Brittle Bone Society Collaborates with LAMDA on ‘Hospital of No Surprises’ Project
Brittle Bone Society members and staff spent time this week working with postgraduate students from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), continuing our collaboration on the research project which we have been supporting called Hospital of No Surprises. Building on the valuable feedback received after last year’s live performance at our Annual Conference in Dundee, this year’s programme gave students deeper insight through conversations with surgeons, parents, and members of the OI community.
At the start of the week, CEO Patricia caught up online with Bethany McShepherd – head of Innovation at LAMDA and the project directors to support planning and direction. Trustees Thines Ganeshamoorthy and Joanna Cannon joined the students online to share their lived experiences—offering perspectives on life with OI and on parenting a child with the condition. Member and artist Simon Mckeown also spoke to the group, introducing the Social Model of Disability and discussing how it shapes his creative practice.
Students also heard from an orthopaedic surgeon and a paediatrician from Great Ormond Street Hospital, helping them build a well‑rounded understanding of OI and disability. Later in the week, Coreen our Support Development Officer travelled to meet students in London during rehearsals, joined by member and student music composer Will Cannon, who hopes to collaborate closely with the LAMDA cohort throughout the project.
The students fully embraced the subject matter, engaging thoughtfully with OI and disability more broadly to ensure these insights inform their scriptwriting and performances.
