1. The
People First
2011
Manifesto
We want to work with you

2. What is All Wales People First?
All Wales People First is the United Voice
of Self – Advocacy Groups and all
People with Learning Disabilities in Wales.
It Shares Knowledge and Information to
Achieve Equal Rights and a Positive Image.
All Wales People First…..
 collects people’s news and views
 shares information
 finds out what is going on around the country
 finds out what is important in people’s lives
 campaigns to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities
 puts people in touch with each other from all over Wales
 helps groups to be touch with the National Government for Wales
 supports self advocacy groups to get going and keep going
All Wales People First is a member led company, limited by
guarantee, registered in March 2009.
Our values are embedded in the People First Manifesto 2010, in the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,
the Human Rights Act and the Social Model of Disability.
All Wales People First is unique in Wales in that it is the only national
organisation that solely represents the voice of men and women
with a learning disability.
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3. The key statements for our vision are:
To make sure that all people with learning disabilities have a voice
in spite of the difficult economic future we face.
To make our voices stronger by building on leadership skills and by
being supported to become partners in change.
To make our voices heard by engaging with decision makers and
driving forward our rights.
To make our communities stronger by linking with other
organisations that will help us achieve the things that matter
to us.
To make the organisation stronger by working differently,
efficiently and creatively.
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4. The People First 2011 Manifesto
Wales should be proud that we led the way supporting
people with learning disabilities.
The All Wales Strategy set standards
that everyone else followed. We want
to help you carry on this great work.
Wales has signed up to the social
model of disability.
introduction
We want to work with the you to make
sure that we keep moving forward and
never go back.
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5. The People First 2011 Manifesto
We really are the experts in how we need to be
supported.
If you let social workers run our lives,
we are over supported, never
allowed to take the risks that
everyone else does. This costs you a
fortune and holds us back from the
lives we want.
Let us plan our own lives, and we
guarantee we’ll save you money,
we’ll have better lives and be part of
our Welsh communities.
People with learning disabilities living
at home as our parents get older
become carers.
The Assembly Health and Social Care
Minister needs to ensure we are
planning
included in the Carers Strategy for
Wales.
The Minister should actively support
direct payments and individual
budgets for people with learning
disabilities. 5

6. The People First 2011 Manifesto
When we have good support and housing we are
more confident, happy and able to get on with our
lives.
Wales is again leading the way with
new qualifications for social care
staff.
We want to be part of everyone's
course showing them what the
housing and support
Social Model of Disability means for
us living in a modern Wales.
Work with the Care Council for Wales
to set social model training by
people with learning disabilities into
the new Qualifications and Credit
Framework.
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7. The People First 2011 Manifesto
Free bus passes in Wales have transformed our lives.
Help us make the most of this
freedom by including people with
learning disabilities in regeneration
plans and regional development
plans.
We want to be part of Wales
economy, if we have jobs we need
less social and health services.
Help us to help you save money
across Wales.
Include people with learning
disabilities when you write regional
development plans.
transport
Include people with learning
disabilities when you develop public
transport across Wales, especially in
rural areas.
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8. The People First 2011 Manifesto
Its 2011, we’re adults, we’re in relationships, we’re
getting married, we’re having sex, just like everyone
else does.
Help us teach social workers, nurses,
doctors and support staff how to
support us and we can look after
ourselves and our families.
The best way of protecting people
isn't by removing our human rights, it’s
by making sure we are well informed,
confident members of society.
We can be great parents when you
give us the right support.
The Health Minister needs to ensure
that there is a Family Information
relationships
Service and Family Crisis Centre in
every part of Wales with a plan to
work with people with learning
disabilities.
All schools in Wales should have a
clear plan to include people with
learning disabilities in sex education
and parenting classes.
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9. The People First 2011 Manifesto
The annual health check is another fantastic way that
Wales supports people with learning disability.
We want to work with you to make
sure the health checks are equally
good for everyone in Wales.
We want you to make sure that health
services include us in prevention
programmes like well woman, well
man, and family planning clinics.
