winvisibleblog

Disabled mothers May actions & events

Disabled Mothers' Rights Campaign and Support Not Separation logos

Join us at these events:

Wednesday 3 May, 12.30-1.30
People in front of the family court building hold a red banner with Support not Separation stop snatching children from mums and nans. An orange banner reads Disabled Mothers' Rights Campaign -- to have & keep our kids.

Take away our poverty, not our children! Disabled women are not unfit mothers!

Picket of the Family Court held by Support Not Separation, which the Disabled Mothers’ Rights Campaign is part of. Outside Central Family Court, First Ave House, 42-49 High Holborn, WC1V 6NP

And join our Twitter storm @NotSeparation @WinVisibleWomen at the same time

Wednesday 4 May, 4pm
A woman with brown hair and glasses is speaking on the microphone outside the Family Court building. Nearby are women holding placards. An African woman holds a placard, Take away our poverty, not our children.

Tracey Norton from the Disabled Mothers’ Rights Campaign & SNS is speaking at a webinar:

Parental Advocacy and Representation: Learning from experience — organised by Parents, Families & Allies Network (PFAN) to discuss parent advocacy, to tell the government what advocacy support mums/kinship carers and families need in child protection/family court hearings. 

We will be raising that advocates (including family members if appropriate) must be publicly funded and INDEPENDENT so mums get the support we need to put our case to often hostile authorities. 

Register on Eventbrite here. Contact WinVisible if you need support with using Eventbrite.

By Thursday 11 May — government consultation
The independent review of children's social care logo. Coloured shapes form a cube next to black writing on a light pink background.

If you want to respond to the government’s consultation on their proposals following the Independent review of children’s social care, you can do so here. 

For background, see Support Not Separation’s blog including our joint response to the Review and our response to the government’s proposals.  We don’t want more professionals embedded in our communities or money poured into more social workers & foster carers. We want money and support to go directly to mums and families to keep families together.  And we want an end to privatised companies making millions from the child removal industry.  

Saturday 13 May, 9.30-4pm at Middlesex University, London
A woman of colour with short black hair, wearing a white shirt, is holding a vertical pipe and blowing or inhaling through it. A red oval line is drawn over the photo with the words Collective Care.

Part of the Oxytocin — Collective Care festival which aims to “bring together art, performance and health care to investigate current debates in birth and motherhood/parenting”. (Oxytocin is the “love hormone” produced in childbirth.)

Tracey Norton will be speaking at the day conference on Saturday 13 May on the panel 2.30-4pm: ‘Exploring the experiences of deaf and disabled people in maternity care’.

WinVisible women will take part in the open discussion which follows the panel.

Where: In person at Middlesex University, The Burroughs, Hendon, London NW4 4BT directions

2.30 – 4PM – Panel 2 – ‘Exploring the experiences of deaf and disabled people in maternity care’ with BSL interpreters 

Speakers:

  • Meghan Luton – Meghan is a Middlesex university midwifery lecturer researching deaf women’s experiences of maternity care .
  • Natalie Whyte – Natalie is part of the Mum-PreDiCT project (exploring the experiences of pregnant people with 2 or more long term health conditions),user voice representative for the Midlands for maternity services, maternal medicine engagement lead for the West Midlands.
  • Sahera Khan – Sahera is a Deaf, Muslim, BSL user and a freelance writer/creator, artist/actor, filmmaker and YouTuber. She is a Trustee of Deaf Ethnic Women’s Association (DEWA).
  • Dr Hannah Barham-Brown (chair) – Hannah is a GP trainee in Yorkshire, Governor of Motability and Deputy Leader of the Women’s Equality Party with the portfolio for ‘Making Change Happen’. Between 2018 and 2022 she was a Council Member of the British Medical Association. Alongside her clinical and political work, she travels the UK giving talks about diversity and disability, in venues from the House of Lords to international publishing companies. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and works to support disabled people in politics, employment, travel, health and education.
  • Tracey Norton – Tracey is from The Disabled Mothers Rights Campaign which works to bring disabled mothers together to defend their rights to have a family and to keep their children.
  • Dr Amy Kavanah – Amy is an award winning disability consultant, activist and campaigner. She uses social media to share her lived experience navigating the world as a blind Londoner alongside her Guide Dog Ava. Amy has recently become a mother and believes in the need for greater representation and discussion of disabled parenthood. Amy is committed to celebrating disability, mobility aids and encouraging others to learn about the social model of disability.
* Access information:

– All venue is wheelchair accessible

– BSL interpreters are provided for both panel discussion(Interpreters won’t be available during breaks)

– live captions for the talks are to be confirmed ASAP. 

– A family room with resources and activities for children is available and children are welcome at all times. 

– Access support companions have a free ticket

If you require any other access support please email events@procreateproject.com

Monday 15 May — 11am to 12.30pm
The Alliance for Inclusive Education. A child's drawing of two children, one a wheelchair user and the other not visibly disabled, holding a banner, Education NOT Segregation. On a purple and yellow background.

Speaking at the Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) Zoom event celebrating UN International Day of Families — about disabled mothers and disabled children in “care”, and the uphill battle for our rights.

Book https://tinyurl.com/allfieidf2023

BSL interpreters

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