Lancashire Care providers urges government to prioritise learning disabilities
This Learning Disability Awareness Week, Alternative Futures Group, a charity that provides specialist care across Lancashire says:"For far too long adult social care has been driven by cost, rather than being person-centred resulting in those being supported having limited choices about how they can live their lives."
Leading adult social care charity Alternative Futures Group (AFG) is using Learning Disability Awareness Week to showcase the amazing achievements of people they support.
The North-West based charity is also calling on politicians to focus more on helping people with learning disabilities and say they have been treated like “second class citizens” by successive governments.
The theme of this year’s Learning Disability Awareness Week, which runs this week “Do you see me?” which is all about making people with learning disabilities seen, heard and valued.
To this end AFG is shining a light on some of the talented people they work with.
Among those celebrated are Hollyoaks extra Kofi Holland and Wythenshawe FM DJ Rob Cooper - both from the North West - who challenge barriers people with a learning disability face every day.
Kofi, who has a learning disability, is also a musician, a model and a lived experience educational speaker.
Rob is 55, also has a learning disability and is a radio host on Wythenshawe FM where he hosts a weekly show bringing together his love of music, conversation and football.
Ian Pritchard, CEO of AFG, said: “We are extremely proud of the work we do to support people with learning disabilities and the examples we are showcasing for Learning Disability Awareness Week show just how far people can come when they are given the opportunity to live independent lives.
“We still have a society that is massively swayed towards the able, where those with disabilities are still lower down the priority list and where their lives are compromised by lack of awareness, fairness and equality.
“People with learning disabilities are treated like second class citizens and we think it’s time for that to stop.”