Page 15 - Community Living Magazine 33 - 1

human rights

to foster an ongoing friendship and widen
their informal support networks.
As a band, we had played at loads of
club nights for people with learning
disabilities and a lot of these nights are
great and well run. They are brilliant
places for people to meet their friends,
dance, DJ and perform.
However, I believe we should be offering
people with learning disabilities even more
opportunities. These would include being
able to choose the sort of music they want
to see, to stay beyond 9.30pm (10pm if
they’re lucky) and to hang out with other
people who identify with whatever scene
it is that they are in to. Otherwise, learning
disability club nights and events can
become a form of well-meant segregation.
The fundamental elements of Gig
Buddies are:
l People with learning disabilities lead on
making choices about how they lead
their lives
l Being part of community life roots as punks. I do not think his support My right! A paid job
l Enjoying mainstream culture and our worker was a bad person but was working My right! People who are happy to support
notion that all events can be for people in a poor culture that had institutionalised me and who I have chosen to be in my life
with learning disabilities their way of thinking and working.
l And – perhaps most importantly – In March 2019, we decided to hold our I think it is weird that this looks so
having people in your life who are not first (un)Ordinary Conference in London. radical. Wouldn’t most people want these
paid to be there. All of the speakers were people with rights? As someone without a learning
When we started Gig Buddies, I had learning disabilities and/or autism and the disability, I take a lot of them for granted.
looked into the obstacles people with majority of the audience were people So the fight for the right to party is also a
learning disabilities were facing to getting who worked in social care. fight for some basic human rights.
out but I had not thoroughly researched if The speakers talked about three main
there were similar projects around the issues – jobs, relationships and community Sociable activism
UK. I assumed there would be and was – and included people we knew had We have ambitious plans and have been
shocked to find that we had come up with positive stories to tell about these topics. assembling a network of Stay Up Late
something unique. They had great support and were living ambassadors, who are people with learning
This led to innovation charity Nesta what you might call an ordinary life. disabilities around the country we are
recognising us as one of their New The response to the conference was supporting to be activists to make change.
Radicals which in turn led to other phenomenal and the prevailing question An active group in Scotland is making all
organisations wanting to replicate our was: “Why aren’t there more events like sorts of great things happen and we want
work. The first of these partners was in this?” It’s a good question – there should to support more groups like this to start up.
Sydney and the next in Edinburgh and we be. We need a lot more opportunities for We also want to hear from support staff
now have partners across the UK and people with learning disabilities to tell who are making great things happen. We
others seeking to work with us. their stories and share their dreams and want to share positive stories of how
We now support more than 100 pairs of for those of us working in the sector to great support is enabling people to lead
buddies across Sussex and, because of actively listen and to act. the lives they truly want.
partnerships elsewhere, we have enabled We also used the conference to launch Finally – perhaps this is our most
many hundreds of people with learning our Manifesto for an Ordinary Life, which ambitious plan – we want to work with
disabilities to become part of Gig Buddies, has eight themes that people with commissioners on how they can take a
something way beyond what we could do learning disabilities have consistently told “no bedtimes” approach. How can they
ourselves as a small charity. us they want in their lives: make sure support providers uphold these
basic human rights?
Punks defy ‘drink up’ My right! Living where I choose We are also seeking to run Gig Buddies
Our other main work is My right! Making my own in more parts of the country.
to continue our friends Do join us on our fight for the right to
campaigning, My right! #NoBedtimes party and to end bedtimes for adults with
embracing that original My right! Making my own learning disabilities. n
moment of defiance decisions l www.stayuplate.org
My right! Loving and being
www.gigbuddies.org.uk
and activism prompted
l
Morgan White by Michael White loved Paul Richards is director of Stay Up Late.
being told to drink up
My right! Being valued for
paul@stayuplate.org
and being true to our
being me
www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 33 No 1 | Autumn 2019 15