A fundraiser has been set up to help a Salford-based deafblind man get the access friendly computer he needs to be Chair of the Salford Disability Forum.
Eric Griffiths is a 59-year-old deafblind man who has lived in Salford since he was three years old.
He has Atypical Ushers Syndrome, he was born deaf and lost his sight 25 years ago.
Eric was Sense’s ‘Person of the Year’ in 2021 for the work he has done for disabled community, including making sure Greater Manchester buses are accessible.
On the 14th of November, he was officially appointed Chair of the Salford Disability Forum.
He said: “The role is to support all other volunteers on the forum, helping people to reach their potential.
“I feel highly honoured to be given the chance to help and support the good people of Salford and I’m chuffed by the faith people have in me to do the role.”
As Chair, Eric needs to be able to communicate clearly and access information regarding Salford’s disabled community, however he does not currently have a functioning computer.
After researching, Eric was made aware that an Apple MacBook would provide the best support for his access needs.
The Government provide ‘Access to Work‘ funds for disabled people and those with health conditions who work in paid, professional jobs.
This fund allows disabled people to have equal opportunities as well as providing the support they need to work.
Eric’s role as Chair of Salford Disability Forum is voluntary which means he does not get ‘Access to Work’ funds.
Eric said: “I could not possibly afford…to buy [a MacBook] so it was decided to try and raise the necessary funds through crowdfunding.”
The fundraiser was organised by Jane Cordell and Robert Martin who have been actively involved in helping Eric to get the support he needs.
Jane Cordell is a co-director of Result CIC, an organisation based in Salford which works nationally to provide coaching and training for people with “lived experience of disabilities.”
Result CIC was asked by the Salford Community and Voluntary Service (CVS) to provide leadership coaching to six local leaders of Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), Eric was one of these leaders.
Jane said: “As a coach, I keep total confidentiality…but it quickly became apparent that there were barriers preventing Eric from accessing the information and learning that he needed to actually do this fantastic job.
“Being a Chair is a big responsibility, so it seemed on this particular occasion [we needed to go] a bit further…and that’s when the fundraiser came through as an idea.”
Jane has provided leadership coaching for Eric to prepare him for his new role as Chair.
She said: “As a coach it’s been an honour and a privilege. He is a very, very impressive individual and he’s really a life-long activist.”
Robert Martin manages Result CIC’s marketing and communications and creates short films documenting the organisation’s work.
Robert said: “One of the ways Eric’s access needs can be met is via technology, but…they have a hefty price tag.
“So we set up a fundraiser to try and get him the laptop that he needs to be able to fulfil this fantastic role.”
Despite there being over 450,000 deafblind people in the UK, support for deafblind people “needs to be ranked up and taken seriously.
“We still don’t get things in the right format to support us like large print, audio versions, braille,” Eric added.
There is currently a shortage of insured and qualified deafblind interpreters in the UK, Jane said: “I have heard that there are only three…interpreters across the country…so it really is extreme.”
Rob has created a short film about Eric for the fundraiser as well as highlighting the difficulties deafblind people face on a daily basis.
Rob said: “A lot of people think disabled people have rights and things are more level but there’s still huge barriers”
Jane spoke to us about the “vicious cycles” disabled people can fall into when trying to progress in their careers.
Some disabled people start as volunteers in order to get a job, but this means they do not get access to the support they need to progress and get a professional job.
Eric hopes to one day start a deafblind support group, he said: “I want to help the deafblind community overcome difficulties they face and to also make places realise we are here, we need support like other groups do.
“It’s proving difficult to find where the deafblind people are in Salford because of the data protection act.”
Rob added: “If he wants to start a local support group he’s given advice like ‘put a poster up in the libraries’ and he’s saying ‘well how does a blind person know there’s a poster?’.”
“There’s just a consistent and constant set of barrier that make things more and more difficult when all Eric wants to do is support other disabled people.”
There are 19 days left of the Crowdfunder.
So far they have raised 60 per cent of the £1500 needed for Eric to purchase the computer he needs to fulfil his important new role.
Eric said: “I’m immensely grateful to all the support so far.”
For more information or to donate, you can visit the Crowdfunder page here.
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