History and Purpose
AIMING HIGH
Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) has been the transformation programme for disabled children’s services. The vision is for all families with disabled children to have the support they need to lead ordinary family lives as a matter of course. Underpinning the programme is the Core Offer which sets out standards for services for disabled children in relation to information & transparency, assessment, and participation & feedback.
To find out more about the achievements made thus far please click on the link below.
‘COMMUNIC8’ A POTTED HISTORY
The West Sussex Report ‘Yes We Can!’ (April 2009) - a consultation with disabled children and young people – and the Bercow Review (2008) which recognised “..a grossly inadequate recognition across society of the importance of communication development’.. identified the very real need for a dedicated resource about communication in West Sussex.
Following meetings in October/November 2009 with a wide range of people including speech and language therapists, the Head of Speech and Language Therapy Children’s Services for West Sussex, teachers, experts in their fields, Playscheme Managers, disabled children and young people themselves, the Disabled Young People’s Forum, families, other local authorities and national organisations working on communication, the ‘Communication Toolkit’ (as it was initially known) was born.
These initial meetings raised some interesting ideas and questions. What is the level of understanding about disability in our wider communities? Why not consider an identified ‘lead runner’ to take up the development of disability awareness and communication in organisations?
Make Makaton and Picture Recognition available everywhere including our shops, cafes, sports centres and anywhere there are people. Make sure the Resource is needs-led, that it’s about good communication, effective communication, ‘wicked’ communication!
Originally this was to be a ‘stand-alone’ website but in May 2010 it became a part of ‘Reach Out’, an information resource for the community of West Sussex.
The philosophy and ethos of COMMUNIC8 is that it:
- is a ‘living’ and developing resource
- enables its content to be easily accessible and inclusive
- is child and young person centred
- is exciting and, where appropriate, challenging
- uses vehicles for communication which are ‘of the moment’
- provides opportunities for anyone to share their own experiences ideas and dreams
- is a springboard where the wider community can celebrate the successes, achievements and shared contributions to ‘COMMUNIC8’ of disabled children and young people.
