The Young Disabled People's Forum

The Young Disabled People’s Forum is a project based within GMCDP working with young disabled people aged from 15-25 years of age living in Greater Manchester.

The project supports young disabled people to gain greater control of their lives and to make a smooth transition towards adult life. 

The project works in a few different ways:

• a group of young disabled people regularly meet (every third Wednesday evening) to discuss important issues such as independence and getting your views across to other people. The meetings are also a good opportunity to meet new people, gain support from each other and have a laugh.

• by offering training on relevant issues such as Independent Living and Peer Support.

• the Forum Drama Group performs to audiences of both disabled and non disabled people to portray the barriers that young disabled people face on a daily basis.

• advocacy support is offered to young disabled people to assist in removing any barriers faced in accessing mainstream services such as accessing housing services, Direct Payments etc.     

Why is there a need for the Project?

Young disabled people are still rarely consulted about the major things which affect their lives such as where to live, how they live and who to live with. Young disabled people often end up in situations they don’t want to be in, with little way of changing it. The Young Disabled People’s Forum enables young disabled people to get a collective voice to explore and express their views and demand the services we should have as a right.

Young disabled people also very rarely have access to positive role models, training delivered by disabled people, and a chance to have their say in a supportive environment.

As well as providing training opportunities on important issues via the Independent Living/Peer Support Training, young disabled people will also have opportunities to gain one to one support, information and advocacy which will greatly enable them to improve their opportunities in training, education as well as in increasing leisure pursuits and opportunities to access independent living services. This will support young disabled people in their development and to assist in addressing the current inequalities they face.

Young disabled people themselves have a high level of involvement in steering and developing all aspects of the project and of decision making within the project. Young people are involved in the development of ideas for projects or activities, and in the review of the projects to document what worked, or didn’t work and what could have been done better.

How do I find out more?

GMCDP's Young Disabled People's Forum is based at: GMCDP, BEVC, Aked Close, Ardwick, Manchester M12 4AN

Development Worker - Audrey Stanton

Development Worker - Phil Samphire

Development Worker - Maureen Day

Administration Worker -Bernie Green

Tel: (voice) 0161 273 8141

Tel: (minicom) 0161 273 4279

The Young Disabled People’s Forum is kindly supported by Manchester City Council, South Manchester Primary Care Trust, The Big Lottery, Connexions, and Carnegie UK Trust Fund.