A jazz band was playing at the launch last week of Islington Outlook - a new service offering education, employment, health and leisure opportunities to disabled people.<br><br>The service - run at St John’s Way, Archway - replaces the old St John’s Day Centre and has been set up to support physically disabled people as well as people with visual and hearing impairments, to pursue their interests and improve their job prospects. <br><br>Cllr Meral Ece, executive member for health and social care, commented:<br><br>"Islington Outlook is working with other organisations to provide the best possible service to local disabled people - from job search, to personal development to fitness. <br><br>We’ve commissioned the Royal Association of the Deaf to provide a Deaf Job Club which has proved very successful. Re-work, a job brokerage service, is also based here once a week. <br><br>We are also building on our relationship with Aquaterra, supporting disabled people to use mainstream gym and swimming facilities across the borough as a progression from the Islington Outlook gym."<br><br>City and Islington college also provide courses at Islington Outlook including photography, literacy, art and craft and creative writing and part of the plan is to build confidence and lead service users to join courses in mainstream educational facilities. <br><br>Isabel Munoz, 32, has just found out about the centre and was very excited to be at the launch: ‘I felt very emotional at the launch party because I didn’t realise there were services like this for me. I arrived on my own and felt a bit overwhelmed but I’m so excited to know about this service. I wasn’t always disabled so I’m having to relearn how to do things I used to do like swimming and using the gym. <br><br>‘I have to learn how to do all the things I used to do but in a different way so it would be great to come here and have someone to come swimming with me and help me in and out of the pool or to show me the best way to use the gym equipment.’<br><br>Sandy Marks, ex-mayor of Islington and ex-Chair of Islington Social Services, is also a regular at Islington Outlook. She spoke at the launch saying: ‘One day I was able bodied and the next I was disabled and then I didn’t know who I was. Coming here has helped me to know who I was again. This type of service is really needed for disabled people, it has really helped me to build my confidence again. I’ve just finished my A-Levels and am hoping to begin studying statistics at degree level this autumn.’<br><br>ENDS
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009