I’m sitting in my local brewery. It’s a B Corp. It has become a community hub venue for a range of people, events and activities. Recently a few of us have been using it for coworking on Wednesdays; ‘Laptop Wednesdays’ because apparently marketing ‘Get Shit Done’ is problematical, even though that’s exactly what we’re all doing here. Amongst our number today are a herbalist and someone who works for the UN. We’re a happy little bunch, getting lots of shit done, and it’s wonderful to be meeting a wide variety of people over the weeks. Even some of the brewery office staff have been joining in.

As it is a community space, those of us perched about with laptops have come to appreciate sharing the space with a wide range of people. Sometimes there are the (truly raucous) knitters and weavers. Sometimes it is the (cheerful and inquisitive) artistic daubers from a residential home.

Today it is a group of young people, most in school uniform, full of joy, celebrating someone’s birthday. There are a range of people in this group – many have ‘additional’ needs. Except here they don’t. Some are pottering about on their own, quite happily doing and saying whatever they need to. One young chap has music or a video playing loudly on a mobile phone. Others were playing with a small football. Now they’re sitting down and the candles on the cake have just been lit. There are no additional needs at the moment because they’re all covered.

All of us are being looked after in this shared space

The reason that I have just picked up my mouse is that as I am sharing this space, I am reflecting on how kids like these were treated when I was at school. They were marginalised and excluded. They had their own mini-school, in a little building at the edge of the sports field, under a nice tree. Nobody else socialised with them. The possibility of sharing a mainstream space with them was just not an option. But here, today, it is.

Yesterday evening I watched a brilliant BBC documentary presented by Ellie Simmonds OBE, the paralympion swimmer with dwarfism. It investigated the issues around the trial of a new drug that helps eliminate the problems of dwarfism (and there are some painful and difficult medical challenges for some that will benefit from additional support). The programme makers spoke to people of average height who expressed the view that this new drug will help people ‘suffering with disabilities’ to live a ‘normal’ life and ‘experience love’... Dwarves, including those blessed with warm, bubbly and encouraging families, happily married with kids and grandchildren were there aplenty, expressing concern that their dwarf identity was what was being eliminated.

So here I am today, sharing a space where nobody’s needs need to be excluded, or hushed up. Everyone is happy. It feels deeply nourishing to be in a truly inclusive setting.