Dear Designers,
Hi
my name is JJ
I run a volunteer service
with my wife enabling people with a dual sensory loss and other disabillities to
access entertainment and popular culture.
I use days out and
experiences to create memories and smiles and motivation and hopefully encourage
the people that i work with to live life rather than just exist.
My previous line of work
was in the entertainment business for 13 years as a children's entertainer/comic
- so my approach to this line of work is somewhat unconventional! 2003 i decided
to put my talents
to better use and changed
my audience - a decision which I am very proud of.
I now use comedy / humor to
help stimulate and motivate the clients I work with using toys, puppets, Magic
and different tactile materials, and objects of I have clowned with Deafblind
people
My work has taken me all
over the world - Russia, Texas, Holland I also was invited on a clown
trip
with patch Adams (you may
have seen the film?)
Clowning around in
hospitals, psychiatric wards and orphanages. It was a
life changing experience,
and its amazing what difference laughter can make.
90% of the people I work
with cannot see OR hear. Their ages range from 15 through to 85.
Some have been deafblind
from birth, while others have gradually lost their
sight or hearing with old
age, or for various other reasons. As a result of
their loss, they are unable
to access information in the way we do, through
newspapers, television or
radio - so usually the most simple of things go
undiscovered for years - or
never at all.
I use my talents to enable
my service users to access any form of entertainment which they once loved and
now sadly cannot access.
Using the
aid of sign language,
props, toys, meet and
greets and touch tours my
clients can enjoy an evening as much as anybody else
Why I am
writing is i am constantly
looking for companies who produce items that may be funny to touch,as i use them
a great deal in my work.
When someone is both Deaf AND blind jokes do not
always relate, so you have to use what you have got such as taste smell and
touch
i have worked along side FRED worldwide and suck
U.K and they have donated items and in return i can add you as a sponsor onto
my website and send you a video back showing you how your items was
received.
using such objects is always amazing to watch as
it becomes a lot more than an object – and creates big smiles and amazing
stimulation
if you would
like to sponsor us please drop me an email
i can see by browsing your items that there are
some fantastic things which im sure would work very well with our service
users
I am not a registered
charity but I have run my volunteer service for almost 10
years now
People help
by donating items and
experiences and I pass these on and collect the smiles
If you
would like any more
information, or even just a chat please don't hesitate to
contact me as I understand
that I could be any tom dick or Harry! I am
available via email: extremeclowning@hotmail.co.uk
or my work number is 01733
325 353. To find out more about my work have a look at
Thank you
for taking the time to
read this
I hope to hear from you
soon
Jonathan lucia-wright (
j-j )
Creative support
worker/clown doctor
Extreme
Clowning
Website : http://www.extremeclowning.co.uk/
Enabling people with a dual sensory
loss
to access entertainment and popular culture
Touch is so important.
and touching/feeling somethings that is funny,
out of the ordinary can substitute as a joke.
Jokes themselves do not translate very well so you have to find other means to get your laughs.
A few years ago i wrote to Fred and friends who kindly donated a whole load of items,
which to this very day
still amuse and stimulate.
when we see something that is a novelty it sinks in gradually and we take it in slowly.
but when such an item is touched it is being absorbed all at once.
what you feel is what you get.
whether it is a plastic saw that cuts bread or a tiny rubber man who has been squashed by a book
such items also open the discoverer to a whole new way of thinking
After discovering how powerful and stimulating these objects are i have decided in 2012 to write to as many design studios across the world to ask
if they would kindly donate some items and work hand in hand with extreme clowning to improve
some lives of people who need to touch
between us all we can make a difference
hopefully more videos will be posted soon
Tangle - Hairy
Tangle
Fred - Shoe Doorstop
Active People - Sakol
THANK YOU
Designers written to in 2012
D.C.I
Gama Go
Spinning hat
Connect design
Peleg
Ryosukefukusada
luakor
Daniel Ballou
Qualy
Fluff
Ototo
Suzy Le Lievre
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