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NO MATTER WHAT BARRIERS YOU FACE, THE ASK ME RANGE EMPOWERS YOU TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR NEEDS

NO MATTER WHAT BARRIERS YOU FACE, THE ASK ME RANGE EMPOWERS YOU TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR NEEDS

Life can be hard for people who live with a disability, and sometimes, these people have to rely heavily on their loved ones and friends for support. In the case of Holly Parrott, this was a scenario she found herself in on a regular basis with her daughter, who has 22q11 deletion syndrome. Holly decided she wanted to do something about this— to make sure her daughter, and others in a similar position, would be able to communicate for their own needs. Holly was concerned about what would happen if she or her husband weren’t there to communicate for their daughter. Who would be able to help her if she was unable to express her needs herself?

22q11 deletion syndrome is a condition that affects roughly one in 4000 people. The condition results in approximately 30 to 40 genes being missing from chromosome 22 (one of 23 that humans have). With over 180 potential side effects, some of these have a very serious impact on how an affected person goes about their daily life.

This isn’t a problem that is faced only by people with 22q11 deletion syndrome, either — in fact, a huge number of people face the problem of having to rely on someone else to articulate their wants and needs. When talking to her friends about Ask ME, one said they had to look out for a deaf friend who was unable to make their own preferences known when staying in hospital. Meanwhile, another friend’s partner had suffered from a stroke, and so, people automatically jumped to conclusions about his abilities, without asking him. The same was also the case for the mother of an Autistic child in Holly’s Guide group!

In short, society tends to label people with disabilities, medical conditions or general communication barriers, and most labels tend to carry certain assumptions about someone’s abilities. Holly didn’t want this to be the case for her daughter for the rest of her life — she wanted to give her daughter the chance to express herself – and so the Ask ME booklet was born!

The Ask ME booklet is designed to help empower people suffering from disabilities, or those who need another way of communicating their needs, to allow them to be their own person. Based in Warwickshire, Holly’s dream is that her Ask ME booklet will be able to help people of any age or gender be their own, independent person.

The Ask ME booklets come with either blank pages or pre-printed factsheets, designed to allow people to express themselves in situations where there might otherwise be barriers to communicating well. The booklets are specially designed to be small and thin, so that they aren’t a nuisance to carry around, but can be referred to in times of need.

It is Holly’s dream to see her Ask ME books promoted further afield, to allow more and more people to take control of their own lives, to achieve independence and the self confidence they deserve. The book has recently been popular with kids going back to school and university who don’t necessarily have a disability, but spend time traveling on their own.

The Ask ME book is not a charity, but simply a Mum coming up with an idea for her daughter and sharing it with the world, we thought it deserved a spot on our Charity Spotlight Blog because of its huge potential to help people change their lives for the better! You can purchase your own copy of the Ask ME book via Holly’s Etsy shop (linked below). Make sure you give the Ask ME Facebook page a like and spread the word with your friends who could benefit from this life changing book!

Buy your copy of the Ask ME book: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AskMEBook

Give the Ask ME Facebook page a like: https://www.facebook.com/MEbookrange