Capability Scotland Matters - Summer 2022

COMMUNITY MAGAZINE
SPRING 2022
You asked for more on our toddlers...
Meet Ollie
Page 18
Bertha Park News
Page 10
Service Profile: Edinburgh Children’s Services
Page 12
Inclusive Communication
Page 22

CONTENTS
4
Vision, Mission & Values
Making our mark.
10
Bertha Park
New updates.
17
Fundraising
How you help us.
6
We’re a social bunch at Capability
Scotland and we love nothing more than
chatting with our great community on our
social media channels. Pop on and say
hello!
Thank you to our
friends at Keegan
Funeral Directors in
Paisley for donating 80
Easter eggs to Wallace
Court! Chocolate really
does make the world go
round.
Wallace Court, Elderslie
Inclusive Communication
22Meet our team.
12
18
LET’S TALK
We’d love to hear what you
think about our magazine or
anything else you’d like to
share. You can email us on
hello@capability.scot
Welcome
Hello everyone. It’s a great joy to welcome
you to our Spring 2022 and second
issue of Capability Scotland Matters.
Our magazine is designed to share stories and
news about our charity with you, our fantastic
supporters, donors, friends, and family.
Capability Scotland started 2022 with a light at
the end of the tunnel from the past two years and,
as we move into a new spring, we’ve been truly
excited to open all of our services again in
a safe and secure way. We’ve got a big
year ahead of us with three new potential
services on the cards (more on those soon),
a new business strategy being created,
and of course, providing only the very
best Caring Support for our people.
, Chief Executive
Brian Logan,
Chief Executive
You were all big fans of
seeing our pools in use at
our schools!
Schools, Lanark & Kilbarchan
We were delighted to
be a finalist at this year’s
Scottish First Aid awards!
Anne, Gordon and Brian
attended a glitzy awards
ceremony.
Corporate Services, Edinburgh
Corseford School, Kilbarchan
Everyone loved seeing Gary, our
learner, on his work experience!
Gary’s aims were to explore
the job world, gaining crucial
knowledge, skills and attributes
that employers might look for in
the future.
2 3

Making Our Mark
Capability Scotland’s New Vision, Mission & Values
As Capability Scotland comes
near the end of our current fiveyear
business strategy, we’ve
been thinking about what we stand for
as a charity, how to make our mark.
Our new strategic plan is still under
development but we wanted to share
with you, our community, our new
vision, our new mission, and most
importantly, the values that provide the
foundation of our Caring Support.
Our Vision
We will strive to deliver the highest quality
services, tailored to the individual needs of
disabled people.
We will work in partnership to create
innovative solutions which enable our
people to achieve their goals.
We will put our customers and learners at
the heart of everything we do and will
make sure their voices are heard loud and
clear.
Our Mission
An inclusive Scotland where everyone
has the opportunity to have their voice
heard, contribute to society and fulfil their
potential.
Our Values
Kind
We will show all of our people
kindness, dignity and compassion
through our actions and words.
Inclusive
We will treat people with respect,
value the opinions of others
and celebrate diversity.
Open & Honest
We will always strive to do
the right thing and will build
trust by being transparent.
Aspirational
We will enable one another to
achieve our ambitions and will
seek to always do better.
Creative
We will push boundaries,
explore alternatives and seek
new innovative solutions.
For over 75 years, our people have
been making their mark on the lives
of disabled people. Whether that’s
supporting people to live their best
life, educating our young people,
volunteering or providing behindthe-scenes
support to keep our
charity running smoothly, we want
everyone to have a meaningful
impact in everything they do.
And the mark that each individual
makes will be unique to them but all of
us will be guided by our core values –
values which should be baked in to our
DNA. Wherever and whenever people
come into contact with Capability
Scotland, those are the values, the
behaviours, which should be on display.
We want you, our CS Community, to tell
us when you see our people exhibiting
those values – it might be an act of
kindness, it might be helping someone
achieve their ambitions, it might be an
open and honest conversation, it might
be someone coming up with a brilliant
creative idea or it might be making
someone feel included. Let us know
whenever you see someone making
their mark and living our values.
Brian Logan
Chief Executive
We’re looking for people who share our
values to join our teams across Scotland.
If you or anyone you know are looking for
a change in career, or for the next step in
your experience in social care, come along
and work with Capability Scotland.
Apply here:
www.capability.scot/careers
With the warmer weather coming in,
you might want to be out and about!
We’re looking for Collection Can
Representatives to help pick up
our cans in your local area.
