Don't Box Me In!

Members of Barnardo’s NI ‘Disabled Children and Young Peoples’ Participation Project’ (DCYPPP) in Armagh  recently took to the stage at the Market Place Theatre in the city,  in a production of their own entitled ‘Don’t Box Me In’. The multi-media production, which included drama, art and animation highlighted the issues young people with disabilities experience when they move from childhood to adulthood.

 Gary Crozier from Richhill and a DCYPPP group member said: “We wanted to show how challenging it can be for young disabled people moving into the adult world. Like everyone as we get older we want more independence, freedom of choice, job opportunities, families and a home but sometimes the barriers to achieving those goals can be very frustrating and isolating. Hopefully putting on this production will help people focus more on our abilities rather than our disabilities.”

 Manager of Barnardo’s Armagh-based DCYPPP, Rosemary Murray said: “We are grateful to the Southern Local Commissioning Group who funded the production and Brian McMahon from B Dramatic and Orlaith Cullinane who helped create the drama and the animation. Transition is a continuing process, not a one-off event so we hope the presentation the young people made today will help influence planning and service provision in the future.”