I knew it was going to be different; having already arranged to shadow the Office for Disability Issues (ODI) on the Wednesday. Even then, I was unprepared for the events that were to unfold. Monday was routine and held few surprises, but when I received my schedule for shadowing on Tuesday, I felt in my heart that it would be something special.
Having made myself look sharp in my suit and the new shirt and tie I had bought, I made my way to Kings Cross railway station and through the sardine tin that was the London underground, I walked to the eerily Orwellian Caxton House; complete with towering concrete pillars. I half expected a dark and repressive environment, with uniformed workers processing information, as if machines on a production line. Security was high, but what I found was an office block full of diverse professionals, dedicated to furthering disability equality.
The first meeting I shadowed was between the ODI Director and a member of the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), where the creation of a disability legacy for the 2012 London Games was on the agenda. That the Olympic Games were seen as an opportunity to level the playing field and further opportunities for the disabled, I found encouraging. I then progressed, along with the ODI Director, to the Cabinet Office, for a meeting on Digital Inclusion, which I discovered would be a hot topic for the disabled, both now and in the future. Welcomed by the seal of the Cabinet Office, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. Good things happen here, I thought. This was one of those places where things got done and differences were made. I was further encouraged by the fact that the ODI were pushing at a door that was open wider than I had expected. It made me proud to belong to a country with such admirable values of social justice. I venture out to Africa with the hope that the doors will be open just as wide, but armed with the same passion and dedication, I am looking forward to overcoming the challenges that lay ahead.
My final meeting was at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), where the disability legacy was also discussed. I wasn't sure what to expect, before I went. I believed the Government Department's to be integrated in the Houses of Parliament and for meetings to be held in what may be one of hundreds of small rooms located there. What I found was a large conference room which, I admit, was difficult to follow at times. Yet it also reinforced the idea that bricks and mortar don't make the changes; people do, and some of the people I met that day were truly inspiring. I can only hope that I will meet more such change-makers throughout my career.
Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
Yet wait, this extraordinary week is not yet over. On Friday I received an email from the Executive Director of the Gambian Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GADHOH). He expressed a strong interest in me applying for a development position there. I am currently doing just that. I know I can be of much value to the organisation. I also hope that by being on the ground in Africa; by using the networking skills I know I have, and by linking this to other projects I am aiming to develop there, I can deliver real change to deaf and disabled children and adults, throughout the country.
Watch this space.
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