Delegates assembled in Birmingham for the 2024 Positive Voices Conference to talk about self-advocacy for people with learning disabilities and autism.
The Positive Voices Conference was held on October 2- 3 at the Conference Aston, in Birmingham and attracted almost 100 attendees, including people with learning disabilities and autism, self-advocates, support staff, and healthcare professionals. The conference themes were self-advocacy and independence, accessibility to healthcare and public services, racial inequality, housing challenges, relationships and dating.
The aim of the conference was to empower individuals with learning disabilities by providing them with the tools, confidence, and platform to voice their concerns, share their experiences, and advocate for better access to services and opportunities. The conference primarily focused on advocacy for adults with learning disabilities, but also welcomed professionals, healthcare providers, and advocacy groups and involved delegates from Wales, London, Sheffield, Dudley, Sutton, Manchester, Macclesfield, Wolverhampton and Sunderland.
Diagrama Foundation Supported Living Service User Chloe, who is autistic and has learning disabilities, travelled to the conference from Bromley with the team from Greenwich NHS Oxleas, and was supported by Samuel, from the Diagrama Foundation Supported Living team.
The agenda for the advocacy conference included speeches, panel discussions, and interactive workshops and participants engaged in activities that highlighted self-advocacy, the importance of inclusive services, and challenges faced by the community.
Participants heard from the following advocacy groups:
- CASBA (Birmingham) discussed challenges faced by people with learning disabilities when interacting with NHS automated systems.
- Lewisham Speaking Up focused on racism, housing, and inequality.
- Macclesfield SUSO and Ordinary Lifestyle Group addressed independent living and self-advocacy.
- Greenwich NHS Oxleas featured presentations from the ResearchNet groups and advocates, including Chloe, who spoke about her involvement in events like Pride March
- Ordinary Lifestyle Group (Manchester) talked about living an independent life.
- My Life My Choice (Oxfordshire) advocated for people’s rights to speak up and be heard.
- Sunderland People First shared experiences in local self-advocacy efforts.
- Advocacy for All focused on relationships and dating within the learning disability community.
- C4C (Campaign for Change, London) advocated for individuals with autism and challenging behaviours.
- Dudley Voices for Choice focused on self-advocacy and choice for people with learning disabilities
Bezawit Haile, Care Coordinator, Diagrama Foundation Supported Living Service said, “The Positive Voices conference provided Chloe with an incredible opportunity to share her journey and connect with other self-advocates. Chloe spoke about her involvement in the “Let’s Talk About Sexuality” group and attending Pride. She also attended several workshops and made new connections with members of advocacy groups like Dudley Voices for Choice. She left the conference feeling more empowered, with new friendships and a stronger sense of community.”
When Diagrama Service User Chloe was asked about the conference she said, “I really enjoyed meeting new people and speaking about the LGBTQ+ community.”
To watch a video of the conference made by one of the delegates visit www.youtu.be/SFtnhiR8-oI?si=xnqnR7_i-3q3ahv5
To find out more about how Diagrama Foundation supports adults with learning disabilities to develop skills and confidence to live in their own house either on their own or with others, visit www.diagramafoundation.org.uk/learning-disability-support/supported-living
About Diagrama Foundation
Diagrama Foundation is a Kent based charity that supports vulnerable children, young people, and adults to live their best life.
Diagrama has a Supported Living Service across Bromley and Mid Sussex, three homes for adults with learning disabilities in Orpington, an eight-bed care home for adults with learning disabilities in West Sussex with a Community Services Programme a fifty-bed care home for the elderly with nursing and dementia needs in Essex, and a fostering and adoption service in the southeast. Plus, a 100 acre property offering farm and craft day Services cross West Sussex.
- The Supported Living Service, cares for 33 adults with learning disabilities, in seven schemes across Bromley and one scheme in Mid Sussex, helping them to develop skills and confidence to live in their own house either on their own or with others.
- At Cabrini House in Orpington the charity promotes the development of core skills for 23 adults with learning disabilities so that they can lead independent lives integrated within their community
- Duckyls Farm, a 100 acre residential care home in West Sussex for residents with learning disabilities, allows the charity to explore the physical, mental and social skills and benefits that working with animals and in nature can offer to people with a learning disability.
- Diagrama Community Services operates at Duckyls Farm and across Sussex. This is a day care provision Hub and Outreach Support for people with a learning disability, physical and sensory impairment, acquired brain injury and/or autism.
- The team at their nursing and dementia care home, Edensor Care Centre in Clacton on Sea, support vulnerable residents to live life to the full.
- Diagrama’s voluntary adoption agency and not-for-profit fostering service cares for children who wait the longest for homes in London, Kent, West and East Sussex and Surrey.
Many vulnerable children and adults don’t get the support they need to develop their true potential, but the Diagrama team know that when someone has time and belief invested in them, they come alive, because that investment has made them feel valued and worthy.
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