FOCUS: More than 50 years helping disabled islanders

Saturday 31 December 2022

Enable Jersey was Bailiwick Express's chosen charity for 2022.

Previously the Jersey Society for the Disabled, it has a proud 52-year history of supporting anybody affected by disability in Jersey whether that’s someone with a disability themselves, a family member, friend or carer.

We remain one of only a few local pan–disability charities, working with islanders who live with autism, sensory, learning, physical, cognitive or emotional disabilities and life-long conditions.

Founded by trailblazers June Beslievre and Barbara Marie in 1970, Enable was set up with the simple aim of "making things better" for disabled people in Jersey and started with a focus on helping older disabled islanders to get together regularly, providing trips out and, where possible, providing financial support for anything from care equipment to holidays and short breaks.

A lot has changed since 1970, though, and, although the charity ran down during the pandemic, it emerged with new energy and a fresh vision of where it needed to be.

With approximately 15% of Jersey’s growing population living with a disability of some kind, Enable Jersey is working to remove the barriers that limit disabled islanders, and inspire change to create a more inclusive community where diversity is celebrated, and where everyone can contribute and be recognised for their unique skills, gifts and abilities.

Pictured: Enable, previously the Jersey Society for the Disabled,  was founded by June Beslievre and Barbara Marie in 1970 with the aim of 'making things better' for disabled people in Jersey. 

Whilst our new services are something of a departure from previous activities, they are very much based on what people told us they needed and that has definitely proved to be the case as we are supporting a growing number of people to navigate and access existing local services as well as bringing our experience to conversations about local services, individuals rights and inclusion.

One of the many fantastic things about the team we have brought together at Enable is that, as well as each person having a range of skills and experience to do their job, each person also brings with them real life experience of living with conditions, supporting people that do, or being a parent or carer for someone who does.

We have a small permanent team supported by a growing number of pool staff who work with us to bring specific skills and experience to individual situation.

I myself grew up with a dad who was disabled after brain surgery when I was eight, so I grew up with his struggles but also with his ‘disability’ being quite ‘normal’ to us - he was just 'dad'.

Some years later I, perhaps predictably, moved to a role supporting people with disabilities in the community and a new pathway to becoming a Social Worker. When the chance to join Enable Jersey came about in March last year, it felt like the circle was complete and the opportunity to help steer the charity in a new and exciting direction, offering different services in different ways, was something I couldn’t pass up.

I also live with a chronic and unpredictable pain and fatigue condition which makes life and work something of a challenge, balancing being a husband, father, leader and a few other hats, whilst trying to stay well myself and support others.

Pictured: "With approximately 15% of Jersey's growing population with a disability of some kind, Enable Jersey is working to remove the barriers that limit disabled islanders."

As well as being essential navigators, the Enable team help with advice on a range of important and often confusing or worrying subjects, such as planning for the future or accessing financial support and funding. These can be difficult subjects to talk about, but experienced support staff are on hand to help with these difficult conversations and whilst we certainly don’t profess to have all the answers, the good news for Jersey is that we are here to share the journey.  

Keeping well and finding a balance of physical, mental, emotional and social health can be difficult for everyone and indeed hugely subjective and very personal, as what matters to one person and makes them feel better is very likely to be different for others. If we, then throw in the impact of living with a disability, a long-term health condition or supporting someone who does, finding balance and wellness can be elusive. Once again, the Enable team are on hand to help people access local services and in some cases we can fund more specific therapies or support for a short period.

Leading our Wellbeing & Training Programme is Michala Graham who joined Enable just a few weeks ago, bringing her background in education and having previously worked with me at Dementia Jersey. Michala has personal experience of neurodiversity, sensory loss, learning disability, mental health, long-term illness and dementia to name but a few. Michala is hugely passionate about supporting individuals and making a positive difference to people’s lives. She brings boundless energy to everything she does and says that she was prompted to apply for the role not only because she liked the nature and ethos of Enable, but also by a quote from someone she very much admires, Bethany Hamilton, who said, “I don’t need easy, I just need possible”. Michala says that ‘the prospect of being part of that ‘possible’ for the estimated 15,000 people in Jersey living with a disability in Jersey excited me”.

Pictured: "When we speak to the people we work with, the thing that comes up time and time again is being able to do the things others can do, to be able to access the same opportunities, to be listened to and included."

When we speak to the people we work with, the thing that comes up time and time again is being able to do the things others can do, to be able to access the same opportunities, to be listened to and included. We all need to feel listened to, that our view or experience matters, and why should people living with disabilities be any different? In fact, I would say that their very individual experiences hold the keys to understanding and bringing change, making it arguably more essential that these are captured and learnt from. 

The Enable Voice project provides a safe, supportive environment to capture these essential messages. It’s important to point out that this isn’t to say that messages and experiences are in anyway sanitised, just managed by members of the team with the right skills and their own experience of living with disability. People of all ages and with any condition or difficulty can join a small group of people with similar experiences or interests, have an individual conversation, or give their thoughts via an online forum. Whatever medium works for that person, we can offer support to allow everyone to contribute in whatever way they are able. It is so important that we find the way and the mechanism that encourages and allows people to come together and talk freely about the things that matter. Everyone has something to offer, the challenge is ours to find a way. 

Suzanne Day leads us with Voice, working closely with Michala and I, as well as partners from the Government Disability & Inclusion Team. Suzanne has worked for many years supporting people affected by Autism Spectrum Conditions and learning disabilities and more recently was Advocacy and Participation Lead for a local charity working alongside people who have an experience of care. Suzanne is a passionate advocate for change and says that spending time with people during their toughest of times is a real privilege. She says it is really difficult to describe what it means to be allowed into someone's space during tricky times. “It's not all doom and gloom though, seeing people grow and thrive and thinking I may have had a tiny bit of positive impact is a very humbling feeling.” Suzanne brings a real depth of experience to the team and is keen to promote our thinking that the only way to make meaningful, sustainable change is to involve the exact people those changes affect. 

You can learn more about Enable Jersey by visiting their website here and donate to support their valuable work here.

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This article first appeared in a Enable Jersey special issue of Connect Magazine, which you can read below...