Hidden disabilities

At Through the Roof we’re aware of many people with various hidden disabilities who struggle daily – not just with their impairment, but with the misunderstandings of others. We hope the following article by Kay Morgan-Gurr and link to a Christian TV programme about ME from Revelation TV on You Tube: follow this link to watch the show on YouTube, will encourage you that you’re not alone. Why not comment via our Facebook page by following this link.

Fibromyalgia

Today I’ll be having a blood test to see if I have a third hidden disability to add to my list – another one to try and explain - because other than a walking stick, I look really well!

My body doesn’t multi-task - I can’t stand… and sing, so I sit down for church services. But I can stand and drink a coffee. Actually, that is because sitting down with my hands full is impossible - I need both hands to steady myself as I sit. Plus, all the seats near the coffee area are usually taken and walking with a full up of coffee is also bodily multi-tasking - so drinking the coffee standing up is easier!

For my friends, my disabilities are confusing and hard to understand, so imagine what it is like for those who don’t know me! I got so fed up of explaining things, I put a page on my blog (follow this link to visit Kay's blog)and direct people there which has really helped.

In the outside world it is often a very different tale. I can’t do long queues, walking is slow and laboured, bright lights and sudden sounds hurt. When shop assistants help me by opening a new till I get comments such as “I think I’ll feign an illness to get help too”. Remaining positive in a world designed for the healthy is difficult. But I find my biggest weapons are my smile and my sense of humour.

Wherever I am, I find calm explanation is very helpful, whether the explaining is done by me or a friend. Most ‘unfair’ things happen due to lack of understanding, so to say, “This happened and it made me feel….” is far better than “This happened and it’s obvious you don’t care”. I’ve managed to change a lot of issues that way! There will always be situations that I cannot change - I will keep chipping away at those, but I will not waste the little energy I have on getting angry about it. From experience - It doesn’t work.

Today I resolve to show the grace I am given daily to live with my disabilities and point to God as the one who gives me that Grace. It’s not easy and many days I fail, but I will try.

Kay Morgan-Gurr, Director, Children Worldwide

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Tales from Nyeri

Sue Pimentel took part in Wheels' 2012 distribution to Nyeri as an occupational therapist. Since returning, she's spoken at her church (St. Paul's, Barton) about her experiences, and, thanks to the power of the internet, you can listen to her talk and watch her slides by following the links below. The talk is a wonderful insight into the work on the ground of Wheels for the World, as well as containing many moving stories about the real need for wheelchairs in Nyeri. Have a listen!

Follow this link to download an MP3 of Sue speaking at St. Paul's

Follow this link to view the slides accompanying the talk in PDF

Follow this link to read more about St. Paul's and Sue's support and work for Wheels

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'All Inclusive' video

You can watch a short video of Joe chatting about his autism with Tim Wood, Through the Roof's CEO on our youtube channel by following this link. The video was produced in collaboration with Urban Saints, and we hope to be able to release more soon - we hope you enjoy it!

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Inclusive Festival Guide

Make your community festival inclusive

The 2012 Paralympics caught people’s imagination like no previous Games. Through the Roof were pleased to join with the Aylesbury Church Network, Fusion, Youth for Christ and More Than Gold alongside other Churches for All partners to create the first-ever inclusive community festival at Stoke Mandeville stadium for the Paralympics opening night.

Now we’ve brought together all that experience, ideas and good practice to compile a free resource for churches. Entitled, ‘Making your community festival inclusive’ it will provide you with the knowledge and skills of appropriate activities, terminology and promotion to ensure your community festival or event benefits your whole community and no-one misses out. You can download it here…

Follow this link to download a PDF of the guide

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Mark Nicholson on 4thought

Friend and contact of TTR, Mark Nicholson, recently recorded a short piece for Channel 4's '4thought' series. The piece, featuring Mark talking about 'why bad things happen to good people' will be shown at 7.25pm on Channel 4 on Saturday 1st December, but you can watch it now on the 4thought website by following this link.

Nyeri Blog -- 23 November 2012

Today's blog post comes from Ruth Davey, part of the Wheels team in Nyeri. The picture is one of the first we've had back from this distribution.

As we near the end of this Nyeri distribution I feel a sense of gratitude and a bit of relief. The constant stream of people coming for help with their disability needs can be very challenging. We frequently have had to step back and pray for wisdom. We are out of our depth in another culture and cannot really understand. But I believe we have been able to help many and hopefully make a big difference to most.

We have got on well as a team and worked well together. The team at the Hospice have supported us generously, lovingly and professionally. The pastors have brought God's love and presence to clients and all of us working with them. Another distribution full of rich experiences and memories.

Follow this link to read all of our Wheels blog entries

Nyeri Blog - November 22nd

Jill, a member of our Wheels team currently in Kenya has emailed with the latest details of the distribution in Nyeri, including a visit to Nyeri prison...

How appropriate that during Prison Week in the UK the Wheels team in Kenya were able to supply wheelchairs and mobility aids to inmates in Nyeri Prison. Pastor Davis gave a Disability Awareness Workshop last Friday which the prison chaplain attended. He then spoke with his colleagues and two prisoners were identified as needing wheelchairs.

Glenda and Jill sorted out two attendant propelled wheelchairs, five pairs of crutches and two walking frames and set off in a prison van for Nyeri prison with the Deputy Superintendent. We sat in the front whilst they shared the back with mobility aids and bags of cement!

The prison staff were very welcoming as the sight of two white women pushing wheelchairs must be unusual to say the least. The prison now practises an ‘Open Policy’ so our Wheels T-shirts gave us status and an entry with only our names for identification.

We took our equipment to the prison hospital where we were greeted enthusiastically by men wearing blue striped prison uniform and were soon surrounded by hoards of excited inmates. Resisting the invitation to do assessments on a patch of grass we were shown in to a small room to give some privacy.

We were struck by the level of care and concern which able prisoners had for those who needed maximum help with all functional skills and there was lots of laughing, joking and commradary whilst each inmate was seen.

Eventually we gave a self propelling chair to a man who had either crawled or been carried for years and an attendant propelled wheelchair to a very tall man who needed three people to carry him.

Assessing for crutches proved very interesting as they swopped different sets – one inmate wanted elbow crutches so his old axilla ones were quickly taken by another! We gave a crutch to someone who had been without since the police took his away when he was arrested.

Most of the prisoners are serving life sentences and in Kenya life means life. The needs of disabled prisoners are often ignored and this Wheels trip has certainly raised their profile. The photocall of all eight ‘clients’ with the Deputy Superintendent and ourselves will be shared with the Kenyan Prison Service. Writing in the visitors book we said 'thank you for this opportunity – it has been a real priviledge'. Lives have been changed - Praise God.

Follow this link to read all of our Wheels blog entries

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Nyeri Blog - Tuesday 20th November

Wheels for the World Nyeri trip team leader, Glenda, writes:

We prayed for more clients and they certainly came yesterday. We were here at the Hospice from 9.00 am till 7.00pm. The power went off a couple of times but that was at least during daylight. We saw 48 clients which included a large number of children with complex seating needs. The therapists rose to the challenge!

Today it is much quieter - we have allocated all the seating for the children who are expected over the next few days as we were concerned that the registered children who arrived on the last day might not otherwise get a chair.

Today we are expecting two prisoners - could be interesting. The Provincial Commissioner - who I understand has been a great help in clearing the container for Nyeri Hospice is also due to visit - I gather he has a request!!

Pastor Davis is very encouraged by the number of people who have made first time commitment to the Lord - especially today.

(The photo is from a previous trip to Kenya — we’ll have pictures from this distribution once the team return).

Follow this link to read all of our Wheels blog entries

Nyeri news - Monday 19th November

Wheels Coordinator Glenda has emailed to say all is well over in Nyeri, Kenya - they have blue sky and the birds are chirping... There have also been tales of the 'interesting' Kenyan plumbing, resulting in Glenda having slightly more of a shower than she expected!

Glenda says:

Hoping for many more clients today... business a bit slow - please pray more come. The advantage is that the therapists have been able to spend quality time and really do some good adaptations on the chairs they have fitted - especially those given to the children.

Follow this link to read all of our Wheels blog entries

Nyeri Blog - Day 3 - Sunday 18th November

Nigel Drury (our new International Missions Manager) reports from his first Wheels trip - our wheelchair distribution in Nyeri, Kenya...

Sunday's church service for the team was a God-directed choice I believe. The team, including Pastor Davis Gatua (from Elburgon, another town in Kenya), walked the twenty minutes to the Dominion Chapel, Nyeri and were impressed by the spirit and organisation of the church. The teaching was excellent and the pastor’s welcome sincere.

I was particularly excited to hear that the pastor had just returned from a visit to the church in Kigali, Rwanda. He had been so impressed by the Kigali church’s compassionate works in the community that he became convinced that the Lord was giving him direction for his home church in Nyeri. He told the church that the 2013 programme would be different and that they would be reaching the needy. At the end of the service we were invited to say just a few words to which he responded that it was a confirmation of what God was calling him to do. Pastor Davis was invited to meet the assistant pastor in his office which was an opportunity to speak of disability needs. Glenda invited the congregation to tell others to bring any disabled person to the Nyeri Hospice over the next few days if they are in need of mobility aid.

All this was such an encouragement to see before us a spiritual awakening that accords with the vision that Through the Roof has in general and that Pastor Davis has for the Kenyan church in particular: to see a church responsive to the needs of disabled people.

Presently not a single disabled person goes to the church services at Dominion Chapel: we hope to hear that the situation has changed during 2013! Please join with us in prayer for this church and that other ministers would catch the vision too.

(The photo is from a previous trip to Kenya — we’ll have pictures from this distribution once the team return).

Follow this link to read all of our Wheels blog entries