Scottish Learning Disability Week matters to us because it acts as a microphone for people with a learning disability to have their voices heard; it encourages people to listen and understand the experiences of people with a learning disability and to think about ways in which they can support change.

The theme for this year’s Scottish Learning Disability Week is ‘I am here’ and for women with learning disabilities at risk of Gender Based Violence this means ‘listen to our voices’, ‘understand our experiences’, and ‘help us get the support we need’.

Being listened to and believed is often lacking in situations of gender-based violence. The Gender-Based Violence and Learning Disabilities Steering Group works to change that. We recognise that disabled women and girls are more at risk of gender-based violence than non-disabled women and girls. We also know that women with a learning disability are more likely to experience gender-based violence than other disabled people.

The Steering Group is made up of organisations and women with lived experience who want to raise awareness of gender-based violence and make services better for women with learning disabilities. Members of the Steering Group come from Scottish Government, justice, education, health, social care, women’s support services and learning disability organisations. We have worked together over the years to help the Steering Group grow, and to involve more people. It has been a long process and the teamwork has been fantastic.

The Steering Group’s aims are to:

• reduce the risk of gender-based violence against women and girls with learning disabilities
• and to improve access to support services and justice services for women and girls with learning disabilities who experience gender-based violence.

We have used the findings from the ‘Un-equal, Unheard, Unjust, but Not Hidden Anymore’ report, as a guide for our priorities.

It is important to us, that for all the goals we have input from women with learning disabilities, and that women with lived experience are involved along the way. A few members of the Steering Group, including our co-chair, are women with a learning disability. We aim to make all our Steering Group resources, including agendas and minutes, are in Easy Read and to keep the structure of our meetings accessible, so everyone is equally included.

Scottish Learning Disability Week and I Am Here is a reminder that we have to keep listening to lived experience and working together to make changes that will help women and girls with learning disabilities to live safer, better lives.  This includes having healthy relationships and better access to the support they need to feel empowered and happy.

The Scottish Government Gender-Based Violence and Learning Disability Steering Group meets quarterly and is co-chaired by People First (Scotland) and SCLD, with support from Public Health Scotland.

To request to join this group (subject to co-chair approval) or find out more information about the work of the group, email admin@scld.co.uk or call 0141 248 3733