Read the latest Lewisham People’s Parliament report on Self Advocacy – past, present and future
Read our new report on self advocacy! In June 2024, we held a People’s Parliament about self advocacy. We talked about the past present and future of self advocacy.
You can read the report here
Or click on the picture of the report
We were joined by 51 people with learning disabilities, including representatives from Kent, Hackney, Waltham Forest, Lambeth and Wandsworth.
We would like to thank Speak Out Brighton & Hove for letting us show their film 50 years of self advocacy which you can watch here
We ran 3 workshops
- ‘self advocacy through movement and senses’ by Entelechy Arts
- ‘self advocacy and wellbeing’ by Lewisham Wellbeing Hub
- ‘the future of self advocacy’ by Lewisham Speaking Up
Read the report to find out what people had to say in full, but here are some highlights!
- As self advocates, we want to understand people with learning disabilities who don’t speak. We want to be able to represent their needs and wishes in our work
- We think that decision makers should be more confident in communicating with people without language, so that they understand people who don’t speak
- Speaking up for ourselves and being listened to helps us to fight for social justice
- Self advocacy makes life better for us and those around us
- We want to be involved in decisions that affect us. We want decision makers to listen to our needs and wishes before making changes about our lives
- There should be a national forum
- Self advocacy groups should work together so that we are stronger. We should present a united front to the government.
Our next People’s Parliament will be on September 20th 10.00 – 3.00 at the Catford Civic Suite, when we will be electing new reps. Open to all people with learning disabilities living in Lewisham borough. Contact ellie.spirrett@lsup.org.uk for more information.
