Introducing new categories

Alex

Hi everyone,

The community has two categories at the moment which are about specific conditions/impairments:

Physical impairments and cerebral palsy
Learning difficulties and autism

We set these up when we created the community because many people asked quite specific questions about those things, and we wanted a space for people to do that.

Scope believes in the social model - which means that we're more concerned about the issues people face than their diagnosis. We don't want to label anyone! However, we know that sometimes only people who have personal experience of a condition can answer a question or share a relevant experience.

We realise that by having just two categories, we exclude many people who might want to ask questions about other conditions. We've had a few comments from people asking why we don't have a category for their condition.

So we're considering gradually introducing some more categories, so instead we'd have something more like:

·         Cerebral palsy

·         Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), including Asperger’s Syndrome

·         Learning difficulties

·         Visual impairments

·         Hearing impairments

·         Invisible impairments

This site if for you - so I'd really like to know what you think (good or bad!) about making these changes. Let me know below, or you can email me at alex.hazell@Scope.org.uk

Thanks! 

Blue Frog

Could there be one that is for undiagnosed conditions/global developmental delay - and rare conditions please? 

Alex

@Blue Frog Great idea. 

Matilda

Invisible impairments is a good idea. Many people including some who ought to know better think that the only disabled people are those in wheelchairs. Indeed the official symbol for disability is a wheelchair which reinforces this stereotype. I think that only a minority of disabled people use wheelchairs.

Stayce

Hi @Alex

New categories look great. How about adding mobility impairment?

Will you still be keeping a physical impairment category? For disabilities which are physical in nature but not CP?

iza

Hi All, the categories sounds quite good. I like the one for rare medical, invisible to human eyes disability one most. 

Alex

Thanks everyone.

@Stayce - good point. What do you think? Do you think we should have a category for each or combine CP and other physical impairments? Seems like there's quite a lot of cross-over in conversations.

kevstar1

My husband is both blind and deaf deafblind so a new category on any of these would be good.  Thanks

Stayce

Hi Alex,

I think it would be helpful to have a CP category  and a seperate physical impairment section for other conditions. The CP could even have some sub categories according to type of CP

Or how about organising the categories to something like the Lexi graphics so people can learn about Paralympic sport at the same time  Just a thought
Best wishes

mossycow

Chronic pain. 

Parenting as a disabled person

Wheelchair users

Some more positive threads and topics

iza

Perhaps, some more categories within cafe lounge as well as is a bit quiet there

Chris_Alumni

Good idea Iza! If anyone wants to start a new topic in the coffee lounge they can head there and click 'new discussion'.

Stayce

Hi @Alex
I wonder whether fatigue has earnt its own category as there are quite a lot of discussions on this across the community from a range of different disabilities?

Best wishes 

Matilda

Fatigue sounds a good idea for a category.  Many conditions cause fatigue.  I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and experience frequent fatigue.

nanof6

i would like a chat with anyone who finds them selves walking for 60 years, then in a wheelchair ,and told nothing can be done, trying to adapt because it is such a sudden shock, i am still shocked, and its been 1 year this april.i am desprate to chat with  people, in the same possion as me because i dont no anyone where i live, im isolated.

Chris_Alumni

HI @nanof6, sorry to hear you're finding it difficult. We do have a new information product coming out in the next month or so about acquiring a impairment as an adult, so we'll create some discussion threads to coincide with that.

In the meantime, if you'd like to create a new discussion in one of the categories aimed at finding people in a similar situation to you, I'd be happy to make it a 'sticky' thread for a while so more people are likely to see it. Feel free to drop me a line on chris.glithero@scope.org.uk if you'd like to do that. Hope that helps.

nanof6

hi cris, ive just come across your reply by luck,i dont no what thread means, im not that good on the computor,how can i find out if i have a reply like yours i have just found?where do i look, also i have some very good infermation i think could help a lot of people,who are struggling with money i came across  it by luck, i never new it was there,can scope put out this if i tell them? my spelling is so bad.hope i can find your reply,

Chris_Alumni

Hi @nanof6, sorry by thread I just mean a new discussion - so for example you could go to the 'disabled people' category, click the 'new discussion' button and then type a post explaining that your'e looking to chat with people in a similar situation.

With regards finding replies, I've just enabled email notifications for you so you should receive an email telling you about these, but if you do not want this let me know and I'll turn it off. You can also access these options by accessing your notification preferences page.

The easiest way to get back to discussions you've been taking part in meanwhile is to go to the 'comments' page on your profile (which can be found by clicking on your user picture and then clicking 'comments' on the next page'. From there you can see what discussions you've previously commented on and then click on them to see if there's been any responses.

Hope that helps! And yes by all means you can post up the information you found and we can pass that on to other community members.