In this episode, host Oneness Sankara shares how a personal family story became a spoken word musical through community workshops and collective storytelling.

From poetic notes born of isolation and exhaustion → conversations with SEND parents → first public sharing at Certain Blacks Afro Future Festival- to the being joined by and amazing creative team to rehearse and develop the piece and share at The Albany Deptford.

You'll hear:
• The moment her story became bigger than one family
• Why theatre (not blog/talks) was right
• How she protected privacy while staying authentic
• Research themes: isolation, fighting systems, fear for futures
• Why spoken word musical (X-Men revelation included)

SHOW NOTES:

About T21 Alchemy (the play):
Spoken word musical exploring disability parenting, inclusion and African Caribbean British identity through a mother raising a T21 child.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction to T21 Alchemy - the play
02:30 Why this story needed telling
05:45 Isolation disability parents face
08:20 From poetic notes → full play
11:15 Themes: unheard, judged, fighting systems
14:30 Why theatre? Collective power
17:00 Spoken word musical format
19:45 Personal vs community voices
22:30 Protecting family/community
25:00 Afro Future Festival debut (clip)
27:15 X-Men moment: possibility in diagnosis

R&D CREATIVES
Writer/Performer: Oneness Sankara
BSL Performer: Jacqui Beckford
Dramaturg: Kwame Kwei-Armah
Director: Matthew Xia
Composer: Christella Litras
Producer: Michaela Waldram-Jones


Key Themes:
Disability parenting • African Caribbean identity • Theatre as activism • Creative process

Connect:
Instagram: @t21alchemy @thepurposementor
www.onenesssankara.com

Supported by Arts Council England
T21 Alchemy podcast episodes and theatre R&D supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Support the show

Stay connected with T21 Alchemy: @t21alchemy @thepurposementor on Instagram

Beyond the Paperwork: Celebrating Our Extraordinary Ordinary Kids | T21 Alchemy

Dragons on buses, bank card heists, hydrogen peroxide interrogations—this is the joy we're fighting for.

Host Oneness Sankara shares candid conversations with her son (who has T21), flipping the script from advocacy fatigue to family brilliance. While other episodes tackle systems and struggle, E3 centres the chaotic, funny, precious moments that make parenting magic.

What happens:

• Bank card heist: independence meets audacity
• Hydrogen peroxide deep dive + dragons on London buses
• Rock collections + "Mummy dashed me out!" origin story
• Singing Hands memories + www.singinghands.com phase
• T21 Alchemy play excerpt
• Why admin shouldn't steal childhoods

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro with son
02:30 Celebrating joy over struggle
05:15 Bank card heist story
09:40 Singing Hands memories
12:20 Apedemak conversations
18:45 Ordinary moments matter
20:30 T21 Alchemy play excerpt
22:15 Afro-touching moment
23:00 Don't let admin steal childhoods

Key Themes:
Extraordinary ordinariness - Joy amid advocacy - Kids' brilliance - Systems vs family time

Resources:
Singing Hands (Makaton) - Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Connect: @t21alchemy
Share your child's stories!

Supported by Arts Council England
T21 Alchemy podcast episodes and theatre R&D supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

#DownSyndrome #T21 #SENDFamilies #Inclusion #Parenting

Support the show

Stay connected with T21 Alchemy: @t21alchemy @thepurposementor on Instagram

Host Oneness Sankara talks with speech therapist Cathy Johnston from the Lejeune Clinic about what parents really need to know about communication for children with Down syndrome (T21).

What you'll learn:

• Speech vs communication—and why the difference changes everything
• Why speech carries such heavy emotional weight for families
• The anatomy behind Down syndrome speech challenges
• When "early intervention" actually starts (it's simpler than you think)
• Practical home tools: Makaton, visual supports, parent-child interaction
• Neuroplasticity truth: there's no "missed boat" for your child

Key takeaways:

• Your child communicates constantly, even without words
• Parent interaction > formal therapy for language growth
• Communication is everyone's job, not just yours
• You're doing enough. You're not alone.

Resources: Lejeune Clinic - Makaton - Hanen "It Takes Two to Talk" - Speech and Language UK

About Cathy Johnston: 20+ years as speech therapist specialising in under-5s with Down syndrome. Works with Lejeune Clinic + NHS, focusing on early intervention and family support.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Intro
00:53 Cathy Johnston introduction
02:40 Kathy's background
05:17 Parents' biggest communication worries
11:00 Speech vs communication
15:20 Why speech matters emotionally
20:00 Speech-biased society
23:00 Rhythm, music, vocalizing
27:00 Speech anatomy
30:00 Down syndrome speech challenges
32:00 Brain development/neuroplasticity
35:00 Early intervention reality
38:00 Parent advocacy balance
42:00 Communication as team effort
52:00 Makaton + visual tools
55:00 Parent-child interaction
60:00 Closing reassurance

#DownSyndrome #T21 #SpeechTherapy #SEND #Parenting

Resources Mentioned:

• Lejeune Clinic: www.lejeuneclinic.com
• Makaton:https: www.makaton.org
• See and Learn: www.seeandlearn.com
• Hanen Program (It Takes Two to Talk): www.hanen.org
• Speech and Language UK: www.speechandlanguage.org.uk

Part of T21 Alchemy: Black SEND parenting, disability inclusion, and theatre storytelling.
Instagram: @t21alchemy

Supported by Arts Council England
T21 Alchemy podcast episodes and theatre R&D supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Support the show

Stay connected with T21 Alchemy: @t21alchemy @thepurposementor on Instagram