27 October 2022
Carmel McGrath, our very own research fellow in public involvement, tells all about her visit to the Corsham Festival of Inclusion, Disability and Community Action.
When Dr Stuart Read invited me to attend the Corsham Festival of Inclusion, Disability and Community Action I knew straight away that I would take him up on the offer.
The Corsham Festival of Inclusion, Disability and Community Action was a six-day event held in the week leading up to the annual Corsham Street Fair. Each day included a range of activities such as workshops, exhibitions, discussions and surveys with input from local councilors, volunteers, disabled activists, artists and community members. Discussion topics were focused on exploring key issues, research priorities and possibilities, and ideas for further action for our communities.
I attended on Wednesday 7 September, for the ‘Telepresence Robot Visit to the Museum of Making in Derby’ exhibition. The ‘Telepresence Robot’ is a computer-controlled ‘robot double’. The robot is physically based in the Museum of Making in Derby, but it’s controlled by a person sitting at the computer in Corsham.
A member of staff at the Museum of Making talked us through operating the robot. As well as helping us use the robot, the staff member also provided us with a guided tour of the museum, exhibits and working spaces.
I really enjoyed using the Telepresence Robot. It is a fantastic and creative way for people to experience something new and, on this occasion, learn about the history of innovation in Derby. All from the comfort of a computer desk and without needing to travel 160 miles! It felt like an interesting step into the future of more technologically inclusive museum visits and experiences.
Going to the festival also meant I could speak to members of the Corsham Community club about priorities they considered important to their local community. Dr Tanvir Bush and Dr Read had arranged this meeting so they could create a space to speak to local people about their needs.
During the discussion, one of the men said he felt isolated and mentioned that he would like to socialise more if there were events or activities that were designed with the communities’ interests in mind. Members of the group also felt that it was important for services to provide more support around mental health and wellbeing for young people.
Speaking to members of the community helped me understand and gave me insight into the ways in which we could work more inclusively. Afterwards, I spoke about public involvement in health research and mentioned the various ways in which community members could be involved in research with the Health Protection Research Unit in Behavioural Science and Evaluation (HPRU BSE) and ARC West.
The group was very interested in the different types of research conducted within the HPRU BSE and ARC West. It was clear that members had a range of valuable experiences and expertise that that they could offer to shape research. The discussions underlined how important it is to understand and tailor approaches to involvement and engagement based on the needs and interests of the community.
I would like to reiterate my thanks to Stuart for inviting me to this event and also congratulate the We Are the People research team for the fantastic work they are doing.
Due to the period of national mourning which took place during the Festival of Inclusion, Disability and Community Action, some of the scheduled events had to be postponed. Rescheduled events include:
The Corsham Festival of Inclusion, Disability and Community Action was hosted by We Are the People, a research team of disabled academics and non-disabled allies engaged in disability research and disability activism.
The team was awarded a five-year grant in 2021 from the Wellcome Trust to develop a disability research network in south-west England. The network aims to ensure that research is co-produced with disabled people and disabled people’s organisations, and to raise awareness of research and activism with institutions, organisations, and communities across the south-west. You can find out more information about the aims and ambitions of the disability research network on their webpage: We Are the People – Bath Spa University.
If you would like to find out more information and get involved, you can email: wearethepeople@bathspa.ac.uk.
If you would like to learn more about the opportunities for public involvement at ARC West and the HPRU BSE, please contact: carmel.mcgrath@uwe.ac.uk.