ACE Committee self-advocates from Scotland recorded a video about their work: how they work together, what campaigns they do. The video was recorded to contribute to Hear our Voices self-advocacy conference. This is what they say in the video (the video itself is at the bottom of the article).
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We are ACE!
Active community of empowered people
As ACE we challenge barriers to an equal society for every person who has a learning disability
We deal with both local and national issues and give people with learning difficulties a voice.
Everybody’s treated equally. And that’s what makes me so happy to be part of ACE.
ACE is family
ACE has been a part of the ENABLE family for 25 years.
There are 26 ACE groups in the communities across Scotland, and growing.
What ACE had done for me is given me a lot of opportunities.
If you go with a sad face, you come out with a smile.
We all get along really well…. We are like one big happy family
ACE is fun
ACE is a fun place to meet new friends.
I was quite shy before I joined. ACE makes me feel confident.
We see each other every month and we are there for each other.
My mum died in February. If it wasn’t for ENABLE I would have been down, but it’s pushed me forward because I have very good friends around me.
ACE empowers
ACE empowers people who have learning disabilities to have a local and national voice.
We also have challenges, we have to challenge things if we don’t think they are right.
People look down on you when you have a learning disability.
Being part of ACE makes me feel proud.
ACE is amazing because my voice is heard.
ACE campaigns
ACE has campaigned for free bus travel with our award-winning Stop The Bus campaign.
It helped people get the bus passes back. We feel better and everybody’s happy.
ACE is challenging bullying, and asking our communities to be the change and be a friend to people who have learning disabilities.
To make it better for the people in the future made me feel my life was worth living and me being here. Because working together is better.
ACE has a voice
ACE has challenged political parties to do things differently and ENABLE the vote.
I’m proud of speaking in the parliament about bullying campaigns we have done and also education campaigns.
I was the chair-person of national ACE. Now I am the convenor of the Scottish Council.
I am the first person with learning disability to be in that role, which I think is great.
It’s a good way of finding friends, and friendships form really easily.
We are ACE!
And then the Covid-19 pandemic happened.
As ACE members we talked about what we wanted to do when we were no longer able to meet face to face.
We designed ACE Connect.
We were able to come together every weekday and connect with each other while doing activities like mindfulness, quizzes, and karaoke.
As well as sharing information throughout workshops and Covid-19 update sessions.
Even though we were not meeting face to face we didn’t stop campaigning.
We campaigned on 2 big things. The first was Covid-19 vaccines.
We felt it was important that all people who have learning disability should be entitled to get vaccination as quickly as possible.
We saw frightening information about how people in our community were more at risk of serious illness or dying from Covid-19.
We wanted to make sure everyone could access the right to be protected as soon as possible.
As a result of our campaign, in February 2021 we were successful in making the Scottish government include all people over the age of 18 who had a learning disability in the priority group for Covid-19 vaccines.
The second thing was on human rights. We worked in partnership with 2 Scottish charities to campaign for the Scottish government to create a commissioner for people who have a learning disability and autistic people to uphold our human rights.
In May 2021 the Scottish government agreed to do this.
As a result of our campaign, Scotland will become the first country in the world to have a commissioner for people who have learning disabilities and autistic people.
A new law to make this happen is being designed this year. We are delighted with the positive results of the campaign.
Now it is time to look forward towards a future and new opportunities.
We asked ACE members what would their hope be for Scotland in the UK, Europe and the world would after Covid-19. Here is what they said:
Because of what we have been through, I think people should be more appreciative of what they have, of other people and of the environment.
People should help each other out more and be more inclusive.
The pandemic has shown that life can be even more difficult for people who have learning disability.
I want there to be a commissioner for people who have learning disabilities to make sure every person has equal opportunity in life.
I would like to see a national care service, preferably in an independent Scotland.
And for me to have undeniable proof that nessie exists!
ACE video
There are subtitles in Czech, English, French.
Learn more about the ACE Committee.
Register for Hear our Voices self-advocacy conference final event.