Tourette's charity fighting to stamp out bullying in schools

EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT COMMONLY MISUNDERSTOOD CONDITION

- By SOFIE JACKSON

A HULL-based charity is fighting to make schools more inclusive for children with Tourette's.

TIC Yorkshire (Tourette's-Syndrome Inclusion in the Community) supports people in Hull and Yorkshire who are affected by the commonly misunderstood condition.

Yasmin Bartle, 25, is a full-time volunteer at the charity and, as somebody with Tourette's, she has first-hand experience of discrimination and feeling unwelcome in public spaces.

TIC is running an awareness campaign for Tourette’s Awareness Month from May 15 to June 15 and have been visiting schools in Hull, East Yorkshire, and even as far afield as Doncaster.

She said: "It brings a lot of anxiety if you are sat in a classroom ticcing and no one understands it. We are seeing a lot of bullying, which is leading to high levels of anxiety and children being taken out of school. We saw that and thought, 'We need to do something about it."