Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore

Poor Mental Health In Women’s Prisons | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #10 w/Joyce Kallevik

Introducing the 10th episode of "Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore", where our host Theo sits down with Joyce Kallevik from WISH. Founded in 1987, WISH is a user-led women’s mental health charity developing pioneering support services for under-served women and campaigning together for social justice. Theo and Joyce discuss how the prison system is not set up correctly for women, how many of WISH's staff have lived experience and how WISH help women through the justice and mental health system: ''We don't want women to tread water, we want them to swim and have goals and aspirations''.-WISH supports women with long-term mental health and other complex needs that may put them in contact with the mental health or criminal justice systems. They currently provide free community-based counselling like their trauma informed counselling service and other support and training services in Greater London and work with women detained in 4 secure hospitals in the North of England, providing independent mental health advocacy. -For more information on their organisation visit: www.womenatwish.org.uk or email: info@womenatwish.org.uk

Archiving The Disabled People’s Movement! | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #9 w/ Ella & Luke

Introducing the 9th episode of "Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore", where our host Theo sits down with Ella and Luke from the Disabled People's Archive. The Disabled People’s Archive is an initiative by Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People with the support of Archives+ from Manchester Central Library. The archive aims to preserve and promote the history of the UK's Disabled Peoples' Movement, and the conversation delves into the importance of this mission. Ella and Luke share their insights on the fear of losing the history and recording of the disabled peoples movement, their process of archiving work, mapping out the movement, why certain groups in the history of the disabled peoples movement ceased to exist, and how people can access the archive. The conversation also explores why it is integral to have the history of the movement mapped in-house in a DPO, rather than at a university, as the movement is by the people, for the people. As the archiving process is about the future as much as it is about the past, the archive is used to inform us about the struggles many disabled people face today, and to design a better world that caters to the social model of disability. Join Theo, Ella, and Luke for an insightful conversation on the importance of preserving and promoting the history of the UK's Disabled Peoples' Movement. Don't miss this episode of "Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore". For more information on their organisation visit: https://disabledpeoplesarchive.com/ or email: https://disabledpeoplesarchive.com/

Importance Of Lived Experiences In DPOs | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #8 w/ Lynne Turnbull

Our host Theo talks to Lynne from Disability Positive about the importance of lived experiences in a Disabled Peoples' Organisation setting, disabilities being labelled as a minority group and much more! -Lynne Turnbull is the Chief Executive of Disability Positive, a Disabled Peoples' Organisation (DPO) based in Cheshire. They have a range of services to help people with everyday life, being part of their local community and looking after their own wellbeing, offering advice, help with practical tasks and advocate for people in lots of different situations in the North of England.-To find out more about Disability Positive, go to: https://disabilitypositive.org/

Nothing About Us Without Us! | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #7 w/ Tracey Lazard

Our podcast host Dr Theo Blackmore has a conversation with Inclusion London's CEO Tracey Lazard. With more than two decades of experience working across various Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations (DDPOs), Tracey is a person with a disability who has dedicated her career to advocating for disability equality, user involvement, and the Social Model of Disability and the Cultural Model of Deafness. Throughout the last 16 years, she has held CEO positions, and in 2011, she became Chief Executive at Inclusion London. -Tracey is deeply committed to the role DDPOs play in promoting equality and inclusion, as well as providing effective, accessible, and comprehensive services that have a positive impact on the lives of Deaf and Disabled people.-For more information on Inclusion London please go to: https://www.inclusionlondon.org.uk/ 

Encouraging Disabled Peoples’ Inclusion! | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #6 w/ Sophie Fournel

Our series host Theo Blackmore is joined by Sophie Fournel, CEO of Disability Assist. Disability Assist is a disabled peoples' user-led organisation that covers the county of Kent. 
They discuss the situation many disabled people face in Kent and the real need to encourage disabled people into the workforce. They discuss that more young disabled people need to come forward and start steering the future of disabled user-led organisations and charities. 
For more information on Disability Assist and if you need information and advice in Kent, please go to: www.disabilityassist.org.uk/

Justice For Disabled Mothers | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #5 with WinVisible

Happy International Women's day! We have a fantastic podcast episode with guest speakers from WinVisible, an organisation devoted to fighting for the rights of disabled women. 
Guest speakers associated with WinVisible discuss how there is massive discrimination and injustice that faces disabled mothers; how automatically, disabled mothers are seen as harmful to their children; the injustice many asylum seekers face and the alarming levels of domestic violence that women cannot escape from. Watch and listen to an array of passionate speakers on issues facing women and mothers across the country. 
WinVisible is a multi-racial grassroots group that brings together women from diverse backgrounds and with various disabilities. Through mutual support, the group helps its members overcome isolation and discrimination, and fights for their entitlements. WinVisible offers self-help information and advocacy on issues such as benefits, accessing healthcare and support services, and employment discrimination. The group also tackles challenges related to homecare charges and the cost of living.For more information, visit WinVisible's website at: https://winvisibleblog.wordpress.com/ 
Their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winvisiblewomen/ 
Their Twitter: https://twitter.com/winvisiblewomen  

Rights, Not Charity! | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #4 with Rick Burgess

Theo and Rick Burgess, Outreach and Development Lead at Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP), have had a chat. They reminisce on how many disabled peoples' organisations were formed in pubs and by writing letters to eachother, and how it is essential to keep the disabled people's movement going, and that the key is to focus on rights, not charity!
For more information on Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, please go to: https://gmcdp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/gmcdp

Living In A Rural Area With A Disability | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #3 with Mary Reed

How accessible is the county of Wiltshire for disabled people? 
Theo converses with Mary Reed, CEO at Wiltshire Centre For Independent Living, about the challenges of being disabled in a rural county like Cornwall or Wiltshire. --Discover Voices (c) 2022, a production by registered charity, disAbility Cornwall & Isles of Scilly. 

Intersectionality | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #2 with Dean Harvey

Theo is back with episode two! He talks with Dean Harvey, a Community Development Worker for Pentreath LTD, a mental health charity based near Newquay, Cornwall. 
They talk about how people face oppression on multiple fronts and how third (voluntary) sector services can improve by helping people in a more holistic manner. They discuss how 'minorities' are minoritised and open the discussion on the pros and cons of terminology like BAME and Ally. 
 

Cultural Values Relating to Disability | Conversations with Dr Theo Blackmore #1 with Stephen Lee Hodgkins

This December 3rd marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022, so what better day to announce our first new DISCOVER Voices podcast host, Dr Theo Blackmore. In Theo's first episode, he is joined by his friend and colleague Stephen Lee Hodgkins. Stephen is a self-taught community artist and visual thinker based in York. The duo discusses the implications of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, cultural values relating to disability and much more!