John Lyon’s charity highlights issues with arts accessible to all – EALING.NEWS – The Voice of Ealing 7 towns

Ealing’s biggest grant funder to support children and young people in the borough has published a new report highlighting the need to include and make cultural and arts programs for deaf, disabled and neurodiverse people more accessible.

John Lyon’s Charity (JLC) supports a number of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) projects in Ealing, including Log Cabin Charity, Ealing Anchor Foundation, Contact Ealing and Ealing Music Therapy. In recent years, from 2019 to date, the amount of money awarded by the Charity to projects for young people with SEND is £1,868,900. From 2014 to 2018, the amount was £248,500.

It also helps fund other groups and organizations in the borough and its seven towns, including Young Ealing Foundation, Acton Park Playcentre Leisure Events (APPLE), Descendants, Ealing Primary Centre, Gifford Primary School, Znaniye Foundation.

The Charity’s A New Perspective report is the latest in its series of Perspectives reports and calls for high quality and accessible cultural and cultural programs for deaf, visually impaired, disabled and neurodivergent young people.

The report, which involved discussions with stakeholders including special schools, charities and arts organisations, highlighted an urgent need to invest in employment opportunities and support systems for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities as they move out of education and into the world. of work, because of the significant barriers they face.

Among the findings:
42% of UK adults believe the current education system is not effective for people who are either deaf, disabled or neurodiverse.
58% of UK decision makers either do not offer or are unsure about career opportunities for young deaf, disabled or neurodivergent people within their company.
Three key barriers UK adults believe affect the working careers of people who are either deaf, disabled or neurodiverse are lack of understanding of appropriate needs (34%), lack of opportunities (33%) and discrimination by companies (28 %).

Dr Lynne Guyton, CEO of John Lyon’s Charity reflects on these figures and comments: “This is not good enough. We want our new report to challenge policy makers, funders, arts organizations and businesses of all stripes to reassess what they offer when it comes to people with learning and access needs. We want those who are able to implement vital change to really ask themselves “are we doing enough?” because the sad reality is, the answer is no.”

Ms Guyton added: “Through our funding opportunities we want to encourage more employers to use our new report, resources and initiatives as a guide to providing long-term jobs and permanent employment opportunities for people with disabilities.”

Since 1991, the charity says it has donated £186 million to organizations supporting children and young people in nine London boroughs – Barnet, Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Kensington & Chelsea and the Cities of London and Westminster .