This is Me: Valuing the lives of people with learning disabilities

'This is Me: valuing the lives of people with learning disabilities' was a campaign about challenging the stigma, discrimination and inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities. The Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory collaborated with people with learning disabilities, their families, and third sector organisations – PAMIS, SCLD and Down’s Syndrome Scotland - to increase public understanding of the experiences of people with learning disabilities. Through a series of short films and a targeted social media campaign, our aim was to challenge stigma and discrimination and influence positive change. 

People with learning disabilities are, first and foremost, citizens with rights, needs, hopes, dreams and goals. Yet people with learning disabilities are not valued as equals in society and continue to experience stigma and discrimination across all areas of life which is evidenced through huge health and social inequalities. This includes lower life expectancy, poorer health outcomes, limited employment and educational opportunities and higher rates of hate crime and bullying. 
In 2018-2019 the Observatory led a research project called 'Research Voices' (link below) with a group of people with learning disabilities which focused on how to make health research more inclusive. The group produced 10 key recommendations, one of which was that there should be a campaign to raise awareness of the poor health, stigma and discrimination experienced by people with learning disabilities. The group’s idea led to This is Me: Valuing the lives of people with learning disabilities.

This project involved extensive collaboration with people with learning disabilities and family carers, alongside supporter organisations to tell their stories and share the changes they would like to see to make Scotland a more equal, more inclusive place for people with learning disabilities. 

We worked with film makers Brand Calibre to bring each person's story to life. People shared their experiences of inequalities, stigma and discrimination including bullying, fighting for access to services and facilities like accessible toilets and nappies for older children. We also heard about the value of meaningful employment opportunities, inclusive spaces and education and awareness to increase understanding and reduce stigma. SLDO Director Deborah Cairns shared key findings that underpin some of the lived-experiences that were shared about health inequalities and their impact on the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities.  

We also undertook a Scotland-wide survey designed by the project partners to gather a baseline measure (from respondents across Scotland) of awareness and understanding about the lives of people with learning disabilities. 

To share the stories and messages from This is Me we undertook a sustained social media campaign using a bespoke hashtag #ThisIsMe22 between May and December 2022, along with targeted news media engagement and presentations at public engagement events across Scotland. 

Some highlights about the reach of the campaign:

•    Facebook: This Is Me posts of films reached over 8000 people
•    Twitter: #ThisIsMe22 seen over 92,000 times by Twitter users & @ScotLDO gained 136 new followers
•    This is Me webpage: Over 1300 visits
•    1002 people across Scotland responded to an online survey to gather a ‘snapshot’ of public understanding and attitudes about learning disabilities.

Our campaign received the highest reach/interactions for any activity carried out by The Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory since its establishment in 2015. This means that more people than ever were engaging with the discussion around stigma and discrimination experienced by people with learning disabilities and their families. 

We have been working to take forward some of the recommendations, ideas and calls for change that people shared with us during our 2022 campaign. 
We created a final short film, which launched on 19th November 2024, to share what we have learned from This is Me and to highlight some of the activities where we have taken steps here at the University of Glasgow, and in collaboration with people with learning disabilities, family carers and third sector partners, to make positive changes. 

We hope you enjoy the final film below which you can view along with all the other #ThisIsMe22 films at the links below.