If you’d like to help out, even for a couple of
hours a week, we’d love to hear from you:
4 fundraising@capability.scot
5

DUNDEE
DELIVERS
Dundee
offers day
opportunities,
care at home, and
housing support
Kay making the Chinese dragon
Recently, the Capability Scotland Matters team popped
up to our Dundee Services for a visit. Gillian Dunlop,
Service Manager in Dundee, invited us to experience a
day in the life of their service and what they provide.
And what a service
it is! Dundee offers
three different
services to disabled people
in Dundee & Angus.
Day opportunities, where people
attend a building-based service for
meaningful activities; community
living where we support people
at home and accessing their
local communities; and a
housing support service,
assisting two customers (Jamie and
Jenny) in 24-hour accommodation.
When we arrived at the City
Quay day service, in central
Dundee, we were greeted by Scott
and Jennifer, Team Leaders.
You know you’re in a Capability
Scotland building when you arrive -
everything is completely accessible.
Door entries are wide with access
buttons at a reasonable height for
everyone’s use, sinks and worktops
are on electronic rails and move
depending on the user’s height,
bathrooms are accessible by default.
Gillian, her team, and the customers
have made the atmosphere in the
centre a memorable one: the place
is luminous and colourful, which
was most welcome on a dreary
looking Wednesday morning. After
settling in, we were able to meet
many of our customers, including
Usmaan, who was curious about
what we were doing and surprised
we didn’t have a larger camera!
We got to meet the lovely Kay, Laura,
Phyllis, and Arthur, too. Numbers
are a little reduced, like everywhere
in Capability Scotland just now,
but it’s still a warm and vibrant
place. Customers were hard at work
making their large, Chinese dragon
model from paper, card, and other
crafty materials. We were invited
to be the recipient of this
dragon - easily over seven
feet in length - but we didn’t think it
would fit in the little hatchback car!
The customers are at the absolute
centre of this piece of artwork, they’re
involved in every creative decision.
Getting involved in this project is
more than just making a piece of
art. The staff are taking time to talk
about the Chinese Lunar New Year,
its meaning and why it’s important;
it’s obvious that integrating learning
within each activity is an ongoing
theme at the Dundee day service.
Near lunchtime, we join Usmaan and
Andy, our Community Living Assistant
(CLA), in the kitchen. We’re making
lentil soup. Usmaan is supported in
making the soup from scratch and
it’s an activity that he’s getting a lot
of reward from - he regularly enjoys
making lunch for people in the service.
The support he’s been given isn’t
intrusive, it’s a light touch - he’s the
centre of the activity, and Andy is
observing for safety and assistance,
Usmaan is thrilled to be
given the independence
to complete this activity himself.
With dragons and soup done, we
met with Lewis, one of the younger
customers who’s supported in the
community. Lewis is in his early
twenties, and he’s supported
by Scott (CLA). The gents have
come to the centre to collect us
for a trip to the McManus Art
Gallery. We take a walk up together
and note the bond between Lewis
and Scott, a great set of friends.
“We just go with the flow, that’s
how we roll”, Scott tells us, and
Lewis heartedly agrees with a fistbump;
they take the days as they
come, whatever comes along they
deal with together. “We’ll go to a
group, have lunch together and then
see where the afternoon takes us.”
Throughout our walk, seeing the
two gents speaking together and
just talking about life is a simple
yet impactful experience. It offers
space for Lewis to talk about what’s
going on, what’s in his head, and
Scott’s encouragement
and thoughts give Lewis
Eyes of the dragon are on!
Hot chilli - check!
Usmaan making the soup.
Phyllis and Rainha
6 7
Arthur hiding from the camera.

Laura sharing her music knowledge
Sophie and Barisse
Ewa and Kay
Aaliyah and Nikki
an important sounding board.
This small bit of chat, in amongst
everything else Scott does with Lewis,
is fantastic for Lewis and his mental
health; to have an almost brotherly
figure in Scott to listen and respond.
Lewis talks about college; he’s thinking
of going back again. He used to go
three times a week, but his anxiety
and nerves got the better of him.
However, his time and relationship
with Scott have helped him to feel less
anxious and have more confidence.
Talking about the work with Scott
and Capability Scotland, Lewis
says “I used to be in my shell a
lot but I’m not anymore.” Having
Capability Scotland support him
and his time with Scott has made
a marked, positive difference.
The gallery is one of their top places
to visit as Lewis is a big fan of foxes,
so they like to check on the fox models
after enjoying a good lunch!
