Frances’s story about working as a self-advocate and presenter

Frances has profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). She requires 24 hour support and uses a wheelchair.

Frances enjoys socialising and meeting people, music and dancing, having meals out and shopping.

Frances is a self-advocate who uses multimedia to increase understanding of issues and challenges in the lives of people with PMLD. She represents people with PMLD at the local self-advocacy group – Speak Up Sutton. She also presents her video, which contains her video clips from the ‘Meet the people’ CD Rom at events nationally to people from a variety of backgrounds including key learning disability stakeholders as well as the general public. Her video also shows how she communicates and makes choices in her life as well as some of the issues and challenges she faces.

Her work as a self-advocate and presenter began because it was recognised that there was a lack of self-advocates with complex needs generally and that it was important to address the gap in the voice for people with PMLD. It was Frances’s outgoing personality and skills in socialising and making friends that got her the job. She is a great ambassador who is able to inspire and motivate people. With support from her advocate Frances has enabled the project to evolve. Frances was nominated for her work at a recent International Day of Disabled People event in Sutton. She was successful and received an award at the celebration ceremony.

Frances has support from her advocate to book, travel to and attend meetings and events. She uses a switch, which is plugged into her laptop to control her PowerPoint presentation. Her advocate talks through each slide of the presentation as Frances moves through it. Frances’s advocate gathers pictures of topics and issues Frances wants to raise at self-advocacy meetings and takes photographs and videos to include in her presentation.

Frances gets a great sense of achievement from showing people her video, especially watching their reactions when they see them and when they come and speak to her afterwards. Frances also enjoys the experience of meeting new people. It is a great opportunity for her to use and develop her communication skills and to change people’s perceptions about ways of communicating.

Frances’s advocate says

‘People have been inspired, touched, motivated and challenged by meeting Frances and watching her presentation. It has been apparent that people have reacted by responding and communicating differently after seeing her video and how she is communicating. Her presentation challenges people’s assumptions, increases their understanding and allows them to relate more confidently’

Frances can be booked to present at events through her advocate at Advocacy Partners: T: 020 8770 8063, E: jenny.knight@advocacypartners.org