Regional Day Meeting

for People from Black and Minority Ethnic Groups

The Giving Us a Voice project held a Regional Day Meeting for people with learning disabilities from Black & Minority Ethnic groups on Thursday 20th January at the Holiday Inn. This was to gather stories and experiences that people wanted to share about their lives and services they receive or support they want.

The Giving Us a Voice project has now produced a National Charter for Inclusion and a National-Charter-easy-read.  All organisations are encouraged to sign up to the charter. 

More information can be found at givingusavoice.org.uk

Meet the Partnership Board Co-Chair

People with learning disabilities elected Betty as the Co-chair of the Learning Disability Partnership Board during a Speak Out Big Meeting in July 2010.

Betty has a lot of experience chairing meetings.  She had chaired the Loud and Clear group and for the last four years had chaired the Speak Out Big Meetings.  Betty has also been a member of the Learning Disability Partnership Board for the last six years. 

Betty says she always listens very carefully because the information is important. 

Betty knows what people with learning disabilities need in meetings.  She says “It is important that people with learning difficulties understand what people are saying at the meeting. If you don’t understand you feel awful.” As co-chair Betty will ask people with learning difficulties if they understood. If they did not she would get people to use simpler words and talk slowly.

Contact Betty via Speak Out Advocacy Project:
Tel: 01273 421921  Email: info@bhspeakout.org.uk

Brighton and Hove Speak Out Advocacy Project

Speak Out is an independent charity which supports adults with learning disabilities to have more control over their lives, and to know about and claim their rights. We provide a range of advocacy by providing:

• Advocacy with individuals: around 50 different people get individual advocacy support each year
• Advocacy in groups: Speak Out supports 6 advocacy groups. People work together in their group to learn and sort out problems. All the groups work together on some issues. Together they take issues to the Learning Disability Partnership Board, and work with other services and managers to affect change.
• Training and raising awareness in services and communities: Trainers with learning disabilities help a wide range of public service staff to understand how to make their services easier to use.
• Campaigning for changes in services and policies: Speak Out staff, and people in the advocacy groups give their views about public service plans and policies.

For further information please contact us using the following details:

Tel: 01273 421921  Email: info@bhspeakout.org.uk

Website: www.bhspeakout.org

Interact

Tel: 01273 422971   Email: info@interact.bh-impetus.org

Learning Disability Development Fund

The Learning Disability Partnership Board uses money from the Learning Disability Development Fund for support for the Co-Chair of the Partnership Board, a Link Group for adults with learning disabilities and the Advocacy Groups Network & Big Meetings & Network News. Here are reports from these activities:

• April 2011 - Speak Out Advocacy & Link Group
• April 2010 - Speaking Out in Care Homes
• April 2010 - Advocacy groups Network
• April 2010 - Link Group
• April 2009 - Advocacy Groups Network
• Aprile 2009 - Link Group

Useful documents and web sites:

Consent - a guide for people with learning disabilities is published by the Department of Health

DOLS easy read is an easy to read booklet from the Department of Health about the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

givingusavoice.org.uk is the website of the Giving Us a Voice project carried out by ARC, BILD and Mencap which has written a national charter for inclusion for people with learning disabilities and their families from ethnic minority communities.

MCA easy read is an easy to read booklet from the Department of Health about the Mental Capacity Act