3 Sep: I'm an MP!

I am an elected Member of on the County Durham Learning Disability Parliament. I am one of the MPs for the Sedgefield Locality. I was sworn in at the Parliament's first meeting for this term at County Durham Council Chambers on 3 September.


Some MPs will join the Partnership Board, some will serve on the Regional Forum, and others will become Ministers for the many issues that affect people with learning disabilities. We will discuss our roles at locality meetings later this month.


I am most interested in asking support from the Parliament to:

1. Persuade the UK government to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

2. Campaign for the right to literacy lessons for disabled people of all ages and ability levels.

3. Campaign for the right to meet an AAC Role Model for everyone with communication disabilities, their carers and the professionals who work with them.

4. Make sure that everyone who finds communicating by speech difficult gets a communication board with the everyday core words that we all use for most of what we say and write, and other AAC materials like a communication passport (a little book with essential information about the person) and talking mats (for consulting and decision making).

I have loads of special information on how to use the boards to facilitate language development, participation and inclusion. It's all on the video I brought home from the ISAAC Conference in Montreal in August.