The best way to make this happen is
to change the way doctors see us.
We can help you deliver social model
training for new doctors being trained
in Wales.
health
The Health Minister should work with
Wales’ universities to ensure we are
part of training Wales’ new doctors
and nurses.
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10. The People First 2011 Manifesto
We want to be part of the solution for Wales not part of
the problem.
So many of us want to work and do
more for our communities.
If we have full lives we become more
independent, we don't use services as
much and we give back, instead of just
using services.
work and education
The Assembly’s Youth Volunteering
scheme has been a great way for us
gain peer support in the community.
The Education Minister should ensure
that we have access to adult literacy
and numeracy classes across Wales.
When the Minister for Economic
Development writes support strategies
for small businesses he should include
people with learning disabilities.
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11. The People First 2011 Manifesto
People First is the only voice for people with learning
disabilities run by people with learning disabilities.
The Welsh Assembly has given
People First groups across Wales
support and guidance to develop
and grow.
You can help us to help you by
ensuring we are funded into the
future.
The Assembly should provide People
First with funding that is independent
of service commissioners and
providers.
self advocacy
All Assembly Ministers should ensure
that People First locally and
nationally are funded as providers of
training.
The Local Government Minister
should ensure that authorities fund
People First as service monitoring
and development consultants.
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12. The People First 2011 Manifesto
Growing up into adults is hard enough for anyone.
Its much harder for us.
Becoming young adults means
leaving home, getting our own
place and starting out on our own
lives.
Too many of us can’t take that first
step and we are stuck at home.
This makes life hard for everyone.
With a little support we can make
the first step and get ready to move
on to independence.
young people
The Assembly needs to ensure our
voices are heard in young peoples’
groups across Wales.
The Assembly Minister should ensure
that there is enough social housing
for everyone and housing
associations provide short stay and
support to move on to independence.
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13. The People First 2011 Manifesto
Most communities in Wales are caring supportive and
friendly but not always.
Living with a disability in Wales can
still be hard.
People don’t always respect us or
treat us fairly.
When you’re different to other people
you stand out and sometimes this makes
you an easy target.
We want to help build positive
supportive communities in Wales,
fit for everyone to live in.
community
The social justice and Local
Government Minister should include
people with learning disabilities in
community safety and cohesion
initiatives.
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14. What people say
Some people do
n’t need 24 hou
much time and r support. Ther
money being sp e’s too
rather than lett ent on ‘prepari
ing them have a ng’ people
go and get on w
ith it.
bilities.
ith and w ithout disa
u’re
ix w ith people w g disability label; yo
If you m the learnin munity.
You h aven’t got r own com
just a ci tizen in you
We want support that is individual to us.
We want personal support, someone to talk to,
help with money – support that is flexible.
ears.
for four y rough
my Mum h
look ing after h the day and all t
I’ve been her all throug
er h.
I look aft ’s getting too muc
. It
the night
My life’s been m
essed up and I do
help to look after n’t get any
my Mum; there’s
no support.
n the
r transp ort. It gets i
We need bette at we want
to lead.
ives th
way of the l
Transport is the main issue in Ceredigion.
Transport’s alright in big cities. But in rural
areas you can’t get home, even if you can get out!
I can use the
bu
every month ses and we go clubbing
. We look aft in Cardiff
new friends, er each othe
old friends, r. We meet
have a gossip
.
ry bad.
netw orks are ve t to do training,
Transport a big effor ransport.
u hav e to make ecause of t
Yo leisure b
emplo yment and
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15. They didn’t want us
to live together.
They said ‘you can’t
have sex’.
, so I was
us sharing a bed
They didn’t like e was living dow
nstairs.
nd h
living upstairs a
We want child
ren. I’ve got lo
and I do know ads of experien
what to do but ce
I’m worried th people think I
ey will be taken don’t.
off us later.
The obstacle is staff not believing we can do it.
I wish my daughte
r was living with m
I asked for suppo e now.
rt quite soon after
I got some suppor I became pregnan
t well after the ba t.
by was born.
s centre
There needs to be a family crisi
where people can go for help.
