Brighton and Hove Speak Out has secured £411,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund to expand a network helping people with learning disabilities influence decisions that affect their lives.
The four-year award will support the charity’s Learning Disability Voices Network across Brighton and Hove and West Sussex. The programme is expected to work with more than 400 people, including people who have both a learning disability and autism.
Participants will choose the issues they want to discuss and campaign on. These may include social care, housing, benefits, relationships, health services and wider community life.
What the expanded network will offer
The programme is expected to include regular local speaking-up groups and drop-in sessions, a Being Heard in Government group, an LGBTQ+ group for people with learning disabilities and autistic people, and quarterly large-scale events across Brighton and Hove.
Speak Out also hopes to raise further funds for Brighton and Hove’s first Learning Disability Conference in 2027–28.
The independent advocacy charity has worked in the city for more than 25 years. It helps people with learning disabilities build confidence, advocate for themselves and influence the services and systems that shape their lives.
Project due to start this autumn
The Learning Disability Voices Network is expected to begin in autumn 2026. The award gives the charity longer-term security while allowing it to extend its reach across the city and into West Sussex.
People with learning disabilities who want to take part can find details through Brighton and Hove Speak Out.
Sources: Brighton and Hove News; The National Lottery Community Fund.
Leave a Reply