Why the big ears?
Big Ears is all about listening - but listening with more than our ears. Big Ears uses multimedia as a vital way of listening, and we believe that its through this that good communication and positive transformation come about.
Society as a whole depends heavily on verbal communication to function, and the ability to verbally communicate defines one's own success and value. Therefore, society discriminates and de-values the contribution of those who are less ‘verbal’, by not adapting the way in which it communicates with them.
We need to pioneer new ways of listening and communicating. The use of multimedia for self-expression is a radical tool for breaking down the many barriers encountered by less verbal people. Multimedia is a powerful way of engaging and connecting people however ‘verbal or ‘non-verbal’ they are.
In our experience in using multimedia with people with learning disabilities, we have seen many positive outcomes. We are firm believers that this medium can be used to help achieve great things. Big Ears believes in high expectations. Nobody should have the right to set low limits for others. People with learning disabilities have as much to give as anybody else if only society would learn to lend a Big Ear.
We are about
- Pioneering new ways to communicate and listen
- Celebrating individuality and diversity
- Overcoming fear and self-limitation
- Developing a culture of encouragement and praise – for positive self-awareness
- Using multimedia to enable positive change, collectively and individually, as a life-coaching and development tool
- Overcoming obstacles – through developing group focus and co-operation many things become possible
- Using multimedia as a tool for access to information, relationships and public facilities
- Working in partnerships not isolation
- Connecting people and empowering communities of support through providing them with effective participatory tools
- The power of visualisation and thinking ‘out of the box’ – learning to visualise and realise our own and collective reality, as we want it to be, rather than accepting the status quo
- Changing perceptions and influencing the ways people and services think, feel and act towards people with learning difficulties
Big Ears Multimedia Ltd.
Big Ears Multimedia, formally known as Big Ears Training, was formed in 2006 by Charles Levinson to provide multimedia training and solutions for people with learning disabilities and the services that support them. Big Ears works with a diverse range of people with learning disabilities and aims to empower them to communicate their individual wants, needs and aspirations and to help them achieve independence and growth, safely, through building partnerships of support with friends, family, services and the community. We are committed to working towards an inclusive society, and strive to give opportunities and solutions that will help break down social barriers and bridge the gaps between people who have learning difficulties and those who do not.
