
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
22 | DANCING GIRAFFE
We also remind people that disability
can strike at any time, whether it’s
visible or not; concerns such as cancer,
diabetes, multiple sclerosis or mental
health issues are just some of the
many hidden disabilities that need
to be considered in day-to-day life.
These can present major challenges
for not only the disabled person
themselves, but also their support
network, who are usually relatives and
friends. As much as people do try, it
is rare to find a support network that
is actually perfectly established for
and tailored to an individual’s specific,
complexneeds.
One of our key aims at Dancing
Giraffe is to encourage involvement in
local community and ensure that our
service users do not feel isolated. We
need to remind people who may one
day be disabled about the potential
that those with disabilities have to
both contribute and add value to
communities and workplaces.
Fostering understanding
To counteract the challenges that
disabilities of all kinds present,
we need to build bridges of
understanding between the
organisations that help disabled
people. At Dancing Giraffe, we
endeavour to be that central vehicle
in the form of a “go-to” household
name and website. This will, in turn,
help government to get to the heart
of the community, enabling business
to promote services and allowing
educational services to link with
disabled people.
If we are to build these bridges,
however, the language used when
discussing disability must change. This
does not simply apply to issues of
labelling and division; we also need
to make the language itself simple
and concise, both in writing and
verbally. Additionally, we believe that
alternative means of communication
are extremely important – making
use of sign language and Braille for
those who can’t easily use a computer
should be second nature for all of us.
An inclusive, interconnected
future
We have a clear vision of our future
and the future of disabled access
across the country. We will strive to
bring stakeholders together and effect
change that leads to social inclusion for
disabled people and their communities.
To achieve this, we are working
hard to achieve our ultimate goal:
bridging the gap between business,
government, communities and
education, so all can access and
engage with every side of society in an
inclusive and respectful way.
We have a
clear vision of
our future and
the future of
disabled
access across
the country
“
“
Eddie Clampin before his
race in August 2018