Colin worked two full days a week in a hospital kitchen, and went to a learning
support centre at college on three days. His courses included horse management,
pottery, communication, computing, geography, motor power, health and safety and
catering. Martha also went to further education college travelling across London by
underground by herself; she learned office skills.
Then they said, “okay, you can do the community care course,” and I thought “what are you
talking about? I don’t want to do that. You should ask me what I want, not what you want,”
so I looked down the page and I saw “food” and I thought “Yes, food! Yes I’m going to do
that one.” So in the end I did catering for two years.
Then she worked in an office for 13 years, and later taught at workshops for people
with learning difficulties on independent living and safe sex. Like Peter and Philip,
she taught health professionals about learning difficulty and empowerment. Martha
has lectured abroad, was a free lance artist and wanted to be a college art teacher. She
wished she could still find paid work.
Peter and Philip arrived late back from work looking tired and ate their supper which
their house-sharers had cooked. Then they began explaining their theatre work; for
some months every year for the past seventeen years they had worked as actors. The
cast, who all have learning difficulties, talk about ideas with two professional
directors who then write the script which the cast memorise using typed copies and
tape recordings. The plays about disability are presented on television and in
provincial and London theatres. A change of heart was about a girl who was refused a
heart transplant because she has Down’s syndrome, and Breaking the mould was
about genes. In their current play, Mongol Boy, a Victorian industrialist rejected his
son who had Down’s syndrome and who joined a circus of freaks. Peter and Philip
distinguished between the denigratory language in the play and their own views,
raising a main theme of all 40 interviews: discrimination against disabled people.
Int: So do you like that kind of drama, that you’re really involved in?
Peter: Oh yes, it’s amazing.
Philip: It is very important, and when you learn to say the part you can. But it’s not very nice
to say this, and I’m not a very rude person, but I think that a learning disability part - I don’t
want to be rude -
Int: You seem to me to be a very polite person.
Philip: I don’t like to take the mickey of people because I know they’ve got rights, they’re a
human being like us you see, but they are “freaks” very small people and it’s wrong to take
the mickey out of them ....and make them upset because they’ve got rights as well.
Int: Yes, very important.
Philip: It is important.
Int: Yes, and do you think - with people with learning difficulties - that other people think
enough about your rights?
Philip: Some people don’t understand. They want us to keep quiet. Because they think,
you’ve got a learning disability - like when I came out [of the house], somebody pushed me,
just out here, pushed me and didn’t apologise and I didn’t like that at all.
Int: Did they push you by accident or on purpose?
Philip: I think they did it on purpose. They’re very strange people.
Peter: And that happened at [names another place]-
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