Campaigners have renewed a national vision for learning disability policy with heightened urgency as Labour’s benefit crackdown threatens support.
Learning Disability England (LDE) said: “In a time where human rights seem to be on the chopping block, it’s more important than ever for Learning Disability England members to come together and have their voices heard.”
The relaunch of Good Lives took place at the recent LDE conference in Manchester. Around 500 people attended the annual event, including self-advocates, family carers, supporters, organisational leaders, researchers and policy experts. The event had a focus on diversity, intersectionality and working together.
Conference highlights included 40 speakers from small community organisations to national voluntary sector and private organisations, a cinema room showing films made by people with learning disabilities, podcast coverage by self-advocates People First Keighley and Craven and a live band.
Good Lives, a framework launched in 2022, sets out what is needed for all with learning disabilities to live a good life.
It is now more than 20 years since the groundbreaking white paper on learning disability, Valuing People, came out.
While this rights-based policy shone a welcome light on learning disability issues, there has been a policy void since then.
The Good Lives framework reflects different aspects of life and sets out what is important to people and their support networks.
People with learning disabilities and those who support them were involved in drawing up both the original manifesto and the refreshed version.
Topics include housing, communication, advocacy, love and relationships, employment and health. There are also suggestions for action.
The aim, says LDE, is that the resource “will inform policymaking by showing clearly the needs and aspirations of people with learning disabilities, enabling policymakers to develop more informed and effective policies to address these needs”.
The update includes the latest examples of good practice in support and a renewed focus on intersectionality, which LDE defines as “the idea everyone has different characteristics that make up our identities… like our age, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexuality and gender”.
There is also a new section on health, reflecting priorities such ensuring people with learning disabilities can live healthy lives and are treated fairly in healthcare.
Gary Bourlet, LDE membership and engagement lead, co-delivered a presentation on the new version at the conference.
Bourlet explained why LDE decided on a relaunch: “We always wanted to keep the Good Lives framework current and relevant to what’s happening now.
“The world is always moving so we wanted to reflect what we’ve learnt and bring new ideas for change. We wanted to reflect members’ positive work, action and impact.”
He stressed that, while LDE hosts Good Lives, the organisation does not control it. Bourlet is keen it is shaped by learning disabled people, their supporters and allies: “It belongs to the community.”
