Helen Laverty, Francesca Goff and Harley Jolley went to the United Nations in Geneva to tell the world that people with disabilities have dreams, aspirations and right to work
The telephone call from Time2Shine went something like this. ‘Hi, Helen. What are you doing on 19 March and the next three days?’ ‘Nothing that can’t be moved. Why?’ ‘Fabulous. So will you come to Geneva with us and help us prepare our self-advocacy speeches to present to the United Nations?’ ‘Err Yes.’
Time2Shine is a groundbreaking approach to ensuring young people with a learning disability get real-life work experience and opportunities through a one-year programme run with Cornwall Accessible Activities Programme.
It is the brainchild of Angie Emrys-Jones and Sandy Lawrence, two warrior parents of exceptional children who I first met at a family-focused conference in Somerset. I was bowled over by their work in an often-overlooked part of the country.
Helen Laverty
Telling the world
We are Shiner fellows – people who have completed the Time2Shine programme. You might have met us at Positive Choices in Hull and/or Dublin. Francesca is 17 and Harley is 19; we both live with our parents in Cornwall and go part time to a local college.
We both have big dreams; Francesca would like to teach dance and loves being part of Pick’n’Mix dance troupe. Harley wants to work for the police force.
In March 2019, we travelled to Geneva with Angie Emrys-Jones from Time2Shine and Helen Laverty from Positive Choices and our mums. Ted Emrys-Jones, Angie’s son, came with us and kept us very entertained. We were going to address the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Palais des Nations for World Down Syndrome Day.
Down Syndrome International invited us to go, along with young people from France, Germany, Indonesia, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Poland, Spain and Switzerland. We did wonder how we would all manage with the languages, but it was fine. Everyone was well supported and, after being shy at first, we all worked together.
We flew to Geneva from Bristol and caught the shuttle bus to our hotel. We were all very excited that first night.
The next day, we got up early as we had to get to the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, which involved two buses and a walk. We spent the day together, becoming confident in what we wanted to say to the UN and making friends. It was amazing to meet model Katie Grant, who has Down syndrome – she is so pretty and really lovely.
Then it was time to go back to the hotel. We had a bit of a party that night to celebrate how far we had come and what we were going to show the world.
The next morning, we made our way to the UN. Our nerves kicked in then but, when we met up with everyone else, we soon settled.
Then we were off. What we said was live streamed around the world and lots of people kept tweeting us. Our theme was ‘Leave no one behind in the world of work’ – and we think we did a good job.
Francesca Goff and Harley Jolley
A multilingual message
As a seasoned academic, I find most venues and audiences, while approached with a little frisson of ‘here we go’, don’t faze me.
However, entering the venue to meet self-advocates we did not know or even know if they could speak English, would have seriously thrown me. Nevertheless, these young people embraced the experiences of meeting new people and doing new things.
They used whole body communication to meet, greet and work with attendees from other countries. After a quiet start, a buzz rose in the room along with laughter and gestures in a shared language. That first evening, everyone was exhausted – and the main event was still to come.
While I was queuing to clear security, the scale of what these young people were about to do set in. They were telling the world that they had dreams, aspirations and a right to work. Boy, did they do it.
Helen Laverty
Postscript: force for good
Because of one tweet, Jolley secured an internship then gained full-time employment at Devon and
Cornwall Police.
Goff continues to inspire others with the Pick’n’Mix dance troupe while studying hard at a college.
Time to Shine: www.caapuk.co.uk/time2shine/
Positive Choices: https://positive-choices.com/
Helen Laverty MBE is professional lead for learning disability nursing at the University of Nottingham and founder of Positive Choices t @helen_laverty
