Barod, Speakup Self-advocacy, Sheffield Voices and Sunderland People First are sector leaders in their approach to improving the healthcare of people with learning disabilities. This Exhibition page captures some of their ground-breaking work

An installation and event on IQ tests sparked a wide-ranging discussion from their use in eugenics and in diagnosis to how much stress they could cause, say Matt Prothero and Sarah Marks from Sunderland People First - read here

Speakup have developed some exciting work related to inclusive employment

An Easy Read Guide about a health test for women aged 50 or over by Sunderland People First

What is a disability?

A person says you have a disability and you can't do anything.

I say.... You say that but, I don't have a disabilty... YOU DO!

You don't understand things..... Maybe not but, I understand things in my own way.

You can't work..... I have skills that you don't know that come in handy in my way.

You have a disability.... Maybe I do but, I don't see it as a DISability more like an ABILITY and that is how I show it in my way.

YOU have the disability for not seeing how I do things my way.

This film - funded by Humanising Healthcare and Disability Matter projects - captures some of the research and innovation work of Sunderland People First as they develop cancer prevention and understanding with and for people with learning disabilities 

In this paper members of Barod - Simon Richards, Simon Rice, Claudia Magwood, Bryan Collis - argue that by making theories accessible and discussing how they relate to lived experience, we aimed to inform self-advocates and activist researchers about key concepts in disability, deepen their capacity for research and campaigning, and better equip them to activate for change. 

Gold Open Access

Housemates is a moving, funny, sad and at the same time uplifting play that really should be seen by everyone!

Barod Media met the cast on Aberystwyth sea front just before a rehearsal. 

Forgive the occasional seagull and enjoy the interview.

From the press release:

In the 1960s, institutionalised care for many learning disabled people was the norm and went largely unchallenged. Many learning disabled people spent their lives in institutions, rarely seeing or encountering the world outside. But then, in the early 70s, something monumental happened in a Cardiff house, a street away from the Sherman, that became a new model for the way learning disabled people are supported. 

Housemates was borne of Tim Green’s short audio play of the same name, which was commissioned by Sherman Theatre for its Heart of Cardiff lockdown series. 

This deeply moving play is filled with classic 70s hits played live and is performed by a cast of neurodivergent and neurotypical actor-musicians including members of the Hijinx Academy, one of whom, Gareth John, was nominated for the Best Performer in a Play award in The Stage Debut Awards 2024. Housemates is co-directed by Sherman Artistic Director Joe Murphy and Hijinx Artistic Director Ben Pettitt-Wade.

Barod have been thinking about humanising healthcare. They have come up with two scripts of an online consultation between a doctor and a patient. Please check out their film They will leave it up to you to decide which of the two consultations you think is the best.

Hijinx are a theatre company from Wales. All the actors working with Hijinx have learning disabilities and/or Autism. Disability is always present in the plays Hijinx make because the people who make them are disabled. This does not mean that the plays are always about disability. Instead, they begin with disability to ask questions about what it means to be human.

I had the privilege of attending the Humanising Healthcare Workshop at the 2024 National Student Psychiatry Conference. This workshop highlighted to me the sheer number of barriers in the way of providing holistic and humane healthcare to patients with chronic illness and disabilities, specifically those with mental illness and learning disability. The talk introduced me to interesting emerging concepts, such as post humanism and postmodern thinking, and their potential impacts on healthcare provision, specifically within the current late-stage capitalist climate, and the precipice of change we now stand on. This talk made it clear to me we have a clear choice in the direction we go with our practice; we could choose to value resources over patient care provision or reassess the whole model of healthcare to make it fit to provide for everyone. The talk also made interesting points about in group/out group theory and where you draw the line of humanity, and it really drove home the impact it has on both societal and personal ideas about disabled people. Also, the opportunity to discuss these ideas with other attendees of the session led to fascinating discussions regarding societal expectations of healthcare, how healthcare ideas have changed over time (somewhat rapidly over the last half century, I’d say), and leading to discussions about the current political landscape. This session led me to research these concepts further, has made me more interested in the subspecialty of Psychiatry and Learning Disabilities, and has made me more conscious of how societal attitudes, politics and philosophical theory impact healthcare provision – specifically for the most vulnerable in society. Relating to the principles of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, this session has given me the courage to advocate for my patients in the face of resource restriction in healthcare, which is the main reason used today to deny vulnerable people the care excellence they need and deserve.