Sparking imagination through performance with Symbol-Friendly^® Spectrum Community Arts

We were delighted to become a Symbol-Friendly^® organisation recently, which also happened to coincide with our 9th birthday celebrations! Following a colleague’s recommendation around 5 years ago, we’ve been advocates of Widgit in all that we do. The Widgit software has changed my life in terms of all my planning and being able to embed symbolised communication across our offering. When I found out about the Symbol-Friendly^® initiative, I jumped at the chance. For me, it’s about ensuring Spectrum remains fully accessible to everybody, and our Symbol-Friendly^® status really helps carry that message.

At Spectrum, we truly believe that if something is accessible to an individual with the most complex barriers, then it’s accessible to anyone. We work with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, and if we can make the dance or music session inclusive for them, then anyone can benefit. Unfortunately, there are many groups that market themselves as SEND friendly, and unless you fall under a very specific category of SEND, you can’t always join in. This ends up having the opposite effect on parents and carers who face so much trepidation when it comes to finding the right sessions for their child. Inclusive communication matters so much, on so many levels.

For us, Widgit has really played an important part in trust building. Alongside the visual and sensory aids that we offer, when we tell parents and carers that we also use Widgit, it becomes a familiar language. Seeing those symbols in action not only supports our participants, but also helps to ease that anxiety for families and schools considering a session with us. We work with lots of children who can become dysregulated, and we have resources in place to deal with those scenarios as and when they occur. That way, we can instead focus on taking part in the session, and most importantly having fun!

One nice encounter happened when delivering a workshop in a new setting. One of our young people attending strode in confidently with a Widgit visual story in his hand and knew exactly where to go, which his mum couldn’t believe! It was like an anchor for him, as Widgit had empowered him to walk through that door. We use Widgit in so many ways to ensure everyone feels involved. For our non-verbal performers for example, they’re still able to engage and even lead the drama piece by deciding what happens next. From visual timetables to understanding song lyrics, everyone has a voice with Widgit Symbols in place, which is great for self-esteem and building confidence.

Becoming Symbol-Friendly^® felt like a natural transition for us, made all the smoother thanks to the team at Widgit. For example, we’re a little different to other organisations due to the fact we don’t have a physical venue! As their symbols were already baked into so much of our offering, Widgit were flexible around our needs and offered a solution that was unique to Spectrum and what we do. It’s lovely to know our becoming Symbol-Friendly^® has been so well-received by the team, and that we always have their ongoing support and understanding throughout this journey.

We would definitely recommend Widgit to any organisation striving to make their offering inclusive. We work with individuals with additional needs on a regular basis, so while we’re coming at it from a different angle, it’s still relevant to any organisation where communication is involved. It’s crucially about incorporating those moments of ownership and choice, which are so important when it comes to the wellbeing of our participants. On a personal level, Widgit is so easy to use and is a huge time-saver. It also ensures consistency across our communications, so we’re always speaking a familiar language.

My favourite Widgit Symbol would have to be ‘Imagine’ as it relates so closely to the possibilities we explore at Spectrum. I also love ‘Performance’ and ‘Drama’ as we use those a lot within our resources and they feel part of the furniture!