many times before, hit a sandbank and sustained major injuries to his neck, leaving him paralysed from the shoulders down.  Henry was a senior prefect at his school, he was extremely fit and played rugby for Saracens RFC academy.

Henry’s road to recovery has been long and difficult but since his accident he has shown extraordinary courage and is determined to make the most of life and share his experiences with others.

He enjoys great success as a motivational speaker, delivering his ‘Pushing Myself’ talk to a number of high profile businesses and sports teams, including Saracens and England 7’s.

Henry has also become an artist, painting with his mouth, something he became interested in following his accident.  He has painted many famous people and held successful exhibitions. http://www.henryfraser.org/hand-to-mouth-exhibition/

He also established Henry’s Trust, which aims to raise funds to help him achieve an independent lifestyle.

In 2016 the Rugby Players Association (RPA) awarded him the Blythe Spirit Award for his remarkable achievements http://www.henryfraser.org/honoured-to-receive-the-blyth-spirit-award-2016/

To find out more about Henry see here:

http://www.henryfraser.org/

https://twitter.com/henryfraser0

Disability, Diversity, Gender, Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – June 2017

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National Cancer Survivor’s Day is on 4 June and with this in mind we have chosen Jeff Stelling as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

Jeff was brought up in Hartlepool and after leaving school his first job was as a journalist at the Hartlepool Mail.  Jeff has worked on many TV shows over the years as a sports reporter or presenter starting on Radio Tees in the 1970’s. In 1994, he became the presenter of Sports Saturday (which became Gillette Soccer Saturday), a programme of football discussion and live reports on the afternoon’s games.

In March 2016, Jeff decided to march from his beloved Hartlepool United to Wembley Stadium in an attempt to raise awareness of, and money for, prostate cancer, a disease killing one man every hour in the UK.  On the way, Jeff and his close friend, Russ Green (former CEO of Hartlepool United), walked 10 marathons in 10 days, visiting 32 football clubs and clocking up 262 miles.

This year on Friday 2 June Jeff will set off from St James Park, the home of Exeter City, in an attempt to walk 15 marathons in 15 days the equivalent of 400 miles and visit over 40 football clubs, reaching Newcastle United’s St James’ Park on Friday 16 June.

Last year the march raised £420,000, and helped get the problem of prostate cancer on the agenda of millions of people across the UK.

Jeff was named Sports Broadcaster of the Year for four successive years by the Sports Journalists’ Association  and on 12 March 2010, he was granted the title of honorary freeman of his home town of Hartlepool.

To find out more about Jeff’s March for Men see here

https://prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/march-for-men/jeff-stellings-march-for-men

Disability, Inclusion

England appoint first ever full-time disability coaches

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The England and Wales Cricket Board has named Ross Hunter and Ian Salisbury as England’s first ever full-time disability cricket coaches.

Ex-England international Salisbury has been appointed as new head coach of England’s physical disability team.

Hunter will continue his work as coach of England’s visually impaired side, now in a full-time capacity.

The ECB’s head of disability cricket Ian Martin said: “This is an important step change in disability cricket.”  More

Disability, Diversity, Equality, Ethnicity, Gender, Inclusion, LGBT, Race, Religion, Transgender

Building Bridges – Chelsea FC

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Building Bridges is Chelsea FC’s campaign to promote equality, celebrate diversity and make everyone feel valued throughout our club, stadium and wider community.

Through Building Bridges, we work with everyone from children and young people in schools and grassroots football clubs through to community groups and our senior men’s and ladies’ teams, to create a club where everyone feels welcome, regardless of who they are and where they come from.

Since the campaign launched in 2010, Chelsea FC is proud to have been awarded the Advanced Level of the Premier League Equality Standard – one of only two professional clubs to do so – in recognition of our ongoing commitment to inclusion and to tackling all forms of prejudice and discrimination.  More

Disability

Mat Fraser on playing Richard III and TV’s ‘pathetic’ disabled casting

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Mat Fraser is the first disabled actor to play Shakespeare’s twisted anti-hero Richard III – and he’s relishing the political incorrectness of the Bard’s script. But British TV channels are “pathetic” at giving such juicy roles to disabled actors, he says.

At the end of our interview, Fraser gives me a bit of advice about how to make his quotes suitable for publication.

“Whenever I swear, just put ‘hell’ or ‘damn’ instead,” he suggests.

That tip comes just after he has been talking about progress with casting disabled actors on TV.  More