Everyone has the right to know their history, understand their culture and see themselves reflected in stories that shape our society – that’s what we believe at Changing Our Lives.
Yet for many children and young people with a learning disability, this right is quietly denied. History has been presented in ways that assume people can read, understand complex language or learn through traditional teaching methods.
There are very few accessible resources about the Windrush generation, almost nothing in easy read and, until our project, Windrush Through Our Senses, few sensory resources enabling children and young people with profound learning disabilities to experience this part of history.
History is about far more than facts and dates. It is about identity, belonging, pride and understanding the contribution communities have made to the country. When children are excluded from these stories, they are excluded from a part of their own citizenship.
Funded by the government as part of Windrush Day 2026, Windrush Through Our Senses aimed to make this history accessible to a younger generation with learning disability.
Between June and July this year, Changing Our Lives associate Mel Smith delivered sensory workshops, including a celebration on Windrush Day itself, 22 June. Around 20 young people took part, all of whom have profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Participants experienced the Windrush journey through carefully designed sensory storytelling. They explored Caribbean foods and spices through touch and smell, felt water spray representing the sea crossing, experienced hot and cold packs symbolising the warmth of Jamaica and the colder climate of Britain.
The workshops demonstrated something we have always known – that people with profound learning disabilities can engage with history when it is presented in ways that make sense to them.
They responded emotionally and with curiosity. For example, one young woman who does not usually engage in activities came alive when she saw and smelt Jamaican spiced buns, which reminded her of home.
Using what we learned from participants, we developed Windrush Sensory Story Suitcases, which contain resources and sensory items that schools, families and community bodies can use to share these stories. One will be permanently housed at the Black Cultural Archives in London so this work will have a lasting legacy.
We also developed an easy-to-follow guide so others can confidently deliver the workshops.
Recognising that Accessibility means different things to different people, we produced easy read materials telling the history and explaining concepts such as racism, culture and ethnicity.
Photo stories
The project also celebrates people’s voices. Working with actor and writer Tonia Daley-Campbell and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, we created two photo books telling the stories of young people leaving the Caribbean for England.
They show the experiences of the Windrush generation and celebrate their enormous contributions, from rebuilding the country after the Second World War to shaping our NHS, transport system, education, arts and communities.
All the easy-read resources and books will be available on our website by the end of the year.
This project was about much more than producing resources. It was about recognising that children and young people with a learning disability have the same right as anyone else to understand where they come from, celebrate their culture and learn about those who helped build modern Britain.
Jayne Leeson is chief executive at Changing Our Lives
Photos: Katherine Elizabeth Seymour