When spending time in the
community with our customers we
like to get permission to film if we’re
somewhere specific. At first, we
were told we may have to approach
the gallery’s head offices by email.
However, we mentioned that we
were from Capability Scotland and
working with our Dundee Services...
we got instant film rights with an “oh
we know who Capability Scotland
are really well” - delightful to hear.
Later in the afternoon, we drive to
Camperdown Country Park, and we
meet with nine-year-old twins Barisse
and Aaliyah for a play in the park
after school with their CLA support
staff, Sophie and Nicola. Dundee
supports children as well as adults out
in the community. For identical twins,
they’re quite different in personality!
Aaliyah is an explorer and Barisse
is a warm snuggle bug. The twins
are non-verbal but visibly they
enjoy their experience in the park;
Aaliyah is getting dizzy on the
roundabout and going as high
as she can on the swing, pushed
by the team. Barisse likes the
quieter life, watching her sister and
taking a little walk around with
her support staff, determined to
stay warm, a wise choice under
a sky that’s threatening rain!
Supporting the children outside
of school highlights an important
dimension to the Dundee Service:
it shows the breadth of care we
can provide to people regardless
of age. In many ways, the care and
support for children are different
from supporting adults but the staff
here are knowledgeable on the
adjustments they need to
make to accommodate
this and it’s all in a day’s
work for the Dundee
staff. Simply another
string to their bow.
We’re so glad
we made the
journey to
Dundee
and have had the opportunity
to shine a spotlight on their
work. Our Dundee Service was
full of discoveries. Times have
been tough for Dundee, as they
have been for many over the
past two years, but we doubt the
atmosphere of joy and dedication
to the work they do for our
customers has wavered even once.
Want to know more about Dundee?
Drop Gillian an email:
Gillian.Dunlop@capability.scot
Lewis and Scott
8 9

Finished mock studio
We’re thrilled to announce our Board have
approved the project entirely, and we’re about
to start negotiations for land to build on!
Donald during
the mock studio
construction
We’d love to hear any thoughts you have on
our Bertha Park project. Drop us an email at
any time on hello@capability.scot and we’ll
get your thoughts across to the team!
Big plans!
Ample storage included!
A
lot has happened since we first shared
the exciting news of our plans to create
new, exemplar and enabling services and
accommodation at the Bertha Park development,
putting us at the heart of the new community.
Last year, we outlined the reasons behind the planned move to
Bertha Park and the exciting ambition we have for the project.
We are delighted that the response we got from customers,
staff and families to our plans was positive. Our strategic
partners – including Perth and Kinross Health & Social Care
Partnership, Perth and Kinross Council and NHS Tayside – have
all enthusiastically welcomed the project. Over recent months
we have started negotiations to secure the proposed land we
need for the development and introduced a new role to the
project in the form of Co-Production Leader.
The role of Co-Production Leader has been
taken on by Jennifer Dalrymple, a well-known
face throughout Capability Scotland, through
her previous role at Upper Springland.
Jennifer will work in ‘co-production’ with customers,
staff and family members to ensure their ideas are
embedded into the design proposals for Bertha Park.
Jennifer, who has worked with Capability Scotland
for the last ten years in various roles, said, “we
want to put customers at the
heart of everything we do
and to ensure their voices
and thoughts are heard.
“Co-production is an inclusive
approach to bring lived
experiences into the decision
making process. We will
ensure customers, families,
and staff members have the
opportunity to share their
thoughts with us at every
step of the design process.”
The first activity of coproduction
has been to develop
the replica - or ‘mock-up’ - of
the proposed residential
accommodation which has been
purpose-built in the Theatre
Room at Upper Springland.
There have been some really
useful comments recorded and
feedback has been generally
positive. However, people are
keen to know more about
how the studio flats could
be arranged and what
facilities could be included.
Discussing layout options
and agreeing on what works
best is going to be the next
phase of the co-production
process; possibly the most
exciting and certainly
the most challenging.
This is just the start of the
co-production process and
Jennifer is looking forward to
working with customers, families
and staff as the project evolves.
Co-Production Leader,
Jennifer Dalrymple
Nice and spacious
Lots of great comments!
10 11

Edinburgh Children’s Services
Each issue, we want
to bring you a bit of
information about our
services in terms of their overall
aims and what they do.
Last issue we looked at our
Dumfries & Galloway Services.
This issue, we’re bringing it to the
capital to look at two elements of
our Edinburgh Children’s Services!
YouthZone
At the weekends, you will
find our young people and
staff team having lots of fun
and getting up to mischief at
YouthZone, our youth club for
children with additional needs.
Based at Riccarton, we spend
time doing activities like arts
and crafts, sports, games, and
sensory exploration. Planning at
YouthZone is led by our young
attendees, so our experiences
change every week. This means
we get to try lots of new things,
like baking healthy treats (sweet
potato brownies, yum!).
Our aims for YouthZone have
always been steadfast and we
believe we achieve them well. We
aim to reduce social isolation,
provide opportunities to access
and build positive connections
with the wider community, build
and practise daily living skills
and independence, engage
in fun experiences in a safe
and supportive way, learn new
skills and expand interests.
Recently, Isla, one of our young
people, had attended a Zumba
class and wanted to show off her
new skills to everyone, so we’ve
now got a Zumba session planned!
We have a few creative pranksters
that attend our sessions at
YouthZone, who enjoy playing
tricks, dressing up and hiding,
waiting to make the staff jump!
This year, we have been looking
at getting out into the community
more, going to local parks and
swimming has been a favourite
Building relationships with
local organisations to run new
activities at YouthZone is a goal
for us this year – dance, sports,
cooking, outdoor learning such
as gardening and camping
safely are some of the key
opportunities we’re looking to
provide for our young people.
YouthZone has been expanding
over recent months. We now offer
sessions to a younger age group
of 5 to 11-year-olds as well as
continuing to deliver Saturday
sessions to 12 to 18-yearolds.
We have also increased
the number of young people
attending sessions from 10 to 12.
This means we now support
over 45 young people over four
weekends. Our next exciting
development for YouthZone is
our new venue! We will soon be
opening up a second venue in the
Craigmillar area of Edinburgh
with the hope that this will
allow more young people to be
supported from different areas
of the city. This will be a great
addition as the location is
close to shops, libraries, parks
and bus links. We hope that the
young people will enjoy getting out
into the community and continue
learning independent skills.
Holiday Support Hub
Last year, Capability Scotland
was asked to deliver a holiday
support service to children and
young people in need of some
structure, respite and most of
all - fun! This service is all about
having a relaxed environment with
lots of opportunities to gain new
experiences and make positive
memories. School holidays can
be a cause for anxieties for
families with disabled children
so this service helps fill up some
of that time with excitement and
getting out of the house for fun.
The aims and outcomes for this
new service delivery are quite
similar to YouthZone’s: we want
to provide positive experiences
for disabled young people during
the holidays; provide a safe place
to explore and play with support;
provide respite for families;
provide routine and structure
to the day during holidays. And
we’re meeting our aims well!
We supported up to 10 children
each day of the summer holidays,
ages 5 to 18 years old, including
some siblings. We have continued
this through October, and
February, moving to a new location
at Kaimes School in South East
Edinburgh. The new venue has
been wonderful to run the Holiday
Hub in as it is more suited to
the needs of the young people
we have attending. We have
lots of open space for a variety
of play experiences as well as
access to a kitchen. There are
local shops and play parks which
have been fun to visit. The team
is looking forward to be able to
fully explore the nature walks in
the warmer months too. There are
some great bus links too, so we can
be in town easily for days out.
It has been lovely for our
teams to meet and support
all the new young people
through lots of fun play-based
activities. We have had lots of
returning faces each holiday
as well as new young people
to get to know. Some of the
families were so happy with
the Holiday Support Hub
that they have joined our
YouthZone service too! We are
looking forward to continuing
to deliver this service during
future school holidays!
If you work with an
Edinburgh (or nearby)
based organisation who can
introduce our young people
to new activities, please
get in touch if you’d like to
explore working together:
hello@capability.scot
12 13

Anne’s Dash to Santa
A Kiltwalk with a Twist
Your fundraising gives happiness with every penny.
Our community fundraisers (you!) help to keep the
cogs of our charity turning day in, day out. That’s
why we love sharing stories of your fantastic efforts.
Thank you to everyone in the CS community who
help us make a real difference to people’s lives.
Anne McWilliam is a well-known face to Capability
Scotland. Not only is she our Learning and
Development Manager, she is also a keen fundraiser
and ambassador for the organisation. Never one to shy away
from a challenge, Anne has taken on runs, cycles, and swims
to raise money to support our services for several years.
Last year, she donned her Santa hat and trusty running shoes to
take on the 2021 Santa Dash, raising over £250.
“For the past four years, even during lockdown, I’ve done the
annual Santa Dash to raise funds for Capability Scotland.”
Usually, I take on a 5km run but I have been known to dash a bit
further! My wee dog always comes too, although he does not really
like running, he is more interested in stopping to sniff at passing
dogs, trees, and swans. This year as he tired a bit, I ran him back
to the car, bit of a detour from the route, so an extra 1km was
added to my total run and it was on my birthday too, what a way
to celebrate!
A big thanks to all who donated and cheered me on!”
Restrictions imposed by Covid-19 meant
many of our services were unable to
operate normally. But one thing that
didn’t stop was their fundraising efforts.
In April 2021, customers and staff from Wallace
Court in Johnstone took part in the Kiltwalk,
but with a twist... rather than attend one of the
organised events, they clocked up miles by doing
laps around the grounds of Wallace Court.
They raised an amazing £1,300 which was topped
up 50% by The Hunter Foundation, taking
their fundraising total to an impressive £1950!
Follow in their footsteps and get involved
with the Kiltwalk 2022. You can sign up on
our website www.capability.scot/events
Join team Capability Scotland and don the tartan!
Stanmore’s Cycle
In preparation for their holiday to Blackpool in April,
the young people at Stanmore House School held a
sponsored cycle to raise money for their trip.
The young people organised everything from start to finish; making
posters to advertise the event, creating sponsor sheets, and sending
them home to family. The learners asked the staff if they had an
exercise bike that could be borrowed and even encouraged staff to
take part and cycle some miles.
On the day of the cycle, they organised healthy snacks and water as
well as chose motivational music and took part in their own way. Some
of the pupils who have bikes cycled around the grounds and others
took part in wheelchair exercises.
Kirsty Bason, one of our Support Workers who supported the young
people with organising the event said “It was a great fun, lots of staff
from around the school got involved and made it such a great success -
we smashed our target of 266 miles which is the distance from Stanmore
House to Blackpool and back! We totalled in at 340 miles by 3pm.
We raised a total of £350 in this event alone - we’re all really pleased!
This will go a long way to helping with our trip in April - Blackpool here we
come!”
Fancy your own
cycle challenge?
Turn to page 21!
14 15

Harris at the
wedding
Chris & Angela
say I DO!
On a crisp Autumn Day in October
surrounded by their friends
and family, Chris and Angela
Docherty (nee Douglas) said I DO!
Breaking with tradition, Chris and Angela asked
their guests not to send gifts and instead
they set up a Just Giving Page where their
loved ones could donate to Stanmore House
School and Residential Service. Stanmore
House School and Residential Service
holds a special place in both their hearts
as it is where their son and stepson Harris
attends school and lives during the week.
Harris is a bright and bubbly 13-year-old,
who loves to be the centre of attention! He
joined Stanmore four years ago and both
Chris and Angela describe the school and
residential service as a lifeline for their family.
“Since joining Stanmore, Harris is like a different
child, he is so much more responsive to others and
generally a happier young man. It has been wonderful
to see his development over recent years and we look
forward to his weekends at home where we can see
the wonderful progress he is making,” said Chris.
Angela commented, “We chose to ask our guests to make
donations to Stanmore in lieu of gifts as a way for us to
give something back, the staff at Stanmore House School
and Residential Service have had such a positive impact
on both Harris’ and our life. As a family, we feel supported
and know that Harris is happy and settled at school.
“We would also like to say a big thank you to the
staff who made it possible for Harris to attend
our wedding, arranging accessible transport,
allocating two Support Workers to help Harris get
ready and participate fully throughout the day.
It really was the icing on top of the cake!”
The generosity of Chris and Angela’s friends and family
resulted in a donation of £3,360 to Stanmore House School
and Residential Service. Michelle Eckford, Head Teacher
at Stanmore House School said, “On behalf of all the staff
and young people at Stanmore, we would like to say a
huge thank you to all those who donated and to Chris
and Angela for choosing to support our young people.
“The money raised will be used to upgrade our Magic
Carpet, a key piece of assistive technology that is used
for both educational and recreational activities.”
The Impact of Your Fundraising
Dundee goes to the Deer Centre
Customers from our Dundee Service, along with their families,
recently visited the Deer Centre in Fife for a family away
day, all of which was made possible by fundraising.
Everyone had a wonderful time learning about the animals and enjoyed the
birds of prey display. The good old Scottish weather was also onside meaning
everyone stayed dry and we were able to enjoy all the outdoor activities.
Service Manager Gillian Dunlop commented on what a wonderful day it was,
“After months of restrictions, it was lovely to see our customers and their
families come together to enjoy a day out. Events such as group outings have
been lacking from our programme over the past two years and it's thanks to
fundraising by the public and colleagues in our service that we have been able
to enjoy a wonderful day away.
“We have lots of plans for future fundraising activity and hope that as
restrictions continue to ease, we can organise future outdoor away days and
also entertainment at our hub in Dundee.”
Craigmillar Goes Digital
Wallace Court’s Tiny Tablet
Thanks to donations from our corporate partnership with Virgin
Media we have purchased a variety of assistive and sensory
technologies across our services. Customers at Wallace Court
in Johnstone were one of the first to receive a delivery in March of
a ‘Tiny Tablet’ – it is anything but tiny!
Customers and staff have been learning to use the tablet, and its
adjustable height and portrait/landscape position makes it accessible
to everyone.
So far, the tablet has been used to play YouTube videos, single and
multiplayer games and music. There are lots of different apps
available which means there is the opportunity for everyone to get
involved.
John has been enjoying the challenge of the word searches whilst
Scott is loving making some music!
The pandemic continues to have an unprecedented effect on the
individuals we support, many of whom have been isolated from friends,
family, and their wider support network for weeks and months at a time.
Throughout, our staff have had to think differently about how we support
people and how they can access resources for one-to-one support.
Our day opportunities service at Craigmillar took many of their activities online
and, thanks to donations from local trusts in Edinburgh, they were able to purchase
iPads and assistive technologies that allowed staff to run online activities such as
art, bingo, quizzes, yoga, taking part in meetings and interacting with friends and
family. This has supported individuals to feel less isolated, to actively participate
in activities and to continue to learn new skills.
Due to ongoing restrictions, many of our day services are not yet at full capacity.
Therefore we will continue offering online services and activities in the coming
16 months; an invaluable resource, made possible by the generosity of our donors.
17

OLLIE
MCCULLOCH
Happy, determined, and curious are
just some words that have been
used to describe Ollie McCulloch,
the first toddler to join our Sunshine
Toddler Group at Stanmore House School.
Ollie has been attending the group
with his mum, Becky, since Autumn
2021 and has become a very popular
member of the community at Stanmore.
It came as a shock to Ollie’s family when
he was born with additional needs. Becky
said, “it took us some time to come to
terms that life for Ollie and us was forever
changed, however, we have adapted to
a new normal and the team at Stanmore
have been a great support.”
When Ollie attends Sunshine
Toddlers he takes part in
a variety of activities
including sensory play
and storytime, as well
as
arts and crafts
and outdoor learning projects.
A favourite activity of Ollie’s is
spending time in the hydrotherapy
pool, and the team have recently
sourced him a specialist float to
aid his stability in the water.
The activities organised for the
toddlers follow the same themes
as those within the school,
ensuring that all who attend
Stanmore, regardless of age are
part of the community and enjoy
the same experiences adapted to
their stage of learning and ability.
As well as taking part in activities
that are designed and tailored
to meet his needs, Becky and
the rest of Ollie’s family also
benefit from the support and
advice of the allied health
professionals at Stanmore, this
includes Speech and Language
Therapy, Physiotherapy and
Occupational Therapy.
“It has been invaluable for us to
have input from Allied Health,
the Speech and Language
Eme-Elle, Ollie
& Becky
Therapists have introduced us to
Makaton sign language, adopting
new ways of communication
has been empowering for the
whole family. When Ollie first
attended Sunshine Toddlers he
was in a spica cast from his hips
to his toes, this supported him
to sit upright; however when the
cast was removed he struggled
to sit but the Occupational
Therapists and Physiotherapists
were on hand to offer support
and advice and now Ollie
confidently sits unaided.”
The group also offers Becky the
opportunity to enjoy a hot cup of
tea and well-earned rest as staff
are on hand to support Ollie, and
he has started to make friends
with some of the young people
in the school. Every week
Eme-Elle comes to visit Ollie, “it
has been wonderful for Ollie to
interact with some of the young
people, giving him the opportunity
to mix with his peers and the
older children who he can see as
role models as he grows up.”
There are no other groups like
Sunshine Toddlers in our area,
so without Stanmore, Ollie would
miss out on the opportunity to
attend playgroups like other
children his age. As a family,
we feel so welcome by the
staff and young people at
Stanmore and are proud to be
part of the community there.”
18 19

Help Us Provide Support
TO MORE CHILDREN LIKE OLLIE Top of the League:
Capability Scotland has always sought to be a major ally in supporting
disabled people to have full equality of opportunity and participation as
citizens of Scotland.
We believe that equality of opportunity should begin from birth and this is
one of many reasons we created the Sunshine Toddlers Group at Stanmore
House School; offering disabled babies, toddlers and young children like
Ollie a safe space where they and their families can enjoy activities
that every child should experience, just like children in mainstream
settings.
It is thanks to the generosity of our donors that we’ve been able to
develop the Sunshine Toddlers Group and offer this to children and
families free of charge.
“The thought of attending Sunshine Toddlers for the first time was quite
daunting. Due to Ollie’s disabilities we had never attended any baby
or toddler groups as without any additional support Ollie is unable to
participate in mainstream activities. Any nerves I had faded away the
moment we arrived at Stanmore, the staff and young people were so welcoming,
and we immediately felt part of the community. Every week, Ollie and I look
forward to Sunshine Toddlers, not just for the activities and interaction but also
for the additional support we can both access. Sunshine Toddlers and Stanmore
has been a lifeline for our family, in a time filled with so much uncertainty they
are a constant source of support, advice and kindness.”
Becky, Ollie’s Mum
To help us support more children like Ollie, please donate what you can so that
Capability Scotland can ensure disabled children and young people throughout
Scotland have the opportunity to see their ambitions realised and fulfil their
potential. Please give generously.
Thank you.
You can return this donation form in the envelope provided or post to:
Capability Scotland, 24 St John’s Road, Edinburgh, EH12 6NZ
I would like to donate
Want to donate online
or by direct debit?
capability.scot/donate
Heriot’s Rugby Club
&
Our Charity Partners
Last year, Capability Scotland was
thrilled to be chosen as Heriot
Rugby Clubs Charity Partner;
we are now six months into the
partnership and delighted to share
that our activities and fundraising
are going from strength to strength.
To date, an amazing £4,000 has been raised
from general donations, raffles and
a charity dinner. Held at Heriots
ground Goldenacre the evening was
hosted by Brian Donald with guest
speakers Rhona Hume and George
McNeil in attendance. A great time was
had by all and plans are already underway
to host a similar event in January next year.
Brian Logan, Chief Executive at Capability
Scotland, commented, “I am delighted that
our partnership has started with such great
success – we’re really enjoying working
with the team at Heriot’s. The £4,000 raised
so far will support additional activities
across a number of our services over the
Events that will
make sport
accessible.
coming months. As we move ahead, I look
forward to our staff and customers getting
involved with Heriot’s next fundraising
challenge, a virtual sponsored cycle in
May, as well as a series of events that will
bring rugby to our services and make sport
accessible to the people we support.”
On Sunday 15th May, led by club president
Iain (Ducky) Duckworth, a group
of Heriot's members, along with
staff from Capability Scotland,
will take on a 56-mile cycle
from Glasgow to Edinburgh to
raise funds for Capability Scotland.
Finishing at Goldenacre they will be
greeted by fellow club members, friends
and family as Heriot's host a family fun
day to celebrate their achievements.
If you would like to get involved with the
cycle, you can find out more by visiting:
www.heriotsrugbyclub.co.uk/charitypartnership-cycle-fundraiser
/
• Spin or cycle, indoor or outdoor
• 100 miles throughout May
• Do it together with your team or alone
• Fundraise for Capability Scotland
I want to Gift Aid my donation to add 25p for each £1 I donate at no cost to me, and any donations
I make in future or have made in the past 4 years to Capability Scotland. I am a UK taxpayer and
understand if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax in the current tax year than the amount of
Gift Aid claimed on all my donations it is my responsibility to pay any difference.
05/2022
Sign up for your 100-mile challenge at:
www.capability.scot/cycle

Inclusive
Suzanne
Naomi
Communication
Rufus and Steven interviewing new staff
Gary telling Halloween jokes with his
updated communication aid
22
Suzanne Green and Naomi Smith work with Capability
Scotland as our Inclusive Communication Officers. This
post is a new addition to our charity but is filled with two
expert ladies. An important role for our organisation, making
a huge difference to our customers’ communication.
Suzanne has been part of our team for 20 years, firstly as a Classroom
Assistant at Corseford School, supporting children and young people
within the school setting. She worked closely with our education and
therapies staff, ensuring all educational and communication needs
were being met. Through this work, she became passionate about
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and the impact
this had on people with different communication
needs. Suzanne became a Speech and Language
Therapy Assistant in 2014, directly supporting
children and young people with their communication
over simply ensuring these needs were met.
Naomi is a qualified Makaton Tutor. Makaton is a lot like
sign language but it facilitates spoken language rather
than replaces it fully. It helps convey spoken ideas with
the aid of signing. Naomi’s Makaton journey began when
she led baby signing classes and through her time as a baby
swimming instructor. After completing her first Makaton
workshop, she was hooked! Naomi joined Capability
Scotland as a Support Worker at our Perth day opportunities
service, The Studio, where she led group activities for
customers, and some of the residents at Upper Springland.
Both moved into the Inclusive Communications role in
August, and their job is to promote AAC across Capability
Scotland, providing training and support so staff can improve their
communication skills and foster an inclusive environment. They have
a multitude of tools at their disposal: objects of reference, picture
exchange communication system (PECS), Makaton, symbol support,
to more hi-tech communication aids using the synthetic voice.
After surveying the charity to explore what areas were important to
focus on first, Suzanne and Naomi have rolled out AAC Awareness
training to all staff, giving a range of introductory knowledge on
communication tools and how to be a great communication partner.
One key development is training and developing on Boardmaker, a
specialist education platform that provides communication through
symbols. This fantastic tool allows the teams to create communication
books, boards and visuals to help non-vocal people communicate in
everything from choosing what to wear to doing their banking. This key
development helps to increase choice for someone, important in supporting
people to have choices to empower them, promote independence and
inclusion, express their wants and needs and have their voices heard.
The team has been doing a lot of work on
safeguarding and making news from across
the organisation accessible for everyone
in Capability Scotland. As our work on
our new Bertha Park project grows,
Suzanne and Naomi are making sure
everyone understands the project
by spending time converting
news to easy read, Makaton,
and symbolised formats. They’ve
also been pivotal in our creation
of a new, customer-focussed
newsletter, designed specifically
for the people we support (though
everyone is still welcome to
enjoy this magazine!).
We’ve witnessed a lot of great
successes from Suzanne
and Naomi’s work so far. One
customer recently had his favourite
music artists programmed into
his communication aids, allowing
him to independently play his music
through his Amazon Echo - delightful!
In the past few months, two customers have
had new communication systems set up
on their iPads, giving them a new voice.
One of these customers, a gentleman left
with no speech since having a stroke,
was increasingly frustrated about trying
to communicate. With this new system
in place, he became quite emotional at
being able to communicate with ease.
What an impact this had. The other
customer was particularly pleased to
be able to use this system to grill some
candidates during job interviews!
Suzanne and Naomi sincerely
believe this new role can make a huge
and continuous difference to our service
delivery, allowing us to engage and
interact with our customers in new and
better ways, and upskill our staff.
Pamela using her new communication aid
Fiona & Mark playing bingo
made with Board maker
Awareness Training in Perth
Naomi using Makaton
Wallace Court using Makaton

Coffee Stop
Crossword
1 2 3 4 5
6 7
8 9
10 11
12
13 14
15
16 17
18
19 20
21
Sudoku
6
8 2
3 8
9 1 2 6 5 4 7
6 7 9 2 4 5
1 9
1 8 7
6 7 9 2 3 1 4
9 7 3
Across
1 Kind of moustache (9)
8 Expect (5)
9 Make less heavy (7)
10 Hot (in a frying pan?) (8)
11 Charity (4)
13 Bright — brilliant (6)
14 Worthless (2-4)
16 Head — bread (4)
17 Stronghold (8)
19 Portable anti-tank weapon (7)
20 Carmen or Fidelio? (5)
21 Mid-morning snack (9)
Down
1 Basil Fawlty, for example (8)
2 Stockings made from sheer material (6)
3 Play bricks (4)
4 Device for accessing beer (6-6)
5 Position close to the action? (8,4)
6 Controversial attention-grabbing issue (5,7)
7 Showy or exciting display (6-6)
12 Highly complicated — full of twists and turns (8)
15 Quagmire (6)
18 0 (something one can feel) (4)
LET’S TALK
Answers: www.capability.scot/answersissue2
Capability Scotland Matters is our magazine for the CS community. It
is written by our Fundraising & Communications Team, with the help
of our guest contributors and produced by Capability Scotland.
Email us: hello@capability.scot
Call us: 0131 337 9876
Write to us: CS Matters, Vantage Point, 24 St John’s Road, Edinburgh, EH12 6NZ
Limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland, number SC036524.
Registered Scottish Charity, number SC011330
We’d love to hear what you
think about our magazine or
anything else you’d like to
share. You can email us on
hello@capability.scot
24