Learning Disability Wales conference

Yesterday our Coproduction Lead, Rachel Stinchcombe attended the Learning Disability Wales conference in Swansea.

At the conference, we listened to the voices of people with learning disabilities, connected with others, and shared ideas to build more inclusive communities across Wales. This annual event was focused on ensuring that people have the support they need to make their own choices and shape their own futures.

In their session, Drive Wales led an interactive exercise to illustrate the impact of restrictive practices within support services. It highlighted how limiting choice can affect people’s lives and reinforced how important it is for people to have control over every aspect of their lives.

In July, we hosted a feedback session for people supported by Mirus in Swansea. The session gave people the opportunity to share their experiences and opinions of restrictive practices with representatives from Swansea Bay University Health Board (UHG). Their insights will inform the development of a new online training course, aimed at reducing the use of restrictive practices.

At the Learning Disability Wales conference, Social Firms Wales also led a workshop about job goals, motivations, and career paths. Feedback from the people we support tells us that people want paid employment, yet Mencap reports that only 26.7% of people with learning disabilities are employed.

This year, we started this journey by employing two Mirus Ambassadors, Adam and Alex, who are representing the voices of people we support and helping to shape decisions that will impact the future of Mirus.

This is just the beginning. We are committed to supporting people to have more paid employment opportunities, but it’s the people we support who are leading the way and driving the change. We’re excited to continue listening to people and supporting them as they shape their own paths.

You can read more about Adam and Alex’s journey, and watch their video at this link.