People have told us that employment and contribution are one of the most important things that help them to be able to lead a good life.

Chapter 6 of Good Lives: Building Change Together brings together people’s thoughts and ideas about employment and contribution as part of what it will take for everyone with learning disabilities to be able to live their good life.

As Gary Bourlet, self advocate and 1 of the Membership and Engagement Leads said, “It is part of what makes us human.”

Gary decided to speak to some members about why it is important to them.

And to hear about some of the different ways people choose to contribute.

Last Thursday was World Sight Day.

This guest blog is by SeeAbility’s eye care champion team, Lance Campbell, Joanne Kennedy, Rebecca Lunness, Grace McGill.

We are eye care champions.

We are four people with learning disabilities, autism or sight loss.

Everyone with a learning disability needs good eye care.

The cost of living crisis has not just been affecting individual members and their families.

Businesses, including support providers, have also been facing an increase in bills and costs when budgets are already tight.

Paid supporter members have been talking about the impact of the financial pressures they are under.

And the things they are doing to help make Good Lives, and particularly the chapter on the Right Support, a reality in difficult times.

The Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ List is all about celebrating the achievements of people with learning disabilities and autistic people.

As well as an award, it is a national recognition of achievement.

The winners’ stories are shared nationally, and they receive a certificate, celebration pack and VIP invite to a celebration event.

The awards are run by Dimensions, in partnership with Learning Disability England and Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG).

We have been both been judges for the Leaders’ List and won awards for our work as self-advocacy leaders.

(Mark made it onto the Leaders List and Gary on the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100, celebrating influential disabled people in the UK.)

The UK research on the impact of Coronavirus on people with learning disabilities is asking people what life is like now.

You can read more about the research here

Blog by Louise Keevil, founding trustee and Acting CEO of Where I Want to Live

Chapter 1 of Good Lives: Building Change Together is about ‘A Home’.

And the importance of everyone having a choice about where they live and who they live with.

You may know that at Where I Want to Live we share this vision of a country where adults with learning disabilities have choice about where and how they live. 

We are taking steps towards this and the first thing we are doing is creating a toolkit that lots of people, who are aged between 18 and 35 years, can use.  

The toolkit starts by taking us back to basics and finding out what people actually want.

Yesterday we heard about how some disabled people are living in Ukraine.

Through the news reports we saw the institutions people are living in and the kinds of support some people get.

Like a lot of people, we were shocked and upset.

We want everyone to be valued, supported and belong in their community.

Chapter 4 of Good Lives is all about people with learning disabilities having the opportunity to love and be loved.

There has been lots of interest in the chapter and many organisations have shown their support.

You can watch Gary Bourlet, our Membership and Engagement Lead, speak about the chapter here

Alex talks about power.

Who has it, who is willing to share it, and who needs to take it.

And how this plays a part in making Good Lives a reality.

Alex talks particularly about Chapter 1: A home.