Last year, the BIHR approached Warrington Speak Up to seek support with a project to help people with learning disabilities understand what rights they have and how their rights work.

BIHR were supported by Warrington Speak Up’s self-advocacy group to create a set of 26 human rights postcards.

The postcards were created to help people with learning disabilities understand what rights they have and how their rights work. They use examples of real life stories where rights have, or have not, been looked after. Members of Speak Up’s self-advocacy group have learning disabilities and/or autism and they meet weekly to develop the skills and confidence to speak up and then practice this to help improve services across Warrington.

The 12-month project has led to the official launch and publication of the postcards at a national event hosted by the BIHR. Speak Up’s self-advocacy group were able to join the event virtually to share their experiences of working on the project and their own personal journeys of understanding their rights, and how to challenge when things are not right. 

Warrington Speak Up Chief Executive, Mandy Taviner, said: “It has been a pleasure to work alongside members of our self-advocacy group and the BIHR on this important project. It’s a valuable piece of work which explains and demonstrates times where people’s rights have, and haven’t, been looked after.

“We should all expect our rights to be looked after, but sadly sometimes this is not the case – particularly for people with disabilities in our communities. This project has helped to shine a valuable light on the issue and collectively we can work together to ensure that everyone’s rights are looked after.

“I’m very grateful to our key partners including Warrington Borough Council, whose continued investment and support in self-advocacy for people with learning disabilities has been critical and makes a real difference to people’s lives.”

Warrington Borough Council’s cabinet member for statutory health and adult social care, Cllr Paul Warburton, said: “It’s great to see this most recent success for Warrington Speak Up and it’s testament to the impactful work they do that they were asked to work on this important national project. 

“Projects like this are one of the key reasons the council continues to invest in self-advocacy for people with learning disabilities in Warrington. As a council, we are committed to supporting services across the town that make a difference to many lives – even if many of these services often go unseen by the majority of our residents.

“My congratulations to the entire Speak Up team for their work on this project.”

For more information about Warrington Speak Up, visit warringtonspeakup.org.uk

Find out more about the Human Rights Postcards project at bihr.org.uk/humanrightspostcards