Most deaf teenagers go to mainstream school and some of their classmates don’t know how to chat to them. Simple steps can make a big difference!  There are great films and resources to download. Tips include “face me when you talk” and “talk normally.”

The Buzz is NDCS’s website for children and young people, there’s fab games on it and info for young deaf people.

Monday 7th to Sunday 13th May 2012 is Deaf Awareness Week. There are different types of deafness and different ways deaf people communicate such as using sign language and lipreading. You can find out more at The Buzz.

The Long-Term Conditions Alliance Scotland or LTCAS wants to hear from you.   They want to find out about your experiences of living with a disability or long-term condition, so they can tell the Scottish Government what you think and what works best for you.

Why is LTCAS asking you?

In Scotland, councils are putting in place something called Getting it right for every child, this is sometimes known as GIRFEC.

GIRFEC is meant to improve the way your needs are met and make sure you do the best you can. The Government wants to make sure you get the right help no matter who you are or where you live. The Government has asked LTCAS to find out what you think!

Margaret from LTCAS wants to hear from you. You can get in touch with her by email at margaret.barclay@ltcas.org.uk or her mobile number is 07545 073112. You could also look at their website.

Your views and experiences will be recorded in the report but none of your personal details will be.

This week on the blog, we are delighted to feature Anne’s story.

Anne is a teenager who has left school and is getting some support from two charities – Sense Scotland and Lead Scotland – to learn new skills and figure out what she might do in future.

Anne has been involved in the One Giant Leap project at Sense Scotland, which helps disabled school leavers take that next big step into adult life. Part of Anne’s giant leap has been to work towards Lead Scotland’s “Community Action & Leadership Award.”

Anne’s been cooking up a feast in the kitchen to work towards getting this award. Lead Scotland have supported her to improve her cooking skills by doing a food hygiene course online and by volunteering in a cafe where she’s been making lots of yummy food for their events. Anne’s also put together some photos, drawings and video clips to help document all the great stuff she’s been doing to get the award.

Anne says that she enjoys going to the One Giant Leap project and working on her award with Lead Scotland. “It’s helping me build up my confidence and learn new skills. And I can meet up with my friends and make new ones”.

To find out more about how Lead helps disabled young people to access learning after they leave school, call them on 0131 228 9441 or check out the Lead Scotland website.

And if you’re a school leaver with disabilities and want to get involved in the One Giant Leap project, you can find out more on Sense Scotland’s website.

In our new film, young people share their views on how their school life is affected by being in care, being a young mum, and having Asperger’s or other learning difficulties, and the support that has helped them get the most out of their learning.

The film stars pupils from Preston Lodge High School and the Edinburgh Hospital and Outreach Teaching Service. I’d like to say a big thank you to all of them (Louisa, Naomi, Peter, Tiffany, Daniel, Amy, Siobhan and Rachael) for sharing their experiences and thoughts with us in the film. As you will see when you watch it, they did a completely brilliant job – Hollywood next step!

“Before I learned Independent Travelling I never really went on Public Transport on my own. At school with staff assistance I first learned to travel locally to college and then expanded to travelling home and also returning to school. By being able to do this I succeeded in attending Work Experience at Dunnes Store (Retail Outlet), G-Force (Gaming Store) and working with animals at Knowetop Farm. I travelled independently to all of my placements.

I feel these experiences have given me more confidence and increased my prospects of being successful in the future.”

Falkland House School

I love this picture of Falkland House School above, it looks like the sort of place they could film a Harry Potter movie! You can get more info about Falkland House School on their website.

For more info about getting ready to leave school, check out this Enquire young people’s guide.

Thank you to Adam, Cara, Sam, Derek and Nicole, pupils at Corseford, Capability Scotland’s school, for sending us their beautiful art. It has brightened up our Friday afternoon Was lovely to see the Depute Head at Enquire’s conference yesterday too.

We are always looking for more art by children and young people with support needs to add to our gallery Your Views. Why not get in touch and send us a picture?

To support the ‘see me’ campaign, like them on Facebook or follow on Twitter.

And remember, if you’re finding school tough at the moment, you are not alone. Try to talk to someone you trust, like your favourite teacher. Not sure who to speak to? Childline are there for you, call 0800 1111.

Last but not least, if you want advice about your rights to get extra support that might make school better for you, you can contact Enquire for advice and info.

The young folk at Epilepsy Scotland

At school, how does epilepsy affect you?

“I couldn’t go to a dance class on my own, I had to have a teacher with me.  It felt embarrassing.  I feel like I have no independence.  My mum and dad have no time alone for themselves because of my epilepsy.  When I have a seizure at school I can hear people whispering about me when I come round, and it makes me feel so sad and low.”

“Having epilepsy really annoys me at school and I get upset about it a lot.  I worry all the time about having a seizure, people stare at me and think I’m weird.  I am so terrified of having a seizure at school I don’t think I concentrate as much as I could.”

“My epilepsy is well controlled now and I haven’t had a seizure in years, so having epilepsy no longer affects me at school.  Teachers are understanding.  I do think though, that if I still had seizures I would be having a much harder time.”

“Epilepsy mean I miss out on sports class which is my favourite class!  If I have had a seizure, I am not allowed to take part even though I feel fine.  Some people at school don’t care about you and just leave you if you have a seizure in the corridor.”

What kind of support helps you to get the most out of school?

“I get good treatment from teachers, they take me to a room on my own when I have had a seizure, I get to relax and return to normal, let my mind clear, and then return to class again when I am ready.”

“If I feel funny, I get to sit quietly until it passes.  It helps when my classmates ask if I am ok.  It makes me feel safe when my classmates are keeping an eye on me if I feel strange.”

“I get to go to a safe room to have break and lunch, if I need it.”

“My support teacher helps me a lot in class.  She helps me because I have memory problems and am a bit slow at picking things up because of my constant seizures.”

“I get support in class, and it helps.  It sometimes hinders me, because I feel it holds me back from being “normal” and my classmates look at me and judge me.”

“If pupils understood seizures more, and all the different types of seizures, they would understand me better.”

“When Zoe at Epilepsy Scotland came to my school to do an Epilepsy Awareness Workshop, everyone in my class asked me lots of questions and wanted to know more about epilepsy.  It felt wonderful!”

If you’d like Epilepsy Scotland to come to your school to do an awareness workshop, you can get info here.

To get involved in the youth group at Epilepsy Scotland check out their website. Here’s what one young person who goes to the group had to say about it: “Youth group means I get to see my friends, have fun, and be supported away from home.  It also means I get free pizza!!”…

Roll on the free pizza!

• “I like everything in school. I think we should get a bit more time at break and lunch and in learning support.”
• “The school should let everyone out early. We should have more computers, in the art department you have to share sometimes.”
• “My favourite subjects are English and Information Technology.  I wish we could type at all times instead of handwriting. I wish the school would get a big football pitch. I think it was good for me to come to learning support.”

Got something to say about how school could be made better? Want to share your views on the support that’s helped you? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with Enquire and have your say.

And for a taste of Adam’s poetry, check out this poem he was asked to write by Yorkhill Children’s Hospital, to celebrate their tenth birthday…. Adam’s rhymes in this one are good for a giggle!