Judges’ Award 2023 Gold £350,000-£1 million turnover
Only 5.1% of adults with learning disabilities are in paid work (NHS Digital, 2021) and over half of disabled people report feeling lonely (Sense, 2017). My Life My Choice aims to tackle this head on with the Travel Buddy Scheme.
The Travel Buddy Scheme is a peer-to-peer travel training programme. Travel Buddy Trainers are employed to support their peers with learning disabilities to build up their skills and confidence so that they can travel independently on public transport or by foot. Being able to travel independently gives individuals more choice and control over their own lives, allowing them to get out into the community, meet new people and find new opportunities.
The aim of this campaign is to promote the Travel Buddy Scheme to other organisations and charities, encouraging them to take up the project themselves.
1. To make sure that there is independent support for people with learning disabilities in Oxfordshire to have their say, claim their rights and take control of their own lives.
2. To make sure that the views of people with learning disabilities are taken seriously by both professionals in the services they use and the wider public.
3. To “Power Up” their lives so they can make a positive contribution to society. It is important to us that we are independent and user-led.
We align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
