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Neurodiversity Week event: The Big Voice - ‘Self Advocacy is Everyone’s Business’

22/03/2024
The Big Voice conference speaker profile pictures

In celebration of Neurodiversity Week the University of Wolverhampton welcomes Sheffield Voices for an online event which is free and open to everyone.

Sheffield Voices is a group made up primarily of adults with learning disabilities and autistic adults, which runs creative sessions and group activities both face to face and online focusing on self-advocacy and issues affecting the learning disability community.

Julian Gwinnett, a member of the Disabled Staff Network (DSN), said: “During Neurodiversity Celebration Week we celebrate the unique strengths and perspectives of individuals with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and Tourette's syndrome.

"This week is about challenging stereotypes and societal norms, breaking down barriers and empowering individuals to embrace their differences – enabling all of us to recognise the many advantages that come with seeing, understanding and experiencing the world differently.

"Let’s celebrate neurodiversity and create a more accepting and inclusive world, one that includes everyone!”

Sheffield Voices on a mission to connect the community.

When: Friday 22 March, 1pm-2pm 

Where: online 

Register for free here. 

Sheffield Voices has become a real centre for community engagement over the last few years creating projects that support everyone in our community to engage in ways that work best for them. We have a suite of creative self-advocacy projects including drama, art/sculpture and creative writing which all feed into our community sharing hubs, 'You Speak We Listen'. Events are held each month in different parts of the city reaching people have limited or no formal support, people from ethnically diverse communities and people from day services, supported living and residential care.

Three times a year we host larger events in our Town Hall bringing representatives from the community together to have their say about what they would like to see changed.

We do what this work because we want everyone to be involved in the Big Conversations. We want everyone to have a voice. We want everyone to know about their rights. We want everyone to have a good life. We want people with learning disabilities and Autism involved in decision making and to have roles within these services.

We want to help other advocacy projects learn from the way we engage people.

For more information about Sheffield Voices, visit our website.

Neurodiversity Celebration Week is 18 - 24 March this year.

Revisit some of our support materials from 2023:

 

For more information please contact the Corporate Communications Team.

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