Kelly Stuart 20/05/2021 Joe's SoapboxNews

Joe’s Soapbox 2021 Manifesto

On the 31st March we launched our new Manifesto.

This is for the Welsh Government elections on the 6th May.

The Manifesto was written by our National Council.

Our National Council read out our main themes which were:

Self-advocacy

The right to name our impairment (Learning Disability)

Right to work

Good public transport

Being treated as equal

Good healthcare

Brexit

People being restrained

All of these issues are important to our members.

And they are important for the next Welsh Government to understand.

These are the things that need to happen if people with learning disabilities are to have a fairer life in Wales.

Self-advocacy is under threat. Without that, many of us lose our own voices.

We need to have the same chances to work as anyone else.

Otherwise how can we create the best lives for ourselves.

We need good transport to get around.

Otherwise we will be isolated from our communities.

We still get treated unfairly in healthcare.

This was worse during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Nobody has talked about the impact on Brexit on disabled people.

And what will be done to protect people with learning disabilities.

People are still being restrained unfairly or not properly.

This can cause a person distress.

Or sometimes people die because of this.

This is often because people don’t understand how to support people with learning disabilities.

This is not acceptable.

It must change.

We thank Aji Lewis and Molara Awen for speaking about their relative Seni.

Who died needlessly because he was restrained when he didn’t to be.

We are very grateful to Mark Isherwood MS for being our keynote speaker for the day.

Mark is a big champion for people with learning disabilities in Wales.

He Chairs the Cross-party group on Disability.

And he tried to get a bill of autism passed in the Senedd.

Mark answered members questions and stayed much later than he needed too.

He went the extra mile for our members.

For that we thank him.

I would like to say a big thanks to everyone who attend the Manifesto event.

76 people attended which is excellent.

And I say to you and all of the politicians in Wales –

Get behind our 2021 Manifesto.

Lets make the next five years a victory for self-advocacy.