Why is the only democratically elected forum for people with Learning Disabilities being dispended? The regional forums wont work without the National Forum. The regional Forums feedback to the National Forum feedback to the Learning Disability Board. Do the Department or Health even care about people with Learning Disability? How are they showing this? We feel abandoned. We have done so much work the group is strong, self-advocates and family carers, sharing their knowledge and experiences, this will all be lost. Hearing local voices nationally, valuing people with a Learning Disability in the real world locally. What happens when the next big crises happens in the Learning Disability community. How will they hear out voices? Who will the Department of Health talk to? Who is going to reply from the National Forum to the Department of Health? The person left on the NLDB with a learning disability is an employee from Mencap. How do they bring the voices of people? They are not elected by their peers. They dont work with people from the whole country. How could the forum become something new? E.g. Community interest company. Who would lead on the change? Where would the money come from? Questions to Department of Health o How will the National Board hear the voice of people with learning disabilities and covers them? o Have Dept. of Health done An Equality Impact Assessment. o A campaign. Have they given us notice that its in the contract. Have they broken, how they will tell people?
We want to have a plan by the end of today that can be shared
wider. Why do the people most needed of a voice always targeted? Have you thought about the impact on people (experts by experience people with learning disabilities) not being nurtured and given opportunities to be leaders. The National and Regional gives people the experience to do bigger things? And grow killing of the next Generation of Leaders. The decision makers receive information from the National Forum about leaving disability issues. This wont happen in future so they wont know what we think. Cant we bring everyone involved together. Previous London Reps Richard Walker, Pat Charlesworth and Dean Beach