About Us

About Include Me TOO

“Include Me TOO” has proven to be a strong medium for the disabled equality debate. It has been a process for disabled children, young people and their families, to educate their peers and communities by empowering them as individuals and groups of children to take their equal place in society.

Since 2002 Include Me TOO has been working locally, regionally and nationally profiling disabled children and young people as integral members of society with equal rights. We believe that as a National Charity it is important to continue building upon the work and relationships established locally and nationally, to ensure maximum opportunity for all disabled children, young people and their families. Include Me TOO continues to support them to collectively and individually to express their aspirations and to be valued and taken seriously by society. Over the years we have established the seven key principles of RESPECT which underpin our work alongside the National Include Me TOO Charter of Rights for Disabled Children and Young People. Our vision can be made into a reality by all of us working together’

Parmi Dheensa
Executive Director

What do we do?

Include Me TOO champions the Rights, entitlements, and promotes social justice and equality for all disabled children and young people. We increase, involvement, participation and representation of BME disabled children and their families and other marginalised communities locally and nationally on decisions which impact on their lives. Developing and supporting cultural awareness and holistic and appropriate services/support through partnership working with disabled children and families and a range of other stakeholders.

 

Include Me TOO Aims and Objectives:

  • Supporting BME and other marginalised disabled children and young people and their families to access information and support and identify individual needs and barriers.
  • Provide an opportunity for BME and other marginalised parents/carers to share and learn from experiences and to support one another.
  • Promote and increase awareness of the full range of services and support available for BME and other marginalised disabled children and young people and their families, promoting inclusive, accessible, culturally appropriate and reflective services, combining and supporting an holistic, multi-agency approach.
  • Increase representation and involvement of all disabled children and young people and their families at all levels of service delivery and decision making processes.
  • Increase awareness of disability issues in all communities through partnership with BME and other minority community Faith Groups, voluntary and community groups.
  • Provide an equal platform for BME and other minority disabled children and young people to voice their views and concerns.
  • Support and challenge organisations in delivering their legal responsibilities to the Rights of all disabled children and young people
  • Audit organisations against their outcomes and action for disabled children and young people

 

What makes us different?

  • Include Me TOO is driven by disabled children & young people and their families, who in the past have not been represented equally or had their voices heard.
  • Supports and demonstrates the impact of multi strand equalities and the importance of meeting the diverse needs of each unique individual.
  • Enhancing and supporting the application of national strategies and polices, in areas where the desired impact has been difficult to achieve.
  • Working effectively at local, regional and national levels at grassroots level and strategic level within a range of settings and diverse communities. .
  • Local, regional and national recognition of good practice i.e. Local Authorities, Primary Care Trusts, Race for Health National Programme, NSPCC, Council of Disabled Children, UNICEF, DayCare Trust, Equality and Human Rights Commission, REU.


Additional advantages and value Include Me TOO adds to government regions and local areas?

  • Ability to complement and enhance application of policies and strategies
  • Provide resources, tools, training and access to support delivery and impact.
  • Access to a vast network of communities and key stakeholders
  • Specialism in supporting BME communities & families
  • Establishing Beacons of Good Practice and mentors to share learning and skills
  • Support in the completion of Equality Impact Assessments in relation to disabled children and young people

Include Me TOO support and are able to be part of the change process as a change agent increasing better outcomes for disabled children and their families particularly those who have been ‘hard to reach’, maximising reach and improving live chances.

Include Me TOO Background

Include Me TOO (IM2) began in 2002 with committed Black and other Minority Ethnic (BME) parents and carers and professionals who recognised the needs and concerns of BME disabled children and their families were not accurately represented and supported. They were under-represented in service delivery and planning, had low levels of participation and engagement, low levels of access to services and support, low benefit uptake, faced many stereotypes and prejudices and felt services and supports being offered were inaccessible and culturally inappropriate.

They believed local and regional networks being supported through a national network of BME parents and carers would increase active participation and involvement, challenge services and communities in regards to appropriate , culturally sensitive, reflective services and increase awareness of inclusion , equality and better outcomes for BME and other minority disabled children and their families.

