North Wales MS and Chair of the Senedd Cross-Party Group on Disability, Mark Isherwood, has spoken today at the launch of the ‘All Wales People First’ Manifesto, which states “that people with Learning Disabilities have the right to speak for themselves, and to do that, they need support to build the skills that give them voice, choice, and control”.
All Wales People First is the united voice of self-advocacy groups and people with learning disabilities in Wales, and is an organisation for, and led by people with a learning disability.
Speaking at their Manifesto Launch event this morning, Mr Isherwood, who has also supported the Homes Not Hospitals Campaign, said:
“Self-advocacy empowers disabled individuals to speak up for themselves, make informed decisions, and assert their rights.
“It involves understanding and using one’s rights, making choices and taking control of one’s life, building confidence and communication skills, and challenging discrimination and systemic barriers.
“Organisations like All Wales People First define self-advocacy as ‘speaking up for yourself’, and emphasise its role in enabling people with learning disabilities to live independently and participate fully in society.
“However, as your Manifesto states, self-advocacy is under threat. Without self-advocacy, people will be forced to rely on others to speak for them, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and the stripping away of independence.
“That is why it calls on the next Welsh Government to ensure that self-advocacy is funded across Wales and made a compulsory part of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014.
“It also calls on Local Authorities to recognise the vital role played by self-advocacy and provide the funding needed for self-advocacy groups, so people with learning disabilities can live as active and equal citizens.
“The Manifesto states that there are too many barriers to paid employment for people with Learning Disabilities, who need better opportunities, support and reasonable adjustments.
“As it states, this is especially important right now, when people with Learning Disabilities are being pressured into finding work, and it calls on the Welsh Government to support and implement recommendations set out in the report by the Engage to Change Employment Project, ‘Employing people with learning disabilities and/or autism: a feedback report from Engage to Change employers’.”
He added:
“The Manifesto also states that too many people with learning disabilities live in services that restrict their freedom and human rights, sometimes causing physical and emotional harm. Many have no choice about where they live or who they live with.
“Some are even held in secure hospitals when hospital is not the best place - often because the services they are entitled to simply aren’t available. This must change.
“The Manifesto calls on the next Welsh Government and Local Authorities to increase the availability of social and supported housing, provide the right services so people can live their best lives in the way they choose, and ensure no one is housed in secure units or hospitals unnecessarily.”
Mr Isherwood went on to speak about the ‘Stolen Live’ campaign in Wales, which he said “has shone a stark light on the number of Autistic people and people with Learning Disabilities who are placed in hospital or other long stay settings, often far from home”.
He also spoke about his British Sign Language (Wales) Bill, which was formally introduced to the Senedd in July 2025, aiming to promote and facilitate British Sign Language (BSL) across Wales, stating that “If passed, this will be the most progressive BSL law in the UK, ensuring long-term accountability and cultural change”, and concluding:
“Self-advocacy groups and people with learning disabilities in Wales also need accountability and cultural change. As your Manifesto states, being treated as equals is important to you. After all, as stated in your film earlier, ‘it’s all about liberty and free speech’.”
