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The West Sussex Disability Register is now live and it takes 10 minutes to sign up. Help the County Council and others learn more about what services to provide throughout the county. Head to the Local Offer to find out more. |
The following pages on the Local Offer have been updated based on feedback, if you have any comments or suggestions please let the Local Offer Officer know by emailing: LocalOffer@westsussex.gov.uk
The latest SEND & Inclusion Newsletter is available to read, find out about the SENCO Conference, the new West Sussex Single Point of Access (SPoA) for emotional wellbeing and mental health support for children and young people, training opportunities for educational professionals, an introduction to the Neural Development Pathway Team and more!
Being an advocate for disabled people within these groups has given Grace ‘the confidence and skills to take what [she] has learnt from these groups into [her] own work.’ Grace explained this in greater detail:
“Young Voices was important in getting me to the point where I could do FLARE, helping me develop my skillset and confidence in a safe environment. Being a part of FLARE gives me opportunities to work with the Department for Education and have a bigger impact. All of this comes from my main underlying motivation, which is to help people.”
Grace’s own struggles navigating society and the systems that surround those with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities have given her the passion to work towards:
“Creating a world where everyone can thrive and get the support that they need. I want to inspire people to challenge assumptions and to take issues around disability and universal design seriously. I want to empower people to advocate for themselves in whatever way they can. I want to promote understanding and acceptance of all humans no matter their disability or difference. I aim to help guide people through the system and help guide people to overcome the unique challenges that they come across. I do this through advocacy, training, and consultancy services”
Grace went on to give examples of the work she has done so far which has included speeches for Autism Explained (an international conference for English speaking nations across the globe), talks at the West Sussex SENCO Conference that recently took place, consulting on helping a school to set up an Autism unit, and ‘hopefully working with Chichester Festival Theatre to develop training for their young people as well as their staff’. Grace has also done work for the Women’s Institute (delivering an insight into Autism and ADHD) on behalf of Aspens and is working to help them develop training for GPs.
Grace uses her own experience, the knowledge she gains from working with multiple groups and research to underpin all her thinking and work, she has recently completed her social studies A-level and is awaiting her results. Next year she is moving on to study a BTEC in business as well as learn British Sign Language to help continue to develop her business. Grace also publishes blogs on her website on a range of topics relevant to those with a disability.
We went on to discuss how Grace chose the name The Butterfly Hope. Part of the reason from the name came from Grace’s choice of logo that she created herself, you can see this to the right. In Grace’s own words she explained this in more detail:
“Butterflies are a symbol of hope and growth. I also have a quote I wrote on my wall that’s says, ‘you already have your wings, choose your colours and learn to fly.’ The word hope in the butterfly has an o and p that form an infinity symbol, for neuro-diversity and the semi-colon shows that your story isn’t over yet.”
It was clear to see that Grace has learnt a great deal on her journey to getting The Butterfly Hope to where it is today. Some of the key skills she has developed include ‘tenacity and ensuring you are purposeful during discussions’ this is even more important with working with professionals from any background. Grace also made suggestions for how others can work to be a driving force to help create change thought out society, these are “to start small and in a safe place, that is easy to manage. Much like I did in Young Voice’s, where I was able to make mistakes in a safe way and learn from them. Then build in stages as you gain confidence and skills.”
From my conversation with Grace, it was easy to see her drive to make the world we live in more accessible and inclusive for everyone. Whether it be a small change for an individual, or a larger change for society, Grace’s passion for helping others is refreshing and she does all of this whilst studying and managing her own disabilities.
Don’t just take my word for all the great things Grace has achieved with The Butterfly Hope, view some feedback she has had below:
‘Grace is a thoroughly entertaining and engaging speaker who communicates her life story with real passion and enthusiasm. She describes her own personal journey with candour, articulacy, and humour. I was moved and inspired in equal measure! I would encourage all young people, both neurotypical and neurodivergent, to make time to listen to Grace and discover what can be achieved with the sort of unwavering determination that she has deployed throughout her life.’ – Simon
You can find out more about work Grace does on the Local Offer or The Butterfly Hope website.
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