One of my
fr
after their iends thought abou
babies we t
re taken a suicide
way.
I had to go through a Police check
to be in my relationship.
We want
se
with it. I x education BEF
had an e ORE we
xperienc
e in colle have to deal
ge. I got
scared.
e real or
ther these ar sses
e risks, whe eir bo
e too s cared to tak es wrong, th
Staff ar mething go
not; they th ink that if so
hem.
will blame t
15

16. My condit
ion was dia
Health Fai gn
r. It wasn’ osed at Swansea Peo
t picked up p
at the Hea le First’s
lth Check.
pport worker.
I want the do ctor to talk to me not my su
e to see the doctor
They ha ve no understanding. I’d lik
check.
I want to see for my health
When I w
ent into h
distance o
from me. spital, the nurses
but not t T k
o me. Th hey chatted to th ept their
disabiliti ey eo
es as if th treat people with ther patients
ey are a n learning
obody.
e offer
. And w eople
isability
ut Lea rning D n what we do. P around
e nu rses abo ed i
et involv rses get their h
eads
h tr aine real ly g
We teac s nurses. They elps nu
nt wa y that h s.
placeme bers train in a pert
m re the ex
First me Disability. We a
g
Learnin
The nur
se
just thou s said about us:
ght they ‘W
were a b e
it odd .’
en I lived
dgeting in college. Wh a week.
learned bu enner
We never mon ey. I got a t move out.
id n’t see my y money when I did
at home I d mad with m
went
But then I
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17. good,
ng my educa tion wasn’t very
When I was you r write. I can’t r
ead or write
read o
I didn’t learn to
have I got?
no w; what chance
People
wi
go to co th learning di
u sa
They ca rses through j bilities are hav
n ob in
read an ’t even get star Seekers Allow g to
d write ted bec
. ause th ance.
ey can’
t
imes people
SAME is not go od enough; somet
reating people the ntly in order to
T
bilities have to be treated differe
with learning disa
be equal.
They bung
u
don’t reco s down on the lower
gn b
made prog ise our achievemen racket; they
ress towar ts. I think
ds being c we’ve
itizens.
Advocacy helps us to live independently at the end of the day.
If the money stopped for self advocacy, parents would take control
of our lives again. People would just stay in the house all day.
and
conf idence there
ut w ith our he time and ife
help ed us o things all t day to day l
Fi rst has e learn new n. It makes
People dence. W o lear
en
indep things we need t
le.
are still isable d peop
easie r for d
It make
s us less
we need de
fewer se pendent on serv
rvices. ices;
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18. People Fir
st
their voice is our life. It helps p
and speak eo
communit out. We’re ple to find
ies and go p
out and ab art of our
out in it.
who’s still living
I know a young person with a learning disability
l day. She
or k, so she stays at home al
with her parents. They w e’s not
Serv ices think she’s OK but sh
cleans and cooks. Social ing a job.
getting out into he r community or even find
My Mum u
sed to wond
cope but I l er
ove living in how I’d
dependentl
y.
metimes my
Some people call me names; so
blic say it.
friends say it and the general pu
Peopl
e com
of the e out
day a of sch
nd tak ool at
e the the en
Mick. d
ssue.
ust is a big i u can trust.
orta nt and tr you that yo eed
g sa fe is imp eople around ow w ell. We n
Bein o have p nd us that we kn we know.
t
You need eople arou hat
p munity t
We need things in the com
d
shops an
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19. Contact details
All Wales People First
Stebonheath Terrace
Stebonheath Centre
Llanelli
SA15 1NE
Telephone: 01554 784905
E-mail address: info@allwalespeople1st.co.uk
Website: www.allwalespeople1st.co.uk
Facebook:
Notes to media and press:
All Wales People First National Council Members are
available for interview and comment on any issues
arising from the Manifesto for TV, Radio and Press from
Monday 4th April and throughout the election period.
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20. The People First 2011 Manifesto