Voice Speak Up

The Voice Speak Up group was initiated by the ambition of an individual who said he wanted to help other people with learning disabilities to live full lives and to have a voice in their community. In the first year of their Ideas Fund grant, a small group of people with and without learning disabilities met to think about how to make that happen and how to grow a real self-advocacy group in Hull, where advocacy services have become compartmentalised and linked to professional structures. In collaboration with a researcher from University of Hull, the group have been considering how they can explore storytelling to connect with each other and increase a sense of community and wellbeing. The group also see it as a way to think about what matters for adults with learning disabilities living in Hull.

They have already taken great strides in their ambition to demonstrate to people holding power that people with learning disabilities have a voice. They are in the process of developing powerful audio-visual resources, that statutory services are keen to see, and that Voice Speak Up hope will impact the way those services are delivered. They continue to work in collaboration with a researcher from University of Hull, using a media-driven methodology to enable the group to tell their stories. In addition to the member led focus the researcher will be exploring issues surrounding consent and ethical practices that are integral to the relationship between universities, community projects and community participants with specific needs. The ambition is to develop a model at the end of the three years and share learning about how this can work.