Focusing on abilities not disabilities

Chris Donegan • Published 5 Aug 2010 16:30 0 Comments

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Michael Henshall at work on the computer with a helping hand from Anne Mohan, centre manager FVAD.

We emerged from the Dark Ages over 1,000 years ago but somehow the disabled got left behind. As recently as 50 years ago they were the forgotten people. There was little or nothing for those with physical disabilities and those with learning difficulties were treated as lost causes.

In Fermanagh a group of inspired, compassionate and visionary individuals came together to challenge this inequity. In 1966 they set up the Fermanagh Voluntary Association of the Handicapped, later to become the FVAD (Fermanagh Voluntary Assocation of the Disabled): "To promote the welfare of persons whose lives are affected by a disability."

More than four decades later the charity continues to strive towards that goal.

Frank McGovern and Mary McManus, two of it's founding members are still actively involved with the organisation to this day; Frank being the current chairman.

Thanks to their foresight and tenacity of those founding members it has its own premises at Mill Street in Enniskillen and is able to rent out part of the extensive building and yard and use the money raised to help fund its work. It employs a part-time manager, Anne Mohan, but operates on a skeleton staff and struggles to meet the demand for places.

It offers gardening activities, computer studies, furniture making, crafts, a charity shop and runs a very successful social evening every fortnight.

Originally the bulk of its work was with the physically disabled but much of the demand today is from people with a learning disability. Some were born with a disability, others may have been injured in accidents and some have mental health problems.

"Our youngest member is probably in their early 20s and our oldest probably in their 70s, very cross-community," says Anne. "There's no discrimination, there's no age limit. It doesn't matter what the disability, they are all most welcome. We don't have any expectations.

"We get them to focus on their abilities rather than their disability," explains Anne.

"It's taking them out of day care centres and giving them something to do," she adds.

FVAD's philosophy is that if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well, so the charity strives to provide a proper service for everyone who walks through its door.

"On Wednesday we cook lunch for 20 people. We are definitely improving their quality of life. It's probably the most we can cope with to do it right," she explains.

"With learning disabled you have to have supervision," she points out.

"We can't afford to have any more staff. We are always restricted by funding, or lack of it, more to the point," she laments.

An accounting technician by profession, she has done the sums and reckons that if they were to double the number of places on the gardening project from 10 to 20 they would need to quadruple the number of staff.

"When I came here nine years ago there was three other members of staff but bit by bit, as the funding got weaker, staff left, or the funding ceased and they couldn't be replaced," she recalls. "We are very much project funded.

"We run a very tight ship here," she stresses.

The charity has never borrowed money and does not intend to start now.

"Sustainability is what it's all about so having an accountancy background is very useful here because we are always penny pinching," she says.

"There are all these kind of barriers," she concedes.

But breaking down barriers is at the heart of what FVAD is about and that extends to people's perceptions.

"When you work with the disabled you don't see the disability you see the personality," says Anne.

Some people just turn up, often they are referred by a social worker but all of them have to be assessed as suitable.

"This organisation is not for everyone," explains Anne. "When someone new comes along we have an interview to ascertain what they are trying to achieve and if there's anything we can offer them."

The gardening project takes place five days each week and includes a community garden, an organic garden and a polytunnel. They are currently trying to raise funds to erect another two polytunnels to enable more disabled and volunteers to become involved.

"The organic garden in particular has been a wonderful learning curve. We are planting it, weeding it and eventually eating it," smiles Anne. "We sell quite a lot to one of the restaurants up town and the success of this has to be credited to Kevin Finch and his team from Lackaboy who work with our members."

They also sell hanging baskets and pot plants. "I think our long-term aim is to have a garden centre and have it open five or six days a week," says Anne.

And if you have ever wondered what to do with all those half empty tins of paint after decorating the house the charity has a solution; it recycles them. It mixes them all together to make up enough to fill a five litre tin and a unique colour!

"It's very useful for community groups and people on benefits," says Anne.

"In the winter they make furniture: cabinets, book cases, bird tables. Then we have computer activities," she adds.

The charity has its own suite of 10 computers, six of which have internet access, which it rents out to various groups to raise those much needed funds.

FVAD has its own minibus and organises shopping trips and excursions to places of interest. Last year the organisation successfully raised enough funds to purchase a new 15-seater minibus which means that more members can now travel together creating social interaction and a greater sense of belonging.

It is also closely associated with the Irish Wheelchair Association in Carrick-on-Shannon and takes part in cross-Border seminars and social activities. It also networks with many local organisations including the Fermanagh Trust, which is very supportive of its work, The Beacon Centre, Killadeas Unit at Lackaboy and nursing homes.

"We do a lot of fund-raising ourselves through street collections, bag packing in local supermarkets and the charity shop," adds Anne.

The charity relies very heavily on a team of around 25 volunteers.

And as Anne explains, there is no shortage of people willing to help.

"Our organisation is about empowering people so we try and offer as many opportunities as possible to members," says Anne. "In some cases they're members' mums or relatives. We are close knit."

It publishes its own newsletter every two months so if there is a shortage of hands to help with a particular project a strategically placed advertisement will usually elicit the necessary volunteers.

"Two women come in on Wednesdays and do a cooked lunch. Another guy comes in to help the guy in the shop and he helps with the street collections," says Anne.

The guy in the shop is Michael Moynihan. He is vice-chairman of FVAD and conducts business from his wheelchair.

"It passes the time for me," says Michael. "My feeling is that I must try to do something for others."

Ita Kavanagh's late husband, John, was of similar mind. The couple were heavily involved in voluntary work and when he died Ita, a 75-year-old retired nurse, was asked to help out.

"When I came in I was very impressed because they were very friendly and the rooms were nicely decorated so there was a very good atmosphere," she recalls.

The shop is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays, selling everything from books and CDs to clothes and furniture.

"Whatever is donated, we try to sell," says Michael.

FVAD also runs a fortnightly social just a hundred metres up the road at the Gaels Club after it made an offer the charity could not refuse.

"We went around the town to see what it would cost and the Club said it would do it for nothing, for charity," explains Anne.

"This year they also raised £1,000 for us. They're very supportive," says Anne.

The social kicks off around 7pm with tea and sandwiches. The live music begins at 8pm and continues until around 9.45pm.

"We are getting them to get taxis from their own doors to create independence for them," says Anne.

That little bit of independence combined with the opportunities to learn new skills and enjoy an improved quality of life is the very essence of what FVAD is striving to achieve as it looks forward to fulfilling its aim of achieving equality for the disabled and more integration of the disabled into the community.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 05 Aug 10

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