Background

People with learning disabilities, their families and carers want voice, choice and control over decisions that impact their lives.

We are working with people with learning disabilities to understand the challenges and barriers they face, and also what action is needed to improve services and support.

The priorities that have been identified can be seen in the picture on the right.

Key findings from the hack-a-thon

People with lived experiences and professionals must work together to drive meaningful change.

During our hack-a-thon for people with learning disabilities and autism, we split everyone into six groups to look at:

• Jobs and volunteering
• Mental health
• Community Spaces
• Respite care
• Independent Living
• Access to fun

The groups included a range of people with autism and learning disabilities, in addition to professionals.

Below we have shared some of the key findings from the hack-a-thon.

How can services be improved?

People with learning disabilities would like to see:

• More funding for employers and/ or supported employment providers to ensure people with learning disabilities can reach their full employment potential. 
• Increase opportunities for travel, training and/or supported travel to allow people with learning disabilities to access activities, appointments, work and volunteer placements
• Increase local cultural and social events for people with learning disabilities to access, have fun, meet and make friends
• Review of housing options for people with learning disabilities across the region with a view to develop new properties in areas of good infrastructure and improve infrastructure around the region