Business Startup

Lisa Simpson, 34 has quadriplegia cerebral palsy and no verbal communication. With limited employment opportunities but a passion for the performing arts, Lisa helped create the Simpson Board, a tool which assists disabled people with no or limited verbal communication to choreograph dance moves.

The Simpson Board was invented when Adam Benjamin, former director and co-founder of CandoCo Dance Company, did a five day residency at Hereward FE College, where Lisa was a student. Adam was inspired by the methods Lisa used to produce visual artwork and wanted to create a way to enable her to choreograph based on the same principles.

The Simpson Board was then created, and allows people with a disability to indicate which positions the dancers should take - enabling someone with few communications skills to become a choreographer.

Lisa said: “As we developed the Simpson Board, my ability to be able to choreograph dance moves increased considerably as the board was refined. My enthusiasm to create such a tool led to the board being named after me.

“Once the first Simpson Board was created, I was asked to use it to teach a woman with a severe disability how to choreograph. She inspired me so much that I knew setting up a business would create endless opportunities for other disabled people to realise their true potential.”

Simpson Board Enterprises Ltd was officially launched after Lisa and Stephen Banning gained help and support from East Liverpool Economic Community Trust Ltd (ELECT), which offered all forms of business advice and support and helped them turn the unique invention into a marketable product.

Lisa said: “Since the Simpson Board was developed, I have taught many other people with disabilities how to choreograph using it, which has been hugely rewarding for me. I’ve also taught on dance summer schools, where the Simpson Board proved a huge hit with the children. In turn this has led to us create a simpler version of the Simpson Board which enables the children to choreograph more easily.”

Lisa strongly believes there could be more prospective choreographers with no, or limited verbal who haven't been given the opportunity to realise their true potential, so she plans to make the Simpson Board available throughout the UK. Currently based in Liverpool, a typical day for Lisa involves contacting people throughout the North West, creating awareness that there is a tool with which disabled people – who have no or limited verbal communication - can choreograph.