There are over 1.5 million people in England with a learning disability who have the right to vote in this year’s General Election on July 4th.

Each political party has a manifesto that tells voters about the policies that they will use to help run the country.

The Good Lives Manifesto created by Learning Disability England members says that elections should be accessible. Making political manifestos into Easy Read format would help people with a learning disability who to decide to vote for.

So far only two parties in England have made Easy Read manifestos – The Green Party and the Liberal Democrats. You can read those here.

Seeking new Trustees to join the Board

The Members Representative Body are working with the Trustees to find 2 people to join the Board.

Kumudu, Liz and Ivan are leading this on behalf of the Members Representative Body.

Learning Disability England wants more people to join as members and to grow the influence of members so people with learning disabilities live Good Lives.​

That includes all parts of life like influencing transport, finance, leisure. Community life as well as government policy – all parts of life.

You can read the Trustee information pack and more about the role here.

You can access a Large Print version of the application form here.

The reps and Trustees would really like the 2 new Trustees who bring different skills and experiences to help Learning Disability England’s work include more people and influence all parts ​of a Good Life for everyone with a learning disability.

It is important to them that the Board includes people from Black, Asian, and minoritised groups and people with learning disabilities and family members.

We welcome applications from people with that lived experience.

The Board would also welcome people with experience of ​

• Making change happen in different paid or unpaid jobs​
• Marketing or communications​
• Policy development

Applications close at 12pm on Monday 15th July 2024.

To find out more and how you can get involved, please read the Trustee pack here. We look forward to hearing from you!

For the past 40 years, myself and other self-advocates have been campaigning hard for the rights of all of those of us with learning disabilities.

Last week Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a speech that the government will change the rules about who will decide if people cannot work because they are ill or disabled. 

He also said the government will look at how Personal Independence Payments work.  

One thing I love about being a self-advocate is that I get to meet lots of other self-advocates from all around the country. In February I met lots of new people at the Learning Disability England conferences.

Gary Bourlet, Self-Advocate & Membership and Engagement Lead for Learning Disability England

“It’s great to vote, ‘cause then you get a say on who’s going to be running the country” (Dr Mark Brookes, MBE).

There will be local elections in May and a general election later this year. Every adult in England has the right to vote. But how do we make sure we can? We want to make sure that those of us with learning disabilities are able to use our right to vote.