Janet Brookman Janet

This 2004-5 Annual Report was circulated to and approved by the Trustees in July 2005.

History

• Outsiders was founded in 1979 by Dr Tuppy Owens, with Nigel Verbeek (Soundaround), Dr Patricia Gillan (Maudsley and Guys Hospital) and David Cooper.
...
• Outsiders flourished right from the beginning, with regular monthly London events attracting members from as far as Liverpool and Paris on a regular basis.
...
It is a self-help group, run by its members including Dr Tuppy Owens, a membership secretary and other volunteers from Outsiders.
...
Never having had any funds for advertising, new members have come from publicity, for example at NAIDEX, Festival of Mind, Body, Spirit and from listings and databases.
...
Never having had any funds for advertising, new members have come from publicity, for example at NAIDEX, Festival of Mind, Body, Spirit and from listings and databases.
...
• In 1986, Outsiders received a grant from the Mental Health Foundation to expand our work into other cities in the south of England, and a Development Officer was appointed with a salary.
...
• In 1990, Outsiders was told we could no longer operated from Tuppy's flat because of the conditions of the lease.Premises had to be sought elsewhere.
...
- Support and monitor the performance of staff and volunteers and progress of Outsiders

- Handle the bank accounts and cash forecasts

- Ensure Outsiders is run under all the relevant legal and regulatory requirements

- Form links with other agencies and alliances so that Outsiders does not work in isolation

- Promote Outsiders to reach potential new members
...
Outsiders' 25th Anniversary celebrations were joyful and spectacular, and thanks to Awards for All and the generosity of the venue, The Landmark.
...
I was invited to speak at a seminar on consent at the fpa in London, have become a member of the Saturday Seminars run by the Tizard Centre of Canterbury University and belong to the Highlands Learning Disability Relationship Group - working on a local policy document.
...
I am liaising with researcher Lorna Couldrick to campaign for disability professionals to include sexuality issues as a matter of course when dealing with adult clients.
...
I continuously update the information I accumulate onto our website.

The website won a Getting The Message Across Award and has now become a well-regarded resource.Outsiders-Chat and the V-Group are taking off.Our team of volunteers are taking new pride in their work, with new events on the calendar, many success stories in Outsiders and increased publicity.More money would allow us a new leaflet, application form and on-line services.

Outsiders is still regarded as pioneering and exemplary throughout the world.
...
Outsiders is a user-led voluntary sector organisation for people with social and physical disabilities, responsive to the needs of its members, providing personal support and encouragement to enjoy life, and find a partner.
...
They run local groups, send out the birthday cards, run the raffles, drive other members to events, become part of our phone support network, or contribute to the website, Outsiders-Chat or our magazine, INSIDE.
...
The Outsiders Code of Conduct, Protection of Vulnerable Adults Policy and Child Protection Policy are sent to all new members.
...
Workshops are held at the London lunch.They are very well attended and growing from strength to strength.They are particularly powerful as they include people with no speech, blind, deaf and people with autism and Aspergers syndrome as well as people with mobility and all kinds of problems.Topics (often requested by members) have been included:

• What People Think of Me • Speed Flirting • What Outsiders Means to Me - and the next 25 Years • Love - What I love, and how I would like to be loved
...
• Play - and how to be spontaneous when disabled • Safety on dates - from the male and female perspective • How to word adverts in order to find partners

Participants complete a valuation form based on how enjoyable, useful and thought-provoking the workshop was for them.
...
"Play" exposed how emotionally and sexually starved people find it difficult to be playful."Safety" taught us lessons in negotiation.At "What Outsiders Means to Me" Sue (with autism) said she regretted telling the people at work she belonged to Outsiders because they have teased her about it ever since.One young man said that when he feels depressed, he looks at a copy of INSIDE and this cheers him up!He went on to say that his dream for the future was that Outsiders is given an Island where we can all live harmoniously.

All the workshops are written up and reported in INSIDE and on the website, |so that other members can benefit.
...
The images of Eleni "Who's Gorgeous?"
...
Volunteers make a point of all being in the office on Thursdays.
...
Membership currently stands at 674, which can be broken down as follows
...
The other is that Outsiders is too London and the South-based and we welcome funds to organise events in other cities.We continuously encourage members to get together to run local lunches.

We gain insight into the inner workings of the Outsiders, through workshops, phone calls, emails and interviews with members.For example, a house-bound woman who has been interviewed for a forthcoming issue of INSIDE speaks of her many contacts with others members during her 17 years of membership, and describes how she encourages them to come out of their shells and fulfil their dreams.

