On changes in society, Colin said that he did not watch the “boring” news, and when
asked “what if you could change the world, what would you do, change anything at
all?” he replied “me”. He said he wanted to be “a married man I think I would say,
and a snooker player. Yes I wish I was, I’m not now, maybe I will be soon, with
luck.” John said “I don’t think I’d like to change a thing about myself”, and later
added, “I’ve got no weaknesses, I’ve got certain strengths.” “In the world outside”
John was concerned about “ the environment...and pollution and oil, and car
exhausts....and pollution of rivers....and wild life really.”
Int; What about the way society is run?
John: Put it this way, the ones that are controlling the world are MPs and they’re trying to
do their job. They’ve got a picture, they need to focus, they can’t get a perfect picture, but a
better picture, and take some action. They’ll probably face new problems, like council tax,
new problems, and look towards a better world, rather than sticking to the old one.
Int: Are there some people you don’t like?
John: [thinks hard] I don’t think so, no.
Int: Are there some people who don’t like you?
John: In the first year they tend to boss you around and tell you what you’re better off
doing, and it goes from there - till they feel stupid rather than you. You’ve got to get used to
it, their attitudes, they change from time to time, they started by bossing me around and then
they realised they shouldn’t and they stopped and they felt stupid. The message comes back
to them....You’ve got to speak up for yourself. [Referring to Princess Diana’s recent funeral]
Earl Spencer was speaking out for himself, he had to make people understand him and how
he felt. The newspapers and paparazzi, they didn’t know what else was going to happen.
They didn’t realise that the message is coming back to them. Like twisting someone’s arm,
they end up twisting their own arm.
Int: What do you find most difficult?
John: [smiles] Put it this way, I’ve got no weaknesses. Hopefully next year I might get a
job, it all depends what standard they come up with.
Martha, who replied to questions rapidly, paused when asked what she might like to
change in society.
Martha: Well when my mum took me away from special school and the local authority
came round and said “why isn’t she at special school?” my mum said, “not over my dead
body, sorry” [laughs].
Int: So you’d like all that changed - education?
Martha: Yes.
She added that better employment opportunities were needed for people with learning
difficulties.
Enjoyments and hopes
They all talked about things they enjoyed doing, being with friends and relatives,
watching television, music, playing snooker or going out for a meal, doing art and
drama. Asked about hopes and aims, Colin wanted to be a world champion snooker
player. His immediate aim was to live in a group home but in this he seemed to feel
helplessly reliant on his social worker. He was very anxious because his mother
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