Aberdeen’s ground-breaking Learning Disability Strategy has been launched by service-users with a special celebration at Pittodrie Stadium.
The local strategy for the city, entitled “A’thegither in Aberdeen”, covers the period 2018–23 and has been developed by officers from Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership, people with learning disabilities and a range of other stakeholders.
It was launched at a lively get-together at the Dons’ football stadium as part of Scottish Learning Disability Week, and was attended by people with learning disabilities, their families and carers, third sector supporters and Partnership professionals.
People with learning disabilities who attend the Len Ironside Centre gave a rousing performance of their song, “A’thegither in Aberdeen”, written especially for the event. The third sector organisation, Create, then led a group of talented performers with learning disabilities through a selection of high-energy song-and-dance pieces, featuring enthusiastic audience participation from the 100-plus people attending the event.
Sport Aberdeen and Grampian Disability Sport ran sports tasters, including boccia, football and volleyball. The event also featured stalls, arts and crafts – and people with learning disabilities spoke to attendees about their achievements and successes, like setting up a peer support group or going on a first holiday.
Integration Joint Board (IJB) chair Jonathan Passmore gave the opening welcome at the event. He said: “The strategy maps out how we can help the lives of people with learning disabilities flourish in Aberdeen. People with learning disabilities should be seen as valued contributors to their local communities, who enrich our society with their skills, abilities and experiences.
“The Partnership’s ethos of working with our communities so that people achieve fulfilling, healthier lives has guided the way in which the strategy has been developed and presented. A’thegither in Aberdeen at its very heart promotes and champions community inclusion and strong partnership working practices.”
The strategy document marks a radical departure from orthodox official ‘strategies’ – and has been presented in the simplest “easy-read” style to make it accessible to many people with learning disabilities.
The short and straightforward strategy has been highlighted by the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities as an example of best practice to be followed across Scotland.
The fully accessible document focuses on the vision the Partnership holds for people with learning disabilities and the key strategic outcomes for the next five years.
The strategy will be followed this summer by a local action plan. A draft action plan has already been developed through a series of workshops and is now out for consultation. A learning disability commissioning plan will also be brought to the IJB for approval by the end of this year.
The learning disability strategy and the draft action plan are available below. If you want to share your thoughts, please view our consultation survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LDActionPlan. We have also developed an accessible guide to our consultation which can also be viewed below. Our consultation period closes on Monday 25 June.
