This Learning Disability Week we’re asked: ‘Do you see me?’
We can’t be seen and visible in our home community when we don’t live there, when we’re stuck in hospital or out of area placements. But having a home in the community isn’t all that’s needed. Social opportunities are a fundamental part of a healthy lifestyle – the ability to pursue hobbies, connect with our community, and build relationships is something we all deserve, and is something we should all have equal access to. Many people need support to engage in social opportunities, but they also need access to the right opportunities – activities that are accessible, welcoming, and safe. Without the right opportunities, many people don’t get the chance to be seen.
We made a decision in the 1990s that people who needed support should not have to live in hospital, but should get the support they needed to live independently in the community. While the hospital closure programme was an important step forward in the visibility and inclusion of disabled people, here we are 30 years later and social isolation remains a reality. Many people with learning disabilities continue to face high levels of loneliness and exclusion from the things that bring meaning and value to our lives – like work, education, employment, and relationships . This ongoing isolation makes it clear that living in the community isn’t enough on its own – and why social opportunities are so important.
| AccessArt – Dumfries AccessArt is a participatory arts and crafts project based in Dumfries and Galloway that has consistently demonstrated its positive impact on participants and the wider community since 2002. It provides a space for people with learning disabilities to connect and belong – they value not only the chance to express themselves artistically, but also the opportunity to make friends, build confidence, and enjoy meaningful interaction in a supportive environment. “Safe, judgement-free space. Caring and attentive staff. Learning artistic techniques and developing social skills in an accepting environment.” -VR (a participant) “This has been a great support for S and his family, knowing he is well catered for and supported. Many thanks.” -R (participant’s support) |
Sadly, there are too few opportunities like AccessArt, and those that do exist are always at risk. AccessArt itself is facing closure after the local authority announced a prioritisation exercise is currently underway, focusing on Third Sector spend across the region.If this service closes, people lose an important opportunity for creative expression, social connection and confidence-building, but they also lose a community.
This Learning Disability week we take this opportunity to stress the value of social opportunities and the importance of ensuring their future. We want decision makers to realise that what may seem like easy cost cutting measures now, will have serious consequences down the line – we’ll feel the impact on people’s wellbeing and the decline in their mental health, and in the loss of visibility of people with learning disabilities in our community.
We can’t see people when they’re not included, and we cannot have inclusion when the spaces that support it disappear.