Accompanying

 

Accompanying

Being accompanied by someone through the experience literally means not being alone. In fact, we all accompany each other in this process. Imagine a cross between having a tour guide and an attentive friend who is a good listener: that’s the basic premise of accompanying.   Some accompanying is done by people who work with us to fulfill that specific role, and we’ll let you know whenever that’s available. We do try to provide a space where you can go and ask for whatever kind of accompanying you need.   Most accompanying comes from participants. It is an informal support network of mutual care and information exchange. You might ask someone to accompany you at any point in the process, and you might agree to accompany others too. There’s no obligation: people accompany each other only when they feel able.   If there are specific people you’d like to have with you for accompanying purposes, from your own choice of BSL interpreter to the person who just makes you feel more able to be in a social setting, they are as welcome as you are.   You can be accompanied by the people you come along with, friends and family, or fellow participants with whom you form a specific connection.  

Logistics and Information

Accompanying might mean showing you around the space, whether that's a digital platform or an actual building. Telling you whatever matters most to you, whether that’s knowing where the loos, exits, or drinks can be found, or a great person to talk to about how to knit - all of these things are accompanying. Someone who is familiar with the place and the process can guide you to the best experience for you - no more fear of missing out on the good stuff, whatever that means to you.  

Access Support

Accompanying is about helping you have whatever practical access support you need. BSL interpretation is a form of accompanying, and so is finding a path through an experience that avoids any particular triggers.   Accompanying can start before you arrive - you might need support getting to the venue, or want someone to meet you there so you feel more comfortable knowing at least one person who’s going to be there. Accompanying can also get you home again, or help you decompress at the end of the day/process.  

Listening and Discussing

Accompanying often takes the form of simply asking you how you feel about an experience during the experience, and actively listening to your responses. You might engage in a dialogue, to help you consider your experience, to bring some objectivity to your experience, to deepen your engagement with the process. You might want to keep a journal, and accompanying can support you to do this, whether by scribing for you or simply being with you as you do your own.  

The Story / World

Accompanying might be catching you up on the story development, gossip and news - a weather report for the project. Sometimes, a room or digital space will have its own accompanist: a person who knows the details of the space, can tell stories of the space and its history, who keeps the archive of that space and the stories that have happened within it.