IM2 has been running several programmes for a number of years, promoting awareness of disabled children rights, through campaigning, raising public awareness, consulting with disabled young people, and involving young people as volunteers.

 

In 2002, Include Me TOO carried out an initial two year research programme that evidenced the gaps in service provisions in meeting the needs of disabled children, young people and their families. Subsequent to the research, IM2 developed a “My family, My Culture Programme” consulting with eight schools (six special schools). The consultation supported the learning of young people from mainstream schools and identified that young people in mainstream schools had extremely limited, and in many cases, no access to or opportunities to develop peer relationships with their disabled peers.

 

Through the Include Me TOO programme, young people from mainstream schools realised they had more in common with their disabled peers and their pre-conceived perception of difference was altered. The consultations also highlighted the many barriers that disabled children and young people faced.

Include Me TOO work has demonstrated and highlighted that by maximising the involvement, participation and representation of minority groups, in this instance BME disabled children & young people, interaction, communication and understanding between the children and young people and their peers has been achieved.

Include Me TOO met with RT Hon Beverley Hughes MP Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families during February 2006 and presented our work and research undertaken with the Minister. Furthermore Include Me TOO highlighted the successful outcomes achieved by the Include Me TOO Parents and Carers Networks (which are now run as family networks) plus the Include Me TOO Charter and song developed and produced by local disabled children and young people in Wolverhampton.

RT Hon Beverley Hughes MP recognised the national relevance and good practice of Include Me TOO’s work to date and endorsed the Charter. Due to its national relevance to all disabled children and young people the Include Me TOO Charter was produced with forty jigsaw pieces and was nationally disseminated and is now known as the National “Include Me TOO” Charter of Rights for Disabled Children and Young People.

How IM2 has national significance

‘Disabled children and young people from Black and other Minority Ethnic backgrounds experience multiple inequalities in their daily lives. They experience discrimination as disabled children and young people as well as members of black and minority ethnic communities. As children who have impairments they also are disabled by society. Some may also incur discrimination due to theirs or their family’s religion or beliefs. They’re families are also subject to multiple forms of inequalities. These experiences of discrimination often result in exclusion and segregation and serves to place them all as the 'other' in society. Their multiple needs and experiences are frequently unrecognised and misunderstood.’ (Include Me TOO Research 2006)

IM2 has worked extensively locally, regionally and nationally across and with statutory organisations and agencies including local authorities, primary care trusts, voluntary, community, faith groups and organisations. Through established partnership working with other national organisations IM2 continues to build upon and support this work as integral to the anti discrimination, inclusion and cohesion agendas. This is evident in endorsements by cross political parties and major national organisations who have joined the Include Me TOO National steering group to overlook the implementation and delivery of the IM2 Charter of Rights for Disabled Children and Young People.

The main core of activity for IM2 is in representing and facilitating the voices of marginalised disabled children, young people, families’ communities, and services especially form Black and other minority community groups. IM2 furthermore produces publications, training and practice guides and materials to increase further awareness, attitudinal change and legal compliance in the field.

Achievements and Future Developments:

The following points highlight some of the work already undertaken and being carried forward in our future areas of work:

  • Development of national/regional co-coordinated involvement and participation for BME disabled children and their families (through involvement of local agencies)
  • Establishing partnerships with local and national organisation to increased and improve access to support/information and co-ordination of care.
  • Establishing increased partnership working with agencies supporting BME disabled children and families.
  • Reviewing and supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the needs of BME disabled children and families.
  • Establishing more responsive and appropriate support services for BME disabled children and their families.
  • National dissemination of good practices.
  • National Co-ordination of learning, support and peer support for BME parents and carers.
  • Increased representation and participation and involvement, locally, regionally and nationally influencing service delivery and informing policy and practice.
  • The National delivery of the Include Me TOO Charter of Rights.
  • Increasing awareness of different cultural backgrounds by using a range of different methods to recognise diversity in conjunction with disabilities, breaking down barriers.
  • Supporting BME disabled children and their families to participate and be equally represented Nationally.