Jimmy was born deaf and, at the age of eighteen, had an accident which caused him to lose his sight.
In 2003, I met and began working with Jimmy; at this point he had never come across magic and had no concept of it at all. Entertainment seems to be one of the many things that is ignored when supporting people with sensory impairments, because it’s not deemed to be important. However, when I demonstrated the vanishing silk trick to Jimmy, the look on his face confirmed to me just how important it is to include disabled and visually impaired people within the entertainment industry.
We sprayed the silk with Jimmy’s aftershave so that he could tell it was the same one, and then I performed the trick with his hand upon mine. Jimmy helped me push the silk into my
clenched fist then I brushed both my hands with his to show him they were empty. Next, I guided his hand over my face, where he found the silk in my mouth. He smelled the silk and could tell it was the same one.
His reaction was beautiful. It was real! He had never encountered anything like this before, and it was this feeling which makes me continue to develop tricks for his benefit.
Jimmy’s enthusiasm and amazing response spelt the beginning of Extreme Clowning, offering balloon, modelling, magic, puppeteering, prop building, mime, clowning, and make-up, to deafblind people. We began by adapting magic and expanding our diversity of tricks, making them accessible to all, regardless of disability. Over the years, we added theatre trips, days out and concerts to our ever-expanding list of services; events which are often overlooked when organising activities for the deafblind community — why would they be organised when the person cannot see or hear? Yet nobody has asked these people before; everyone has just assumed that they do not want to go. I liken this to swimming — I cannot swim, but I love to go in the water! Nothing is impossible; a person might be unable to see and hear, but they can still touch and smell, and understand humour. It is the same with magic — they may not be able to see the trick, but they can sense and appreciate it in many other ways.
Meet Jonathan
Jonathan was born on the 6th August, 1991. The birth was traumatic; his mother was left in labour for too long, and subsequently Jonathan was starved of oxygen. He was born not breathing, with a heart rate of just 56. After having his heart shocked, he spent the first two weeks of his life in special care, where he began having fits. At the age of six months, after a particularly bad fit, we were told that Jonathan has cerebral palsy, a group of permanent movement disorders. Jonathan is quadriplegic and cannot speak, and so finds it hard to communicate; he is also one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Together, Jonathan and I have travelled to the Peto Institute in Budapest –– an educational therapy centre which supports people with cerebral palsy –– ten times.
Meet Dan
Dan is twenty tears old and has Angelman Syndrome, meaning he has a severe learning disability and cannot speak. Dan loves drama and entertainment, in particular, magic and clowning, activities which suit Dan perfectly as they are visual and non-verbal, meaning he can participate without needing words. Dan perfectly demonstrates what Extreme Clowning is all about –– he can fully appreciate the tricks and activities we have adapted for people with sensory impairment, making it easy for him to engage and join in. Humour is an important element of engaging with Dan and the sessions we work with him are always fun, making him feel welcome and keen to participate.
Extreme Clowning has taught Dan innumerable new skills, including observation, copying, and social skills. Through clowning and magic, Dan is showing an ability to learn as he has never done before.
Meet George
George, born in 2008, has an undiagnosed neurological condition. He has very complex health needs, including intractable epilepsy, microcephaly, visual impairment, respiratory problems and low muscle tone. He is non-verbal, a wheelchair user and is totally tube-fed. These things (and many others) make it difficult for George to take part in standard activities, but Extreme Clowning has made magic accessible to him. I have learnt that the key to determining George’s reaction is to look into his eyes — even if he isn’t smiling, I can often tell whether or not he has enjoyed a trick. I do tricks in close proximity to George, to help him feel engaged, and I move his hands to help him feel the objects. I can tell he enjoys his time with me as his mother tells me George gets excited when he hears my name. Working with George is incredibly rewarding.
The Experts
Steve Majes
Oliver Garwood
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