A PORTRAIT OF A MOVEMENT

“Portrait of a Movement”, a large painting by Rosa Branson celebrates the story of the Inclusion Movement in the UK. 

The Struggle for Inclusion, by Rosa Branson MBE

This painting by Rosa Branson represents the story of the inclusion movement in the UK. 

Starting in the bottom left-hand corner there are images of special schools and training centres for disabled children. You can see blind girls being taught to weave baskets, children alone and afraid in residential institutions, a disabled man begging on the streets. These 'Bleak Walls' were the common experience for young disabled people from the beginnings of industrial capitalism in Britain. They often remained locked up for the whole of their lives.

Moving round clockwise we see a cartoon: disabled people and non-disabled people pointing at each other and accusing each other of being the problem. This marks a change of view, brought about by disabled people themselves, that it is society which disables us because of the barriers created to our inclusion. Some parents of disabled children listened and learned from this, becoming our allies in a fight for our human rights.  Radical new organisations were formed - CSIE (Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education), Pi (Parents for Inclusion) and ALLFIE (The Alliance for Inclusive Education), this last organisation is led by disabled people. All the organisations have the goal of an inclusive education system in which all young people, including disabled children, can play and learn alongside each other in a spirit of community.

As we move forwards towards the top right we see a demonstration of young disabled people outside (and inside) the DFES, demanding the right to be educated together with their brothers and sisters, friends and allies. This was one of many campaigns which, together, helped to change the law, giving disabled children greater rights to mainstream education.

Moving down the right-hand side of the picture we see people and organisations, including Richard Rieser, now of World of Inclusion, who started DEE (Disability Equality in Education) to train schools in the social model of disability, and inclusion. This developed a body of good practice which is now spreading throughout the education system. 

Curling round into the centre we see images of young people living open lives within their communities, growing into adults with friends, lovers, children, meaningful work and a full life not dominated by institutions or service provision. 

Finally, at the heart of the painting are the images of our Welcome Project. This is the intention to reach every newborn, or newly diagnosed disabled child and their supporters with a letter, and a song of welcome so that they start out their lives knowing that whatever difficulties they may have to face, they are needed and wanted by the world.

The story has only just begun. There are many forces within societies around the world which resist and denounce our struggle, and segregation still happens, but we have already seen how much our children and all who get to know them benefit from even these first haltering and uncertain steps. Together we are working towards a different kind of society in which we can all feel a sense of belonging and hope for the future.

www.allfie.org.uk

www.worldofinclusion.com

www.parentsforinclusion.org