Tizard Centre is working with creative arts company Heart n Soul on a new project that aims to improve health care services for people with learning disabilities and autism in London.
This research will be creative, exploratory, and will evidence everyday positive and challenging practices related to physical and emotional health, lead by Director of the Tizard Centre, Professor Chrissie Rogers, along with colleagues Dr Damian Milton and Beckie Whelton.
Over two years, a range of activities will improve the quality of listening, creating space in which people with learning disabilities and autistic people with and without learning disabilities and professionals can share experiences and decision-making, empower action around service redesign, and develop new ways of learning together.
Evidence will be captured and shared through web and audio-visual updates, a comic book’s development, and delivering video or radio events for professionals.
‘We believe that people with learning disabilities and autistic people with and without learning disabilities can thrive when they are at the heart of designing health care services. Empowering them to play a role in the development of health care services can improve their experiences and subsequently their physical and mental health.” said Professor Rogers.
Heart n Soul said: ‘Health care services can be difficult for people to navigate; they are even more confusing and overwhelming for people with learning disabilities and autistic people with and without learning disabilities (PWLDA). They often feel invisible, overlooked, and unheard; many have negative health care experiences and very low expectant.
The Health Foundation has awarded heart n Soul Common Ambition funding.
