Filmmaker
Profile
My deep commitment to social justice has been and is at core of the work of diverseidentities for over twenty years. I have worked primarily with people
with learning difficulties, people with mental health support needs and older people with a particular focus on the needs of older lesbians. gay men, bisexuals
and transgender people. In this work I have engaged with a variety of support agencies e.g. statutory, voluntary and private sectors in health,
housing and social care. My eclectic experience and other interests ranging from writing, visual art, design and dance through to high - end advocacy and
research have been the driving force of my work and through all the years I have worked closely with a variety of professionals and service users as consultants.
This profile details my film work which is in turn supplemented by mention of other relevant work in research, advocacy, training and writing.
Experience
Filmmaking
Diverse Identities began filmmaking in 1994 and has steadily increased it output over the years. The main focus has been in producing films linked to
our work in social care and research. However, more recently we have begun to produce more politically and human rights based works.
Examples of work to date:
- The Cave, a short film developed through a storytelling group for disturbed and disabled children and focussing on a story of Native Americans and cowboys (Action Space, London Events, 1994)
- Alternative Communication, a half hour film featuring people with learning difficulties, people with mental health support needs and older people. The film has a two pronged approach as it details the development of a Service User Charter and uses a range of alternative communication techniques to train the audience to respond appropriately to the communication needs of service users (Heritage Care, 1996-97)
- Southwark Catherdral Disability Audit, a short film following the work of the disability consultation project during major refurbishment at Southwark Cathedral (1999)
- Service User Involvement, a half hour film devoted to exploring the many ways that service users can become more involved in running their support organisations (Circle 33, 2001)
- Partnership Board Audit, a half hour film showing in visual form an audit of a Learning Disability Partnership Board and featuring a group of people with learning difficulties whose role is to feed information and suggestions into the Board (Lambeth People First, 2005)
- Map Squad, a short film about a group of people with learning difficulties who are making a tactile map of their borough for use in Local Council and day service modernisation meetings to carer and service user awareness conferences (Friendly Group, Lambeth, 2005)
- The Friendly Group, a short film about the work of a group of people with learning difficulties whose job it is to consult with other people with and well (Friendly Group, Lambeth 2005)
- Service User Involvement project, a film showing the work of seven regional Service User Focus Groups as they meet to discuss the involvement of service users at national committee and Board membership level. (Heritage Care, 2005)
- High Support Needs, a series of four films focussing on the needs of people with High Support or Complex Needs. The films are; a carers consultation, a storytelling group, Mark’s story and Transport issues (London Borough of Lambeth, 2005)
- Where is Hither Green? A spoof travelogue featuring the fictional Douglas Frimley, and exploring the suburban area of Hither Green in the context of its origins as a leafy Kent countryside village (Diverse Identities 2005)
- My Life, a film of a person with learning difficulties in the context of her Person Centred Plan using archive home movie footage and featuring discussions about her current and future life (Diverse Identities, 2006-07)
- Queer Fear in Iraq, a short film about the plight of gay men in Iraq focussing on the human rights issues there and forming a memorial to those who have died and an acknowledgment of those still facing persecution and death (Village Film Limited, 2007)
Films in production and/or development:
• Coming Out, a film exploring the impact that admitting a non-heterosexual orientation has upon lesbians and gay men and on people receiving the information
* Ward 6, a adaptation of a short story by Anton Chekov
* Middle Eastern religious art
Supplementary Experience
Research:
a) Core Training Standards for Sexual Orientation. Making National Health Services Inclusive for LGB People (Department of Health 2006)
b) Mental Health and Well-being in later life, lesbian and gay component (Age Concern England and Mental Health Foundation, 2006)
c) Older Lesbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals and Transgender People: Housing and Care in the Brighton Area. (Heritage Care, 2003 & 2005)
Advocacy:
a) Advocacy with individuals with learning difficulties, people with mental health support needs and older people (1998- ongoing)
b) National Service User Involvement Project involving the setting up and facilitating of regional Service User Focus Groups and a National Service User Committee. Another thrust of the work is to support the agency inenabling three service users to undertake full governance at Board level. (Heritage Care, 2005 - ongoing))
Training:
a) Facilitation of Creative and Intensive Interaction training for staff and service users (Creative Connections, 2004)
b) Management Committee Training for Service Users (Bromley Sparks, Bromley and Bexley Citizen Advocacy Project, 2003)
c) Alternative and accessible communication with the use of a specially designed board game (Heritage Care, 2002)
d) Dual Diagnosis - People with learning difficulties and mental health support needs (Bolton Health Authority and University of Leeds, 1997)
e) Supported Living Information Pack. (Adepta, 2006)
f) Board of Management Guidelines for involving service users at Board Level (Heritage Care, 2006)