“There is no better way to show Sammy’s legacy and worth than by giving others the opportunities he would have excelled in,” says Patricia Alban of her late son. Sammy, who features on our cover, loved carpentry and crafts. Driven by his passion, his mother set up a charity teaching heritage skills to young people with complex neurological conditions.
Sammy died in 2020 aged 13, after falling from a cliff in Kent; the coroner attributed his death to support failures by the local authorities.
The project is striking because not only is it a beautiful, fitting tribute to a much missed son and brother but also it encourages disabled people to aspire to work that others might not consider them capable of. Creating can shift perceptions.
The project is striking because it is a beautiful, fitting tribute and also it encourages disabled people to aspire to work that others might not consider them capable of
This brings to mind actor Cian Binchy’s thoughts on autistic people, creativity and connection, especially given stereotypes about them lacking emotion. Binchy, whose show will tour this year, says: “I believe that we connect better in fantasy or art than we do when we are just sitting talking to each other.”
Varied experience of carers
The potential of creating to carry a message is also at the heart of a multimedia exhibition for research on caring and mental health. Tired of Spinning Plates features poetry, photography, drawing, film, painting and writing – all mediums that help express carers’ diverse experiences.
In a separate project by Sibs (I chair the charity), a sibling carer, Monica, has contributed to a collection of stories, poetry and art that reflects life growing up with a disabled brother or sister. Autism: the Sibling Perspective was published with the aim of helping people understand sibling life and improve support for the whole family.
I’ll leave her last words: “When I talk about my brother’s autism and my caring responsibilities, people say they can’t imagine what it’s like or understand… you can do one simple thing to help us carers – listen and show empathy.”
