1. Included? Learning Disability History Podcast Update

Full roster! We now have all our readers. Three recordings in already. They are beautiful and I expect all will be. Read on for where we've come from and where we're going. Please share. We want to be heard.

2. This project began as a personal one for me. I am a history teacher and the father of two daughters. One has a rare genetic condition which causes learning disabilities. I began writing something and tweeting about where I was going.

3. I decided I wanted to write a booklet, teacher guide and make a PowerPoint to go with it. Wonderful people like @RoseUnwin pointed me towards expert scholars in this field, including the incredible @SimonJarrett6. His book was instrumental. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Those-They-Called-Idiots-Disabled/dp/1789143012

4. Simon and other brilliant historians pushed and prodded and helped me make something that would have been no good at all if I'd tried to do it on my own.

5. So I ended up with something that was solid historically. I reached out to teachers I respected to tell me how to make it something that would work in a classroom. They did. There are too many of you to thank here but you're in the booklet and you know who you are.

6. I had a booklet and a teacher guide. I wanted the booklet to look nice and be easy to read so I sent it to @olicav who told me it did not look nice and it was not easy to read. Helped me fix it.
Already we're looking at a level of help *for free* that should cost thousands.

7. People began asking me about it and wanting copies. I didn't know how best to share it so I made a website.
Here it is: http://www.learningdisabilityhistory.org 

8. Then @SimonKnight100 the incredible Head of a special school got in contact and gave me a nudge.
How would this be accessible for people with learning disabilities? He introduced me to the phrase "nothing about us without us." I felt a bit uncomfortable.

9. So I got hold of the incredible Saba Salman who has collated this brilliant book. She connected me with the wise and blunt @MbeShaun and suggested I ask him for help. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Made-Possible-Stories-learning-disabilities/dp/1783528265/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=103470535322&dchild=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7J6EBhBDEiwA5UUM2s8LgPjBDpRhZwiFTAtIcPaLVn24k9DDV7GZYV5ZPqcLFWm53y3m1xoC3zoQAvD_BwE&hvadid=438543648920&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1007033&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=7643739915655601870&hvtargid=kwd-914195769722&hydadcr=18854_1722138&keywords=made+possible+book&qid=1619552119&sr=8-1

10. I sent my work to Shaun. He looked at it and said "Ben I like the idea but it is not accessible."
Together we decided it would be great to make an accessible version and then an audio podcast version read by people with learning disabilities.

11. To make the accessible version I needed people with learning disabilities to do real work. I was determined from the start everyone involved in this should be paid.
I did a GoFundMe asking for £1000 and tweeted about it. I thought this would give me a few weeks space but..

12.. you incredible lot chipped in and we had our fund in FOUR DAYS!

13. I tweeted out and asked friends and family if they knew anyone who could help. Shaun said he would. We got big stars like @samalanbarnard. We got a friend of my aunt. We got the cousin of someone I used to work with.

14. Just when it looked like we were getting a bit stuck @hijinxactors got in touch. They are a theatre company and agency for actors with learning disability. They got us to the magic number with brilliant professional people.

15. Then the recordings began coming in. They are BEAUTIFUL and I got a bit scared. I couldn't just cobble these together and put something shoddy out there. People had worked too hard. So we found a professional expert producer..

16.. who just so happened to the TEACHER of one of our readers (he also teaches people with learning disabilities) by SHEER COINCIDENCE!

17. Pretty soon we're going to be ready (well next couple of months).
I can't wait for you all to hear it! We want lots of people to hear it!