Part 2: Jenny's Reflections

Jenny assists Emma with her dance classes at the SENSE centre in Robin Hood, a day centre for people with complex disabilities. Here she reflects on her experiences so far.

Names of participants have been changed.

Some of the support workers are incredible with the individuals and know them very well. There are a handful who confidently get them out of their wheelchairs and dance with them and make them laugh, it’s such a joy to see, I just sometimes have to stop and watch as I am so moved to experiences this happiness.

A full team of support workers does seem to fluctuate though. Sometimes the centre is very short staffed, and you really feel it. One of the individuals who comes to the class but doesn’t take part, is Sophie. She very tall and strong and she likes to walk straight through the studio space whilst we are dancing and get the attention of a support worker or myself and Emma. Her aim is to get one of us to turn on the TV, change the channel, put in a particular DVD or put the volume up. One day when there was only one support worker caring for all 4 individuals in the class Sophie, got quite persistent with both me and Emma, going directly to us both over and over again, grabbing our wrists to take us to the TV. She would only respond to a firm NO and by walking away from her, but it was very hard to do and we had to do it several times before eventually Sophie gave up trying and sat on a bean bag for the rest of the session. The session was interrupted by this, and it was hard to keep a consistent flow when you are having to keep an eye on all of the individuals as one support worker can’t do that on their own. Katherine was in the space that day too and during James' solo dance she got up and took part with huge stomping jumps. Katherine can be quite unpredictable but absolutely amazing. She is deaf and blind, but she has extraordinary perception and knows her way around the building. She gets very irritated by catarrh and tries to bring it up, which is quite noisy. Then she can also have bursts of energy and launches herself into the room unexpectedly and I wonder if this is because she needs contact with someone - she needs reassurance. It’s like she senses someone nearby and aims for them suddenly, but she responds immediately to touch and settles back into her chair once she’s made contact with a support worker and on occasion myself and Emma. She has extraordinary energy and power. If she wants to get out of the room, she will do, by herself. She’s confidently striding through the world as she perceives it.

I want to get to know more of the people who attend the centre. Heather has come to nearly every class and I haven’t got to know her yet - I think she can see a little. I have seen her eye spot me if I bend down low and move about. I want to know more about her needs. And there’s Kieran - who I am getting to know slowly. He can get upset when things are different - he doesn’t like someone behind him and prefers to be able to see you in front of him. I think he gets scared quite a lot. He certainly doesn’t like musical theatre and started crying when we played the ‘Seussical’, poor thing! Saffron cannot see and is often lying in a padded chair. She can walk, but it takes a couple of support workers to help as she clings on too tightly. She responds well to the excitement of the class, which I’ve noticed in the past and it’s lovely to see her smile.

Coming from a ballet background I am used being told what to do in dance and it’s taking me a while to break free and think about dancing creatively - expressing from within. So as yet I haven’t come up with any creative ideas for the class. Emma is the true creative expressive when it comes to dance, and the support workers, Karen and James benefit from the movement and creative expression. Those with more complex needs, enjoy the happy atmosphere and benefit from getting out of their wheelchairs.

What have I learned from my time at SENSE with Ascendance?  I think that I have grown as a person. I have learned to observe and listen to people much more than before. I have learned how to be more sensitive to people’s needs, although my mum tells me I was always like this, and that might be why, for instance Charles trusted me to put pressure on his head that time. I assisted palliative care of relatives a few years back and I learned a lot about people’s needs as they lose their senses, so I guess I can bring some of that sensitivity to SENSE classes. I haven’t led a class and I feel I would not be as good at is as Emma, but I’d like to think I still benefit Emma by being an extra person there to understand people’s needs, especially amid the chaos. We can sometimes have fun creative moments where chaos reigns and we just dance around the room, however.