The Outsiders website won a Getting The Message Across Award from the National Information Forum "for supplying a substantial amount of information in a sensitive way".
...
Meetings during the period of this report were as follows:

• 11 th May O4: included the volunteers for the first half.This meeting focussed on the Anniversary event and funding.

• 6 th July 04: discussed the final touches to the 25 th Anniversary plans, and the letter to other disability agencies, inviting them to form alliances with Outsiders.
...
The SPOD office, consisting of three rooms and a garden in Camden Road, which had been pledged to Outsiders, has fallen through, as Islington Council have decided to sell the building instead.
...
Our London Office is a self-contained room in a wheelchair accessible block, rented from Workspace at £389.70 pm with a cupboard rented at £52.29pm.
...
Our 25 th Anniversary celebrations at The Landmark on Saturday 14 th August were financed by Awards for All, chaired by Tulloch Kempe and run by trustees and Outsiders volunteers and members.
...
Speeches were followed by group awareness sessions, and these were run by Outsiders members, most of whom had never run a group before.The outcome of each group was reported in INSIDE.
...
As a result of writing to over fifty disability agencies, inviting them to the 25 th celebrations and to form alliances with Outsiders, we received very positive responses.For example, the College of Occupational Therapists invited us to come and speak about Outsiders, where they offered to give leaflets about us out to all new clients.The Sex Education Forum (National Children's Bureau) asked us if we would like to become members.The fpa invited us to come and chat about our work and Headway agreed to exchange newsletters.Articles about Outsiders appeared in the press, including The Guardian and the Spinal Injuries magazine Forward .

Sex and Disability Alliance (S&DA)

Discussions at the fpa led to the idea of forming the Sex and Disability Alliance, for helpline operators and others providing advice on the subject.We thought everyone would benefit from exchanging views, learning from each other and working towards influencing policy.News about this group was distributed and put on our website.

Much enthusiasm resulted and eventually a convenient date was set for the first meeting.It is planned to take place in the conference room of Leroy House on Tuesday 14 th June.
...
People confirmed include Sue Kristoffersen of the SCOPE helpline, Pat Nutting from the Learning Disability Helpline of MENCAP, Richard Curren, Director of Respond, Wayne Chapman of the RNIB Helpline, Loredana Roiter of the RNIB Emotional Support Service, Anna Martinez of the Sex Education Forum (National Children's Bureau), Julie Thomas of Disability Wales and the Sexual Dysfunction Association.
...
Outsiders hopes this initiative

This 2004-5 Annual Report was circulated to and approved by the Trustees in July 2005.

History

• Outsiders was founded in 1979 by Dr Tuppy Owens, with Nigel Verbeek (Soundaround), Dr Patricia Gillan (Maudsley and Guys Hospital) and David Cooper.
...
• Outsiders flourished right from the beginning, with regular monthly London events attracting members from as far as Liverpool and Paris on a regular basis.
...
It is a self-help group, run by its members including Dr Tuppy Owens, a membership secretary and other volunteers from Outsiders.
...
Never having had any funds for advertising, new members have come from publicity, for example at NAIDEX, Festival of Mind, Body, Spirit and from listings and databases.
...
Never having had any funds for advertising, new members have come from publicity, for example at NAIDEX, Festival of Mind, Body, Spirit and from listings and databases.
...
• In 1986, Outsiders received a grant from the Mental Health Foundation to expand our work into other cities in the south of England, and a Development Officer was appointed with a salary.
...
• In 1990, Outsiders was told we could no longer operated from Tuppy's flat because of the conditions of the lease.Premises had to be sought elsewhere.
...
- Support and monitor the performance of staff and volunteers and progress of Outsiders

- Handle the bank accounts and cash forecasts

- Ensure Outsiders is run under all the relevant legal and regulatory requirements

- Form links with other agencies and alliances so that Outsiders does not work in isolation

- Promote Outsiders to reach potential new members
...
Outsiders' 25th Anniversary celebrations were joyful and spectacular, and thanks to Awards for All and the generosity of the venue, The Landmark.
...
I was invited to speak at a seminar on consent at the fpa in London, have become a member of the Saturday Seminars run by the Tizard Centre of Canterbury University and belong to the Highlands Learning Disability Relationship Group - working on a local policy document.
...
I am liaising with researcher Lorna Couldrick to campaign for disability professionals to include sexuality issues as a matter of course when dealing with adult clients.
...
I continuously update the information I accumulate onto our website.

The website won a Getting The Message Across Award and has now become a well-regarded resource.Outsiders-Chat and the V-Group are taking off.Our team of volunteers are taking new pride in their work, with new events on the calendar, many success stories in Outsiders and increased publicity.More money would allow us a new leaflet, application form and on-line services.

