Strengthening support for people with learning disabilities
People with learning disabilities will have a stronger voice than ever in shaping and improving the services and opportunities that help them live their best lives.
A new Deal has been struck between Oxfordshire County Council and My Life My Choice (MLMC), an organisation that supports people with learning disabilities to have their say.
The Deal, developed by MLMC’s campaign champions, a group of learning-disabled activists, builds on work already underway across the county.
It strengthens the council’s commitment to working alongside people with lived experience to improve the support, opportunities and communities that matter most to them.
The Deal sets out three core pledges:
1. Improving social care support and workforce awareness.
2. Strengthening routes into education, training, volunteering and employment.
3. Ensuring access to well‑connected, inclusive communities.
These pledges build on years of co‑production and co-design between MLMC, the council and local partners, and aligns closely with the Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan 2025 - 2035.
Campaign champions and MLMC members will continue to play a key role in delivering the Deal by sharing their lived experience and demonstrating what good support, meaningful work and inclusive environments look like in practice.
Anup Upadhyaya, My Life My Choice Trustee (2024/25) and Campaign Champion, said: “This is about making sure we get a better life.”
Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “We are proud to be working so closely with My Life My Choice and their campaign champions.
“Their insight and advocacy ensures that the voices of learning disabled people are not only heard but embedded in the decisions we make.
“By signing this Deal, we are strengthening our commitment to co‑production and co-design and to delivering the right support, the right opportunities and the right environments for people to thrive.”
Progress will be monitored through the county’s Learning Disability Improvement Board, co‑chaired by Dawn Wiltshire, who brings lived experience to the role.
You can read more about My Life My Choice and explore their work, campaigns and resources by visiting their website.
ENDS
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