It was my first time inside Manchester Central Convention Complex’s Exchange Auditorium ( please bear with me, there’ll be a million firsts for me documented in this blog) and it was so cool. The audience were in groups according to what event we’d chosen to attend. And after our Welcome by co-designing group members Carmen Ffye Paulo and Heidi Taylor-Wood, Vincent Dugdale came onstage and presented five NHS Key workers (and in my opinion unsung heroes) on stage to share some of their experiences about issues that have affected them including the pandemic, disability, healthcare and the inequality of class, gender and race as well as how they are using their positions to create a positive change for the present and for the future.
There was:
Qualified teacher Diane Rutherford who is also brap’s Learning and
Development Lead. Some of her work includes engaging with schools and
universities to break down social barriers and stigmas around learning
disabilities and mental health as well as how a student can be impacted in
various ways by teachers and by learning.
Dr Devapriya Dev, a Consultant General
& Respiratory Physician at Royal Bolton Hospital and one of the doctors on
the frontline throughout the pandemic. Having been a doctor for more than 20
years he’s also an important leader in the Indian community in this city and as
the Chair of Nrityakunj (a South Asian cultural organisation in Manchester) and
Global Governor (UK) for the American College of Chest Physicians he has been
continually working towards inclusion and diversity within the NHS.
Naomi Yeboah, a community learning
disability nurse, actor, writer and producer.
Joy Warmington, the CEO of brap, where she
is engaged in the development of many of brap’s training and development
programmes. As a member of the NHS Leadership Faculty, one of her many roles
includes using her background in anti-discriminatory practice and application
to create inclusive leadership programmes, and as a lifelong qualified teacher
she knows how to design and deliver programs that are innovative, effective and
fun.
And finally, Polish-born, Manchester raised
Zuzanna Kouamba who is a final-year student midwife.
For full bios of these incredible human
beings please visit the link https://mif.co.uk/lftt-speakers/
Before leaving the stage each of them
shared their hopes and dreams that had them looking forward to tomorrow.
Listening to them all I was reminded yet
again how being a minority or being different means that you will be in a
lifelong battle that you never wanted or chose to fight. It’s one of the
reasons why no matter how many times I’d like to, or try to, every conversation that I have is carrying the weight of the lack of equality we have present in this moment
in time. Yes, we’ve come a long way but we still have a million miles to go.
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