Page 28 - Community Living Magazine 35-3

shared lives then and now

Finding Grace Eyre – a pioneer of shared lives

Young people discovered the value of history through the story generations lacked control over their lives,
of Grace Eyre, who set up a society that organised homes in the including choice of how and where they
lived, showed how much had changed
community, report Nathaniel Lawford and Jackie Reeve – and that more change was needed.
One participant said the project
materials “will be such a great resource to
he Grace Eyre Foundation, founded support people’s understanding about
in 1913 as the Guardianship Society, where people with learning disabilities
Twas unique for its time. came from and where we’re heading in the
In response to widespread future and what we can do to change that”.
institutionalisation following the 1913 Talking about Grace Eyre’s life was a
Mental Deficiency Act, its founder, Grace prompt for these discussions, particularly
Eyre Woodhead (1864-1936) pioneered a where her own words were used to reflect
model of community based on her work and the times she lived in.
“guardianship”, providing homes for When talking about past limits on
adults and children with learning opportunities, many participants related
disabilities in Brighton and rural Sussex. these directly to their own experience.
This gradually evolved into a shared lives From several life stories we recorded, it
service – the oldest and longest running in became clear that a priority had been to
the country. Shared lives involves paid find people work to help them to be
carers sharing their homes and lives with useful and economically productive. The
people who need support to enable them Guardianship Society would negotiate
to lead an independent life. jobs with local employers and people
The foundation received funding from would be sent there to work – with very
the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2019 to little choice over this.
enable people with learning disabilities to In the early years, that might have meant
explore their own history, share their life young women going into service and young
stories, learn heritage skills and help to men being placed on Guardianship-owned
create a digital oral history collection. Grace Eyre in the 1890s: she said her work farms to learn agricultural skills. Later work
The Sharing Our Voices project was very proved “children can become self-supporting” included cleaning and jobs with laundries,
much affected by the two years of Covid local biscuit factories and bakeries.
restrictions. Nevertheless, with flexibility, History and reflection on change Project participants were particularly
good will and reliable internet access, we During the project, we learned not only struck by descriptions of the farms run by
were able to continue and involve an more about our history but also how the Guardianship in the 1920s-1950s.
energetic group of young people in the many issues still resonate today. Eyre was proud of the two farms,
Grace Eyre friendship group. We saw how historical learning can be a believing they demonstrated that people
stimulus to people reflecting on their own could be self-supporting and productive:
lives. What has changed – and, crucially, “It is now four years since the purchase of
The past puts the present in what has not changed enough? the first farm, and I think the proposition
context, says Jackie Reeve Our online training with the friendship that… children can become self-supporting
group involved learning about Grace Eyre is proven beyond contention”
s a project worker, it was and her ideas and from the life stories of (correspondence, circa 1927).
exciting to watch as younger people with learning disabilities in the past. However, we know from a woman who
Apeople learnt about the past For example Albert (not his real name), grew up on one of those farms in the
and used that learning to put their born in 1932, was categorised as “feeble- 1930s that life was far from joyful for
own experiences in context. minded” and spent his childhood in those lads. She says they worked hard,
Sharing people’s life stories during institutions and children’s homes. His had little fun and ate separately from the
training sessions provoked discussion abilities were often underestimated but family. She remembered her grandfather
about what has changed and what living in the community with a carer shouting at them to work harder (https://
feels familiar – particularly regarding changed his life. With support, he was sharingourvoices.org/story/gillians-story).
how people are treated and dismissed. able to stay in touch with his family and The struggle to find not just employment
One young woman said: “My best hold down a job. but work people enjoy and find fulfilling is
friend is really bright and really clever The young people identified with the still very much an issue, and people chose to
but people can make her feel really lack of control and respect people such as focus on this theme when making a history
little sometimes. Albert experienced and shared their own film towards the end of the project. The film
“Even nowadays, people still aren’t experiences, demonstrating that many of replaced the original plan to perform a play,
given a chance to be who they want to these issues persist today. which was not possible during lockdown.
be. They still label you as somebody Supporting people to explore their own The film, Alex (view it at https://vimeo. Grace Eyre Foundation
with a disability, which is wrong.” history prompted some to name and com/595512042), explores issues around
campaign for rights. Learning how earlier employment and the struggle to make your

28 Vol 35 No 3 | Spring 2022 Community Living www.cl-initiatives.co.uk