Scope’s Rotherham Day Service awarded grant for oral history project

Disability charity Scope’s Rotherham Day Service has been awarded £41,500 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to capture life experiences of disabled people and their carers in and around Rotherham over the past 50 years.

The project, which is scheduled to last for two years, will help raise awareness of challenges facing disabled people in their daily lives, recognise and value life experiences and promote feelings of self-worth amongst people marginalised and undervalued by society.

Rotherham Day Service has worked closely with Clifton Park Museum, collating oral histories from local people in Rotherham. This highlighted there was a gap in people’s knowledge regarding life experiences of disabled people and the need for the public’s greater understanding of the issues facing disabled people in everyday life.

The interviews, which will be carried out by service users from disability charity Scope’s Rotherham Day Service, will be transcribed into booklets (in an accessible format) and then widely distributed to libraries, schools and colleges in the region, as well as be available on the website. There will be two part-time workers supporting the interviewers with personal assistance and transport.

Kelly Vigrass, a service user from Scope Rotherham Day Service, said: “I’m looking forward to doing the oral history project. The people of Rotherham will benefit from listening to different disabled people’s opinions on what it was like over the last 50 years. I think they will learn from the information and it will make young people more aware of disabled people.”

Val Allen, Service Manager at Rotherham Day Service, explained: “The research will provide society with an understanding of day-to-day experiences shaping and forming the lives of disabled people in Rotherham over the past 50 years. If any disabled people would be happy to be interviewed about their life experiences, then please get in touch with us.”

Rotherham Day Service is a centre for physically disabled adults aged 19-65. The different activities offered include computer training, arts and crafts, literacy, numeracy, leisure and recreation. The sessions enable service users to make the most of the opportunities, enjoyment, challenges and responsibilities of their lives.

If you would like to be interviewed, please contact Frances Riley on 01709 830820 or email frances.riley@scope.org.uk

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For more information please contact Julie Burley in the Scope press office on 020 7619 7372 or email julie.burley@scope.org.uk

For out-of-hours press enquiries please call 020 7619 7200.

Notes to Editors:

Scope is a disability organisation whose focus is people with cerebral palsy, and whose mission is that all disabled people achieve equality in the UK.

Scope’s mission is to drive the change to make our society the first where disabled people achieve equality. Our Time to Get Equal campaign aims to build a mass movement of one million people to help achieve this.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and celebrating traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open up our nation's heritage to everyone to enjoy. HLF has supported more than 26,000 projects, allocating over £4 billion across the UK.