Kellie Barker
Nominee Profile
Location: Kent
My name is Kellie Barker im 47 years old , I live in Kent with my three children and two dogs , In my early years i was a young carer as a family that fostered , i then went on to create a fostering agency with my family and worked in referrals and placements ,actively promoting rights and autonomy for children in the care system ,.
have always been wired to advocate and create change its simply part of who i am .
My third child Oscar was born with Multiple Complex needs and my two older children became young carers something they naturally thrive at .
We are flexible as a family in our strong ethic for equality , acceptance and openness to accept everyone just as they are .
Oscar is a remarkable little boy who faces many complex challenges including Autism, ADHD, ARFID(AVOIDANT RESTRICTIVE EATING DISORDER ) Extreme anxiety and learning disability , we embrace and raise his voice for a chance to experience the world in equal measure of others ,with reasonable adjustments , open communications about how others can accept Oscar and promote inclusion for him .
We refuse to take part in any communication that limits disability ,they cant , they wont or they will never are all not accepted we celebrate all the small big things and spread positivity and assume he can and we make things work.
I first decided to create some clothing that met sensory need in 2017 for Oscar as he had very sensitive skin, i removed the labels and used organic fabrics and i placed a bee on it that said bee kind , i wrote a blog about this and how it had impacted him and our entire family and we had one of our first positive experiences in the community , it dawned on me that clothing had the power to change an experience and so i began designing more messages on clothing and sharing the idea and then born anxious was born .
being creative helps me to express how i feel as a carer it can be really lonely and it gives me a voice too when i feel invisible its great to see how the clothes help people
have always been wired to advocate and create change its simply part of who i am .
My third child Oscar was born with Multiple Complex needs and my two older children became young carers something they naturally thrive at .
We are flexible as a family in our strong ethic for equality , acceptance and openness to accept everyone just as they are .
Oscar is a remarkable little boy who faces many complex challenges including Autism, ADHD, ARFID(AVOIDANT RESTRICTIVE EATING DISORDER ) Extreme anxiety and learning disability , we embrace and raise his voice for a chance to experience the world in equal measure of others ,with reasonable adjustments , open communications about how others can accept Oscar and promote inclusion for him .
We refuse to take part in any communication that limits disability ,they cant , they wont or they will never are all not accepted we celebrate all the small big things and spread positivity and assume he can and we make things work.
I first decided to create some clothing that met sensory need in 2017 for Oscar as he had very sensitive skin, i removed the labels and used organic fabrics and i placed a bee on it that said bee kind , i wrote a blog about this and how it had impacted him and our entire family and we had one of our first positive experiences in the community , it dawned on me that clothing had the power to change an experience and so i began designing more messages on clothing and sharing the idea and then born anxious was born .
being creative helps me to express how i feel as a carer it can be really lonely and it gives me a voice too when i feel invisible its great to see how the clothes help people