Chapter 6 - continued

A defining feature of the community and voluntary sector remains its capacity to nurture social entrepreneurship, not just amongst directors and managers, but amongst employees, volunteers and even service users. Debbie’s experience in the mid-1990s was a very good example of how the workplace culture and environment at the centre supported her personal progression from service user to volunteer, then to employee and a secondment to a project manager within a relatively short period of time. Whilst working in the administration department she co-wrote a successful funding bid which established a project called the Customised Training Programme.

“It was almost a challenge to the funders saying we will guarantee you that if you provide us with funding to support ten people of any age, gender, background and disability we will get them through a National Vocational Qualification in either business administration or customer service. We will find them a work placement with a blue chip company which, in return, will pledge to guarantee an interview for the participant for any suitable vacancy if they pass their NVQ.”

The project was a resounding success with the participants working with Heartlands hospital, Griffin Financial Services, British Gas West Midlands, HSBC and City College . Everyone on the project passed their NVQ and either got a job or decided to continue with their education; two participants going on to take degrees and a further two starting their own businesses.

Following the project Debbie became an employment and training officer working with David Heap.

“This period was probably my happiest I met some amazing centre users and really loved working with David. We co-wrote many training packages and worked with a huge range of organisations promoting the Social Model of disability.”

After a decline in her health Debbie took medical redundancy from the BDRC in 2002, but still has close links as an independent trainer.

Here Debbie recalls some of the people who played key roles in the development of services at BDRC during the 1990s and a little more about the internal politics:

“When I first started at the centre, there had begun a separation between the Rights Group and the BDRC. It became a little bit of a ‘them and us’ situation at one point which was sad because I admired so many people involved at the BDRC especially the founders. Derek Farr, for instance, who created the first fully accessible cyber café and got the URL tag ‘disability’, which was a huge achievement.

“I remember a nerve-wracking radio interview I did promoting the service and a rather embarrassing press photo in the newspaper, a copy of which my dad still proudly owns! Irene Wright and Jenny Poyner’s work on access for disabled people in Birmingham also demands recognition. I could go on, but the fact that through very challenging times the centre is still there and thriving, that in it self must be its own best testament.

“Some of us felt that there were people who had a very different outlook on things and, perhaps, an unwillingness to see things from our perspective. We felt that you don’t have to throw red paint on somebody to make a statement. You can achieve big things in a quiet way. I think that it was personality more than anything else because there are 101 ways to skin a cat aren’t there?

“I do genuinely admire what the BDRG achieved when I think of the climate in which they achieved it. The founders like Bob Findlay and everybody else have done a really wonderful thing for the community of Birmingham. You can’t ever take that away.”