2 June 2009

More support needed for singing star Susan Boyle

Mencap spokesperson says singer with a learning disability could be an international superstar with the right support

Singer Susan Boyle, who has a learning disability, has rarely been out of the media since her first appearance on TV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. After coming second in the final on Saturday, she has been taken to The Priory Clinic in London to be treated for exhaustion.

Here, Ciara Evans, a Mencap spokesperson, gives her views on Susan’s treatment by the media and the show:

“As someone with a learning disability myself, it's been great to see Susan Boyle getting so far on a talent show. You rarely see people with a learning disability in the media, and in the last few weeks Susan Boyle has rarely been out of it.

“But, like anyone who is put in the media spotlight, she has found it hard to deal with her new fame and growing media attention.

“The main problem is that the general public don't understand what a learning disability is and how it affects a person's life. And that includes the producers of ‘Britain's Got Talent’.”

Invisible disability

“Learning disability is an 'invisible' disability. It's something that people don't understand because they can't see it. A learning disability is caused by the way the brain develops. In Susan Boyle's case she was starved of oxygen at birth resulting in her learning disability. Having a learning disability doesn't mean you have mental health problems or dyslexia.

“As someone with a learning disability I find it harder to communicate and learn new things. I might need support making sure I've understood something right and help when I'm in new situations. This support has enabled me to get a job at Mencap and have a successful career – an opportunity that so few people with a learning disability are given.

“Susan has found it difficult dealing with criticism from the judges and the media. But having been bullied when she was younger, it must be difficult to hear again the playground taunts of 'simple susan' and 'hairy angel'. Support with coping with these emotions might have helped her with her 'erratic' behaviour on and off-stage.

“Some people have suggested that people like Susan Boyle who have a learning disability should be stopped from going on ‘Britain's Got Talent’. This would mean denying 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK the chance to take part and have the same opportunities as everyone else. This makes no sense and is discriminatory. Shows like ‘Britain's Got Talent’ are great because they are accessible for everyone”

The right support

“What is clear is that the ‘Britain's Got Talent’ team at ITV need to provide support for all their contestants based on their individual needs. You only have to compare 10-year-old Hollie's inability to cope on stage with Shazeem's confident performances, to see that the needs and abilities of each individual are different – irrespective of age and talent.

“Clearly the fact that Susan Boyle has a learning disability means that she needs more support. And she is obviously in need of a break before she takes her career forward.

“But we must not forget why we all fell in love with Susan Boyle in the first place. She is a very talented singer. And when compared to some of our other superstars – who throw a wobbly because their changing room flowers are the wrong colour or who trash their hotel rooms – Susan's behaviour has been far from 'eccentric'.

“Susan Boyle has the potential to be an international superstar. She just needs the right support to get there.”