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People with learning disabilities and mental health needs still suffer from enormous stigma and prejudice, which in turn creates huge barriers in enabling them to access the rights and opportunities that others take for granted. United Response want to create a “disability consultancy”, staffed by people with learning disabilities and mental health needs to deliver training and awareness sessions to key agencies, public services and private bodies and to raise awareness of what it means to have a learning disability. This will empower the consultancy’s employees as well as being able to deliver unique training that could really impact on people’s perceptions of what it means to have a learning disability and in turn lead to more inclusive services. The consultancy will tackle issues such as accessible communications, how to promote a more inclusive society and fight isolation for people with learning disabilities, focusing in particular on key areas including access to healthcare, financial inclusion and preventing bullying.
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The impact of this project will reach beyond just those with learning disabilities or mental health needs – accessible communication and improved understanding will also benefit people with low levels of literacy and people who don’t have English as their first language. The grant requested will help us cover start up costs and staff to implement this – long term we hope that the project will become a self sustaining social enterprise. We have already had success with a small pilot scheme of this including delivering a series of training courses to JobCentre Plus in the NorthWest and working with the Independent Police Complaints Commission to make their information accessible. This is a long term project, with a large funding initiative. Ideally, we would like to get this going in four locations – Trafford, Manchester (to rollout the pilot), Norfolk (where United Response has a supported employment project and good existing links), Cornwall and London (where United Response is based, and where there is likely to be most business demand).