Outsiders is still regarded as pioneering and exemplary throughout the world.
...
Outsiders is a user-led voluntary sector organisation for people with social and physical disabilities, responsive to the needs of its members, providing personal support and encouragement to enjoy life, and find a partner.
...
They run local groups, send out the birthday cards, run the raffles, drive other members to events, become part of our phone support network, or contribute to the website, Outsiders-Chat or our magazine, INSIDE.
...
The Outsiders Code of Conduct, Protection of Vulnerable Adults Policy and Child Protection Policy are sent to all new members.
...
Workshops are held at the London lunch.They are very well attended and growing from strength to strength.They are particularly powerful as they include people with no speech, blind, deaf and people with autism and Aspergers syndrome as well as people with mobility and all kinds of problems.Topics (often requested by members) have been included:

• What People Think of Me • Speed Flirting • What Outsiders Means to Me - and the next 25 Years • Love - What I love, and how I would like to be loved
...
• Play - and how to be spontaneous when disabled • Safety on dates - from the male and female perspective • How to word adverts in order to find partners

Participants complete a valuation form based on how enjoyable, useful and thought-provoking the workshop was for them.
...
"Play" exposed how emotionally and sexually starved people find it difficult to be playful."Safety" taught us lessons in negotiation.At "What Outsiders Means to Me" Sue (with autism) said she regretted telling the people at work she belonged to Outsiders because they have teased her about it ever since.One young man said that when he feels depressed, he looks at a copy of INSIDE and this cheers him up!He went on to say that his dream for the future was that Outsiders is given an Island where we can all live harmoniously.

All the workshops are written up and reported in INSIDE and on the website, |so that other members can benefit.
...
The images of Eleni "Who's Gorgeous?"
...
Volunteers make a point of all being in the office on Thursdays.
...
Membership currently stands at 674, which can be broken down as follows
...
The other is that Outsiders is too London and the South-based and we welcome funds to organise events in other cities.We continuously encourage members to get together to run local lunches.

We gain insight into the inner workings of the Outsiders, through workshops, phone calls, emails and interviews with members.For example, a house-bound woman who has been interviewed for a forthcoming issue of INSIDE speaks of her many contacts with others members during her 17 years of membership, and describes how she encourages them to come out of their shells and fulfil their dreams.

The Outsiders website won a Getting The Message Across Award from the National Information Forum "for supplying a substantial amount of information in a sensitive way".
...
Meetings during the period of this report were as follows:

• 11 th May O4: included the volunteers for the first half.This meeting focussed on the Anniversary event and funding.

• 6 th July 04: discussed the final touches to the 25 th Anniversary plans, and the letter to other disability agencies, inviting them to form alliances with Outsiders.
...
The SPOD office, consisting of three rooms and a garden in Camden Road, which had been pledged to Outsiders, has fallen through, as Islington Council have decided to sell the building instead.
...
Our London Office is a self-contained room in a wheelchair accessible block, rented from Workspace at £389.70 pm with a cupboard rented at £52.29pm.
...
Our 25 th Anniversary celebrations at The Landmark on Saturday 14 th August were financed by Awards for All, chaired by Tulloch Kempe and run by trustees and Outsiders volunteers and members.
...
Speeches were followed by group awareness sessions, and these were run by Outsiders members, most of whom had never run a group before.The outcome of each group was reported in INSIDE.
...
As a result of writing to over fifty disability agencies, inviting them to the 25 th celebrations and to form alliances with Outsiders, we received very positive responses.For example, the College of Occupational Therapists invited us to come and speak about Outsiders, where they offered to give leaflets about us out to all new clients.The Sex Education Forum (National Children's Bureau) asked us if we would like to become members.The fpa invited us to come and chat about our work and Headway agreed to exchange newsletters.Articles about Outsiders appeared in the press, including The Guardian and the Spinal Injuries magazine Forward .

Sex and Disability Alliance (S&DA)

Discussions at the fpa led to the idea of forming the Sex and Disability Alliance, for helpline operators and others providing advice on the subject.We thought everyone would benefit from exchanging views, learning from each other and working towards influencing policy.News about this group was distributed and put on our website.

Much enthusiasm resulted and eventually a convenient date was set for the first meeting.It is planned to take place in the conference room of Leroy House on Tuesday 14 th June.
...
People confirmed include Sue Kristoffersen of the SCOPE helpline, Pat Nutting from the Learning Disability Helpline of MENCAP, Richard Curren, Director of Respond, Wayne Chapman of the RNIB Helpline, Loredana Roiter of the RNIB Emotional Support Service, Anna Martinez of the Sex Education Forum (National Children's Bureau), Julie Thomas of Disability Wales and the Sexual Dysfunction Association.
...
Outsiders hopes this initiative will: