Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month 2024

In March 2024, individuals living with cerebral palsy (CP), along with their family members, friends, and dedicated activists, unite to champion the cerebral palsy community. This month-long initiative is a continuous endeavour to raise awareness about cerebral palsy.

To commemorate Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, we are thrilled to announce a collaborative event featuring both Scope Membership and the CP Network. This event will also incorporate a special tribute to International Women's Day.

Speakers:

Dr. Ruth Bailey

Ruth is an Associate Lecturer with the Open University. Her PhD research focused on the healthcare encounters of disabled people.

She was the lead author of "Threats to Embodied Well-being: An Exploration of How Disabled People Negotiate Barriers in Hospital Settings."

Dr. Bailey also served as a member of the advisory group for the Althea Project and assisted with the data analysis. Previously, Ruth has worked with several grassroots disabled-led organizations and has written extensively on Disability and Theatre.

Dr. Sonali Shah

Sonali is an Associate Professor in Disability and Life Course Research in the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham.

She leads two NIHR RfPB projects - one on "Living Healthy Lives: Exploring the Effects of Growing Older with Cerebral Palsy and Use of Healthcare Services Across the Life Course" and another on the "RICH study" to explore the accessibility of UK maternity healthcare for women with cerebral palsy.

Sonali is an internationally recognized author with 17 articles and 4 books published on disability and various topics, including healthcare, domestic violence, education careers, and the use of theatre for disabled people across the life course.

She co-coordinates the international Facebook group "Women Ageing with Cerebral Palsy" and is on the editorial boards of BSA Medical Sociology and the Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research.

She is also a co-editor of a special issue of The History of the Family (on disability, partnership, and family formation). In 2022, Sonali won an Arts Council award to develop her first semi-biographical play, which was performed at the Lakeside Theatre in Nottingham. Sonali is a British Indian disabled woman with interests that include writing songs, traveling, and reading historical fiction.

Rajkumar Rajan MCSP

Senior Bobath Tutor and Clinical Expert Physiotherapist

Rajkumar Rajan is the Clinical Expert Physiotherapist at The National Bobath Cerebral Palsy Centre where he has been a key member of the therapy team since 2004.

He also has considerable experience and expertise as a Senior Bobath Tutor, training the next generation of health professionals and others in the Bobath Concept, and publishing academic research.

Rajkumar often hosts The Bobath Centre’s monthly online ‘Adult Meet-ups’ and his series of interactive sessions on the topic of Pain Management is especially popular.

Date: 20th March 2024

Time: 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM