Uberheroes Vol 2: Koinooneke
This is Eoin's story.
This is Eoin's story.
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We understand the challenges young people face and<br />
know it can be daunting to think about what you are going to do when you leave<br />
school. Our team guides you through all of the options. Over the last 20 years we<br />
have developed close links with special and mainstream schools to provide the<br />
support and guidance that young people need to take the next step forward. We<br />
work to ensure that our support is timely and relevant to each young person that<br />
we support. Our Transitions Officers work to develop a personalised transitions<br />
plan to clearly outline the ambitions and realistic goals for each young person.<br />
Eoin’s Mum can’t speak highly enough of the<br />
support that Eoin has received “I cannot praise<br />
this organisation enough, Eoin discovered a<br />
place where he truly felt he belonged; Stepping<br />
Stones gave my son back his dignity and pride,<br />
increased his self-belief and his self-worth”.<br />
As I sit and reflect on all he has faced, what an<br />
amazing young man I have, and what a privilege<br />
it is to be his mother. What a gift and a joy he is<br />
to me. I know in my heart that is he is an<br />
amazing person who has so much to offer<br />
society.<br />
He really is a real life Uberhero to me”.<br />
Transition Service supports school leavers to plan their<br />
next move and make an informed choice about further<br />
education, training and work.<br />
We’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this, our fifth issue. You can do<br />
this by visiting us at .<br />
www.uberheroes.co.uk<br />
This comic is not intended as a substitute for medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly<br />
consult their GP in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that<br />
may require clinical diagnosis or medical attention.<br />
Cover Illustration by Karl O'Rowe Copyright© 2017 by <strong>Uberheroes</strong>®<br />
Cover design by Danny McLaughlin Copyright© 2017 by <strong>Uberheroes</strong>®<br />
Comic editing by Danny McLaughlin & Dee Nixon Copyright© 2017 by <strong>Uberheroes</strong>®<br />
Comic writing by Richard McDade Copyright© 2017 by <strong>Uberheroes</strong>®<br />
Copyright © 2017 by <strong>Uberheroes</strong>® Owner Dee Nixon<br />
All rights reserved. This comic or any portion thereof may<br />
not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever<br />
without the express written permission of the publisher<br />
except for the use of brief quotations in a comic review.<br />
Printed in Northern Ireland. First Printing, June 2017<br />
Hope 4 Life NI<br />
BT3 Business Centre<br />
Dargan Crescent<br />
Duncrue Industrial Estate<br />
Belfast BT3 9JP<br />
www.<strong>Uberheroes</strong>.co.uk
Life<br />
can break<br />
a man...<br />
...however.<br />
Not Eoin!<br />
we<br />
should never<br />
forget Eoin...<br />
Forget?<br />
How could<br />
you forget<br />
a character<br />
like me?<br />
And<br />
if you read<br />
on you’ll find<br />
out why I’m so<br />
unforgetable!<br />
Go on,<br />
turn the<br />
page...
Eoin<br />
seems to<br />
have...<br />
That was me...<br />
3 years old, diagnosed<br />
with Infantile Autism. My<br />
name is Eoin, you see, I’m<br />
Autistic. I am Autistic and<br />
proud, I have Asperger’s<br />
and DSD. Delayed social<br />
development.<br />
I didn’t<br />
speak until I was 5,<br />
my parents were stumped!<br />
They took me to all kinds<br />
of specialists, we even<br />
went to England<br />
many times...<br />
I remember one lady even<br />
thought I was deaf! It<br />
wasn’t enough that I<br />
couldn’t speak, she also<br />
thought I couldn’t hear!<br />
Strange I know,<br />
but that’s the way<br />
things go sometimes<br />
apparently.<br />
Let's<br />
move on...
For a long time<br />
all I had was my<br />
own creations!<br />
my own escape...<br />
Eoin..?<br />
...it was my own<br />
world of heroes<br />
to live in.<br />
Blah Blah<br />
Blah<br />
At a special needs school Eoin<br />
progressed well and the family<br />
was advised to place Eoin in the<br />
Learning support Unit at the<br />
local primary school.<br />
I was there from 5 until, well 5. I was pretty much put in a unit<br />
because of my conditions. In fact here is a quote from my Autistic expert.<br />
"He’ll never be able to read or write or do anything productive".<br />
Hi, Son!<br />
I’ll get to my<br />
achievements later<br />
but lets just say that<br />
place stunk worse<br />
than pigs dung!<br />
C'mon,<br />
let’s get out<br />
of here<br />
quick!!
Primary school was good for the<br />
most part, I have many fond memories<br />
in the playground, pretending to be<br />
dragons and all sorts.<br />
So Eoin, moved up a year to P6 because of his<br />
abilities. he was isolated from his classmates.<br />
He didn’t have the educational building blocks<br />
to cope with the workload in P6.<br />
Look<br />
at Eoin!<br />
He’s a<br />
weirdo!<br />
Things were ok, up until about<br />
primary 4 and then it got a bit<br />
shaken up. I didn’t know why!<br />
As a result of this, he<br />
became one of the weaker<br />
students in his class.<br />
And<br />
that's all you<br />
have to do!<br />
You see I was moved up,<br />
reasons that I still don’t<br />
know for sure, but maybe it<br />
was because of my higher<br />
intelligence? maybe it was<br />
my classroom assistant<br />
SHAUNA? I don’t know. Lets<br />
hope I didn’t miss out on<br />
much, although I cant do<br />
volumes so there’s that.<br />
Lets keep on the subject<br />
though shall we?<br />
Ah I get<br />
it now - that's<br />
easy when you<br />
know how!!<br />
I had some<br />
trouble with some<br />
boyos, I don’t think they<br />
meant any harm but my<br />
lack of knowledge and<br />
social skills,<br />
they told me<br />
stories and because<br />
I was a gullible idiot I<br />
would believe anything<br />
and I couldn’t tell<br />
truth from lies.<br />
I am still<br />
understanding<br />
how banter works,<br />
as I say the lines<br />
are blurred.
Eoin progressed to<br />
Secondary school...<br />
Or as<br />
I like to<br />
call it...<br />
Hell!<br />
He was placed on the lower<br />
2nd band. That’s where Eoin’s<br />
troubles really began...<br />
Year 8, here we go, strap yourself<br />
in because you’re gonna be in for<br />
a nice ride. I discovered I was not<br />
in Primary school anymore...<br />
Year 8 was not nice, I spent a lot<br />
of time on my own, I’m a self<br />
declared social reject and the<br />
jokes they pulled on me were just<br />
cruel. Like I was a moron. I was a<br />
puppet for their amusement<br />
I had to evolve quickly and<br />
I am a slow grower so this<br />
was bad news for me.<br />
I was so desperate for<br />
friendship that this was all<br />
I had. And It gets worse...<br />
Eoin’s parents had to request a separate room for<br />
him to eat lunch as the canteen was a jungle. A<br />
lawless wasteland. But a few still had it in for him...
They would kick his bag down<br />
the corridor like a football.<br />
They would flick his ears. Poke<br />
his sides. Steal his pens and<br />
pencils. Made fun of his name.<br />
He wasn’t allowed to join in any of their social groups<br />
or activities. He was accused of sniffing other people’s<br />
hair and looking inside their ears. Eoin would cover one<br />
of his eyes whenever he sat next to this person to avoid<br />
further harassment. He was their entertainment.<br />
Year 9 was even<br />
worse, there<br />
was an incident.<br />
In order to<br />
make myself<br />
look bigger,<br />
I told lies...<br />
And<br />
this is all<br />
true?<br />
I wanted to be this<br />
tough guy. A sob story<br />
that my parents abused<br />
me and all that crap.<br />
Yes...<br />
Oh, Eoin.<br />
Why? Why<br />
would you<br />
say that?<br />
Mum told me how badly I had<br />
hurt her. That was the worst<br />
time and it physically hurt me.<br />
I owe this woman everything.
Then year 10<br />
is when...<br />
...I went into<br />
a deep<br />
depression!<br />
I was so easily agitated, in<br />
my mind it was either you<br />
were with me or against me.<br />
They always seemed<br />
against me... I felt<br />
so alone!
...I was all<br />
alone.<br />
The only sport<br />
the school did<br />
was football...<br />
You can<br />
have Eoin on<br />
your team!<br />
You have him -<br />
we'll play with<br />
one man less...<br />
we'll do better<br />
that way!<br />
...and nobody<br />
ever wanted Eoin<br />
on their team!<br />
It was<br />
hard on<br />
Eoin...<br />
...But it<br />
got a lot<br />
worse...
PE changing rooms with<br />
no adult supervision was<br />
absolutely criminal...<br />
the other kids would take and use his deodorant,<br />
make fun of his body image, and call him terrible names<br />
like Turtuantula, Holocaust victim and Ozzy Autism!<br />
I met quite a disturbing guy, I won't say<br />
his name, I’ll use a fake one… lets call him<br />
La’pone. No something different ...MJ!<br />
MJ was very sick and twisted, he was<br />
one of my classmates. He had made many<br />
allegations that he was going to...<br />
...find me, rape<br />
me and burn my<br />
house down.<br />
Another guy,<br />
he was top<br />
dog...<br />
He told me I was the runt of the<br />
litter and he was the alpha male. He<br />
was the strongest and I was nothing.<br />
I felt Worthless because I wasn’t<br />
like him. I would never catch up.<br />
And that<br />
was just<br />
the boys...
Then there were the school queens...<br />
Look at<br />
Eoin!<br />
Isn’t<br />
he so<br />
strange?<br />
He is<br />
disgusting!<br />
...one of them was, in the words of my math teacher, “A loudmouth girl,<br />
a loudmouth!” sHe was a shouter but i’ll move on. One was a blabber mouth,<br />
one always had too much make-up and one of them, Kaitlyn, was the worst.<br />
Lets just say that if you<br />
looked at her the wrong way<br />
she would rip you to shreds.<br />
She said I was...<br />
Eugh!<br />
Eoin, you are<br />
disgusting.<br />
You’re<br />
Filthy!<br />
YOu’re<br />
strange!<br />
Out of my<br />
way freak,<br />
NOW!<br />
I didn’t want to<br />
get in her way!!<br />
It was constant.<br />
And it got so bad<br />
I even considered<br />
hanging myself by<br />
a noose, I just<br />
wanted it to stop...<br />
Thankfully<br />
my Mum dragged<br />
me away because<br />
because I talked<br />
to her about it!<br />
...if nothing will give<br />
me peace, maybe death<br />
will set me free?
<strong>Uberheroes</strong> HQ.<br />
I'm really<br />
worried!<br />
Guys, we<br />
need to come<br />
together. There<br />
is a problem!<br />
look at this<br />
young man. I have<br />
had my eye on him for years,<br />
it seems he has been<br />
targeted by many dangerous<br />
villains. You need to all<br />
work together.<br />
You will need<br />
some specific skills.<br />
Eoin is experiencing<br />
discrimination because<br />
he is different...<br />
I'm<br />
worried we<br />
may be too<br />
late...<br />
...as<br />
am I.<br />
...as<br />
am I!<br />
Vana here<br />
will help him<br />
to see that being<br />
different isn’t<br />
wrong. It is just that<br />
other people don’t,<br />
won’t or can’t<br />
accept it.<br />
Just you<br />
let us know<br />
when we need<br />
to leave. We’ll<br />
be ready!
Eoin’s parents approached the<br />
school a few times to ask them<br />
to move Eoin into a higher band<br />
because of his intelligence..<br />
Eoin was sitting at the top of his<br />
class in all subjects except math...<br />
I'm<br />
sorry,<br />
but...<br />
Well<br />
done,<br />
Eoin!<br />
No! No<br />
Way!!<br />
...but because of his dyspraxia<br />
the school refused.<br />
They insisted he did learning for life<br />
and work. I don’t understand why<br />
when it is all about social interaction<br />
and communication, which Eoin did<br />
not have a very good grasp on.<br />
As a result of all this, Eoin<br />
downright refused to continue<br />
on at school for his A-levels.<br />
Eoin left school with 8 GCSE’s<br />
which included his maths. What an<br />
achievement for a young man who<br />
has been through literal hell.<br />
The school had done nothing and the worst was<br />
yet to come as Eoin had Shauna at his back and the<br />
school just saw everything as ‘boys being boys’.<br />
but he's very<br />
capable, and it's<br />
not just boys<br />
being boys!<br />
tHERE’S<br />
EOIN!<br />
lET’S<br />
KEEP AN EYE<br />
on him!
Then there was college and it wasn’t<br />
much better. I just didn’t feel welcome<br />
and the guys who were going to give me<br />
support, sorry for swearing but...<br />
...they didn’t<br />
give a rats ass<br />
about me. The<br />
staff just<br />
didn’t really<br />
care, they did<br />
lickety-squat...<br />
...all I got was an hour every Thursday<br />
with a sweet old lady. The kids didn’t<br />
really abuse me but they definitely<br />
didn’t want to be around me.<br />
Unlike school where Eoin was<br />
swarmed like a pack of angry bees was<br />
on him, this was the exact opposite.<br />
Eoin was completely ostracized. The<br />
staff had even nicknamed him...<br />
there<br />
he is... “The<br />
lone wolf”!<br />
His mental health took<br />
a nosedive. He had no<br />
self-esteem, no self<br />
worth and he felt he had<br />
no place in society.<br />
I felt<br />
like I could faze<br />
through them, like<br />
I was a ghost.<br />
he was worse<br />
than ever...<br />
thats when...
Whats<br />
going on?<br />
You are<br />
mine!!<br />
How did<br />
you grow so<br />
big, Relicta?<br />
aghh!<br />
Don't<br />
worry, Eoin!<br />
we’re here to<br />
help you!!<br />
And<br />
I’ve got your<br />
back against<br />
Sujeta,<br />
Nadase!!<br />
And<br />
I’ll handle<br />
her!!
It’s my<br />
turn now<br />
to control<br />
you!<br />
Take<br />
that!<br />
we’ll<br />
SEE!<br />
You are<br />
powerless here, he<br />
sees the truth. He knows his<br />
intelligence is his strength,<br />
he is hopeful of the future.<br />
He is resilient. You haven’t<br />
broken him this far, you<br />
won’t break him now!
I will<br />
completely<br />
remove ill<br />
feelings...<br />
I will<br />
show you<br />
the truth!!<br />
Time<br />
to finish<br />
this.<br />
Here - throw<br />
this! This will<br />
give us the time<br />
we need!<br />
This isn’t<br />
OVER!<br />
What was<br />
that? Who are<br />
you guys?<br />
Where am I ?<br />
it is<br />
for You!
You have been<br />
under attack, we have<br />
been sent to pull you<br />
out of danger, To help<br />
you see the truth.<br />
Good. Being<br />
different is what makes<br />
us interesting. You are<br />
you. Be proud of that.<br />
What makes you unique is<br />
where your strengths<br />
are, treasure that.<br />
With Diversity,<br />
Truth, Strength,<br />
Resilience,<br />
Intelligence and<br />
Hope...<br />
You have<br />
fought so well<br />
this far, you will<br />
get through this.<br />
You need to be<br />
resilient.<br />
You don’t<br />
understand, I am a<br />
freak. I’m different<br />
and i’ll never be<br />
like them.<br />
what now?!<br />
I still have so<br />
much life left,<br />
surely it will only<br />
get worse.<br />
Not<br />
with us!<br />
...you will<br />
beat this,<br />
please<br />
remember<br />
that.<br />
After this I decided to find<br />
myself some work in a card shop,<br />
or as I called it, Prison. I tried<br />
making friends there but this one<br />
guy just treated me like a Moron.<br />
Then the boss, he followed me around<br />
like a sad little puppy because he didn’t<br />
think I could anything by myself without<br />
proper assistance. Like I was going to<br />
self-destruct. I may have Autism and<br />
Aspergers but I’m far from stupid.<br />
Things then started to look better<br />
and I gota job in a charity shop<br />
until they fired me for no reason,<br />
I never got a full explanation but<br />
from what I heard, it was because<br />
I was uncharacteristically strange.
My teacher was<br />
amazing, she was like a<br />
zen master. She always<br />
had a smile and was<br />
never angry. We really<br />
respected her because<br />
she treated us like<br />
actual people.<br />
Eoin then progressed to a college<br />
where he did drama, which he adored.<br />
He was surrounded by misfits like<br />
himself, again however since he<br />
needed support the department<br />
wouldn’t put him onto level 3.<br />
I did have some trouble<br />
with some of the other<br />
boys, there was this<br />
one guy, we just never<br />
really got on but I<br />
still respect him.<br />
If you are<br />
reading this now,<br />
good luck buddy<br />
I hope you are<br />
well!<br />
We went our<br />
separate ways,<br />
for the first time<br />
I didn’t feel so<br />
rejected.<br />
he's very<br />
much growing as a<br />
person. He's moving<br />
forward!<br />
He is seeing<br />
the truth, he<br />
realises now his<br />
differences are his<br />
strengths!
Then Eoin discovered the joys of stepping stones. I cannot praise<br />
this organisation enough. They gave Eoin back his dignity and his<br />
pride in his self belief and worth. The staff took the time to<br />
understand him, support him and accept him for who he is.<br />
I want to blossom<br />
and grow and these guys<br />
help me do that. I am also<br />
at a bookstore in Lisburn, I<br />
move books around and help<br />
customers. I really love putting<br />
out the rubbish, I love<br />
throwing boxes but that’s<br />
another story.<br />
Stepping Stones<br />
is a great place, they<br />
made me realise my<br />
potential and gave me<br />
proper friendship.<br />
I didn’t feel<br />
like I was a dummy<br />
stuck in a unit or that I<br />
would break on impact. I<br />
have an actual team and<br />
best friends like Harry<br />
and Aaron.<br />
Eoin, life has been a challenge for you. You have remarked on<br />
the many instances where you wanted to give up, what would<br />
you say to your younger self if you could go back in time?<br />
If I could go back in time I would say…<br />
Look, things<br />
are gonna get better<br />
trust me. I know it may<br />
seem dark but things are<br />
going to get better,<br />
trust me.<br />
Keep moving<br />
forward I know it<br />
may seem dark but<br />
there is always<br />
light.<br />
Sometimes<br />
hope was all<br />
I had.
For the first<br />
time I am at peace with<br />
who I am and where I<br />
am. The road ahead is<br />
dark, I cant tell ahead<br />
where I am going...<br />
...and I do<br />
feel a little<br />
anxious about<br />
that.<br />
but hey!<br />
To finish<br />
i’ll say this<br />
much...<br />
...things may be<br />
dark and bleak but you<br />
have to hold on to as much<br />
strength as you can. If you<br />
let this win You’re not<br />
gonna make it, but if you<br />
stand your ground and<br />
don’t move.<br />
If you keep<br />
moving forward<br />
you will get to the<br />
light. My day hasn’t<br />
come yet...<br />
but it’s<br />
coming...<br />
...The End?
Further information<br />
Like the characters in the comic you may feel that these stories have connected with you, or<br />
that the content of the stories has given you a lot to think about!<br />
You might want to know more about what help is available, or maybe you’re concerned<br />
about a friend and want to know what practical help you can offer. Alternatively you might<br />
want to speak to your parents or guardians but you’re nervous about how they might react.<br />
The <strong>Uberheroes</strong> comic is a great stepping-stone to start these conversations with an adult<br />
you trust about your fears, worries or concerns.<br />
Whatever the situation, listed below are some of the many resources available in<br />
Northern Ireland, Ireland and the UK :-<br />
Support Services<br />
Hope 4 Life NI – www.hope4lifeni.org.uk<br />
Mental Health & Wellbeing programmes for Children, Young People and Adults<br />
<strong>Uberheroes</strong> – www.uberheroes.co.uk<br />
Ask an Uberhero a question is an online support service for you to connect<br />
with one of our team if you are worried or concerned about anything; this is<br />
a great way to ask our heroes for their advice and support.<br />
Just go to www.uberheroes.co.uk<br />
PIPS<br />
For 1-2-1 Counselling Call 028 9080 5850<br />
Helpline number call 0800 088 6042<br />
Email: info@pipscharity.com<br />
Call in for a chat – 281 Antrim Road,<br />
Belfast, BT15 2HE<br />
Childline<br />
For 1-2-1 Counselling Call: 0800 1111<br />
For info and advice go to:<br />
www.childline.org.uk<br />
Helpline Numbers<br />
Child Abuse Investigation<br />
Unit Emergency line<br />
0845 600 8000 or 999<br />
National Association for People<br />
Abused in childhood National Support helpline:<br />
0800 085 3330<br />
Includes database with UK wide Support organisations.<br />
NSPCC<br />
24 hour Child Protection Helpline Call:<br />
0808 800 5000<br />
Samaritans<br />
Samaritans helpline Call: 0845 790 9090<br />
Helpline Email: jo@samaritans.org<br />
Lifeline<br />
Free Phone Lifeline: Call 0808 808 8000<br />
Helpline Email: www.lifelinehelplineinfo.com<br />
Talking to your friends, members of your family and teachers can help you start to better understand what you’re<br />
going through; you may be surprised to find that others have had similar experiences and are willing to share<br />
their experiences with you. Your friends or family may know of someone who they trust, who would be willing to<br />
listen and offer you safe advice, having external support will help you to see you’re not alone in thinking or<br />
feeling the way you do, it will also help rebuild your confidence, self-belief and self-worth, which is the first step<br />
in healing and recovery.<br />
Listed below are the names of the young people who worked so hard to create the new Uberhero and Villain for this<br />
comic, to showcase what diversity means and what can hold us back from being able to show inclusion to others. They<br />
are so proud of the treatment they have done to ensure they told Eoin’s story correctly for you to enjoy, learn and grow<br />
to be more diverse in your thinking and behaviours… They are:-<br />
Carter Bright / Bobbi McFerran / Louis Gibney / Marcus Toan / McKenzie Dougan / Stephen Coleman<br />
Kai Gardner / Luighseach Farrelly / Jacqueline Hind / Norma Hind / Kiaden Bell / Rachel Barnes / Damhan Murphy<br />
Cherelle Brownlee / Madison Corbett / Cameron Porter / Colise Morrow / Pearce Dillon / Meiagh McAleavey<br />
Matthew Mulvena / Ellie-Mai Azzabi / Callum Park / Sophie Tanner / Carson Woodside / Trent Atkinson<br />
Rece Park / Megan Flemming / Morgan Cole / Cory Smyth / Donal Farrelly / Annie O’Hare / Ellie Brady / Fiona Lee<br />
Nathan Smyth / Alex Caves / Caitlin Dillon / Nadia McArdle / Elton Lopez / Cael Farrelly / Jack Burns<br />
Caley Logue / Ethan Murphy / Kerri Dunlop / Tristan Nicholls / Ben McCutcheon / Robyn Gilliland / Aimee Toner<br />
Cieran Corr / Darrah O’Neill / Paul Burns / Olivia Marcus / Katie Stewart / Elle Gibson / Molly Hinds<br />
Sean King / Connolly King / Jack Woodside / Shana Reilly / Naomi McLaughlin / Aisleen Marcus / Jay Mulvena<br />
John Paul Doyle / Anthony Doyle / Keelagh Hunter / Leah Robinson / Bradley McCallister<br />
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