Arabella Mayne
Arabella's page
Fundraising for KIDS
Story
So....I enjoyed my stationary biking at my spin classes so much, that I decided to take it to the streets. A little note of encouragement from my friend Lara Dawson – ‘Good for you too, it's not exactly a few laps around Darling Point’....I plan to ride to Paris from London over 4 days..averaging 95-150km per day, and I would be very grateful for your support. I need to raise £1,300 by 26th May 2010..
Here is a little bit more about my charity:
KIDS was established in 1970 by John Mulcahy, a teacher who became concerned about the development of a disabled child in one of his classes. John wanted to improve communication with this child and sought guidance from the child's mother. This in turn established the KIDS ethos of working in partnership with parent and carers to enable disabled children and young people to develop their skills and abilities and to fulfill their potential, hopes and aspirations.
In 2003, KIDS merged with KIDSACTIVE, previously known as the Handicapped Adventure Play Association. KIDSACTIVE was founded in 1966 by Lady Allen of Hurtwood, one of the pioneers in the field of adventure play who believed that disabled children had the right to adventurous play.
KIDS is a charity which in its 38 years has pioneered a number of approaches and programmes for disabled children and young people. These include Home Learning (Portage), Parent Partnerships, Adventure Playgrounds and the inclusion of disabled children in mainstream settings. KIDS wishes to build on this history to meet the needs and aspirations of a new generation of disabled children and young people and their families. In doing this KIDS will become one of the leading charities in developing both the thinking and services that create an inclusive world for disabled children, young people and their families.
Jessi is like any other 15 year old girl. She enjoys reading, writing, going to the theatre, eating pizza with her friends and listening to rock music. A very premature birth led to both the right and left sides of Jessi’s brain hemorrhaging, leaving her with cerebral palsy.
“We weren’t finding much mainstream provision in Cape Town, so we decided to move to the UK to try and get the
balance of Jessi having her physio and emotional needs met in a mainstream environment”, says Bev, Jessi’s mum.
Bev forged ahead, determined to seek out the very best care she could find; she scoured London, searching for mainstream schools that could cater to Jessi’s specific needs. Finally, after being in England for 3 years, they found Jessi a mainstream primary school that she liked.
“I like the degree of independence it gave me”, says Jessi. “I mean there’s no one answer for any one
child, but at least I’ve been able to get an education.”
Now 15, Jessi attends a special school, which she chose at the start of her secondary education in order to access wheelchair sports and be in an environment with other disabled young people. However as she begins her GCSE course, she is missing the academic challenges of mainstream school, and she is now preparing herself for an important move. In September this year, Jessi will make the transition from special to mainstream schooling. Changing schools is always a daunting time for any teenager, but can be particularly frightening for a disabled young person. Indeed, as she approaches 16, Jessi is of the age when most disabled young people are in danger of finding themselves falling through the cracks in the system. Instead Jessi has immersed herself in KIDS’ Young People’s Inclusion Network (YP-in), which gives disabled young people a forum through which they can make their voices heard. Via a website created by Jessi and other disabled young people, they can chat, exchange information about places with/lacking disabled access, talk about CDs, or even lobby government for greater equality in the provision of services for disabled people. YP-in also proved a lifeline at one point. “We were having a terrible time with a housing crisis when our old home became inaccessible for Jessi’s wheelchair,” explains Bev. “YP-in was a life-saver, giving Jessi such a boost of morale, enabling her to mix both work and fun whilst empowering her at the same time.” Looking forward to a fresh start at mainstream school, Jessi is determined to face the challenges that lie ahead. “Nelson Mandela is my role model; he’s come out of his experience so compassionate and isn’t bitter like so many other people who face adversity.”
Life is like riding a bicycle: you don't fall of unless you stop pedalling.”
Claude Pepper