Information if you want to support someone to be a member
Learning Disability England is a membership led organisation.
We bring people and organisations together to create a movement for change. Members work together to build a world where people with learning disabilities have good lives with equal choices and opportunities as others.
Learning Disability England is England’s only national movement where people with learning disabilities, families, friends and people in paid supporter roles come together on an equal basis.
Members can either be individual members – where they are a member on their own or they can be part of an organisation where the group is a member.
Some members pay for another’s membership. This is called sponsorship. The person paying could be an individual or an organisation.
An individual that is sponsored, can make use of their membership in their own right and can access their membership the same way that everyone else does.
What is the benefit of sponsoring someone’s membership?
Sponsoring an individual member means that you are supporting a member to be part of the movement for change in their own right.
They will have the chance to get involved with membership as they want to but with the support and encouragement of you as their sponsor.
Sponsorship means that paying for the membership does not need to be a barrier for them to be involved.
You might want to sponsor someone you know, or you may be an organisation that wants to support a group of individuals to have their own membership.
What does it mean for someone who is sponsored?
- It means that they do not have to pay for their membership.
- They can still access their membership as everyone else does.
- They will be joining a group of people who also want people with learning disabilities to live good lives.
- They can stand in elections and vote.
- They can attend any member meetings, webinars or campaigns that interest them and will get offers to be involved straight to their email.
- They can influence and be part of campaigning work with partners, government and members and represent your own experience.
Every member of the Learning Disability England movement has signed up to the aims and values.
You can read more about them here.
How does it work?
If you are an organisation and you wish to sponsor an individual to be a member, you can arrange payment with the office either by card or invoice.
The members themselves can sign up using the membership form but do not need to make payment.