Press Release
14th May 2009
With elections on the horizon, new website aims to make votes count for people with learning disabilities
With 4th June Local and European Elections just weeks away, the national disability charity, United Response, is today launching an interactive website (www.everyvotecounts.org.uk) to make it easier for people with learning disabilities to use their vote and have their say.
The website, which has been built in consultation with people with learning disabilities, is part of the three year Every Vote Counts! campaign launched by United Response, and funded by the Electoral Commission. It is designed to open up the democratic process to the thousands of people with learning disabilities in England who are currently missing out on the opportunity to vote.
People with learning disabilities have the same right to vote as everyone else. Yet research carried out by United Response reveals that while 80% of people supported by the charity are registered to vote, only 20% took part in their last local elections compared with 38% of the general population.
United Response hopes the Every Vote Counts! website, will make the democratic process more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Using pictures, easy to understand words and audio, the site provides information on how politics works, how it affects peoples lives and how people can get involved and register their opinion.
It also includes a section where users can feedback on their own experiences of using the website, contributing to its ongoing development as well as the option to register to receive updates as new features are added. The site is continuing to be user tested with people with learning disabilities, so it can be as accessible to as many people as possible.
Brian Smithson has helped test the Every Vote Counts! Website. He said:
"I’ve learnt that you can tell your MP if things aren’t right and I would like to look at the voting (section) a bit more. I’ll ask someone to support me. I would also like to show the website to people at the centre I go to.
"It’s very good and very helpful and I liked being able to listen."
Su Sayer, chief executive of United Response said:
"With elections just weeks away, we hope that the Every Vote Counts! Website will help to demystify the democratic process and make it possible for more people with learning disabilities to exercise their right to vote.
"People with learning disabilities are affected by political decisions as much as anyone – often more so – and deserve to have their voices heard."
The website builds on the free Every Vote Counts! multimedia resource, which United Response launched last year. Further information about the resource and the Every Vote Counts! campaign can be found at www.everyvotecounts.org.uk
Ends
For more information please contact Sarah Bartlett or Jaime Gill in the United Response Press Office on020 8246 5237/ 020 8246 5122 or emailsarah.bartlett@unitedresponse.org.uk or jaime.gill@unitedresponse.org.uk
Notes to editors
United Response
United Response is a top 100 charity operating in England and Wales, providing a range of support and services for more than 1,500 people with learning disabilities, mental health needs or physical disabilities. We employ over 2,000 people across the organisation and have won many awards for our pioneering work since being founded in 1973.
Our mission is to enable people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and physical disabilities to take control of their lives.
Our vision is a society where disabled people are equal participants and have access to the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.
The services we provide depend on each person we work with. We can provide 24-hour support for people with profound physical needs, or just a few hours for those who need less support to live their lives. We can job coach someone into meaningful paid employment. We can provide outreach support for someone with a mental health need or help people who find it difficult to communicate by making information more accessible. The key to our success is that we work with each person to do the things they want to do, supporting them to communicate what they want and tell us how we are doing.
In support of our vision, we also campaign to improve the lives of people with disabilities in society. This may mean lobbying decision makers such as MPs to ensure that people's voices are heard or it might mean working directly with disabled people so that they can be more directly engaged in the democratic process. We also work with employers to ensure that more people with learning disabilities, mental health needs and physical disabilities get a fair opportunity to work.
In 2008 alone, we were shortlisted as best employer in the Third Sector Excellence Awards and highly commended for our Annual Report. We also won a highly prestigious National Training Award for the investment we make in our staff.
The Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission is an independent body set up by the UK Parliament. Its aim is integrity and public confidence in the UK's democratic process. It regulates party and election finance and sets standards for well-run elections.
In 2007, The Electoral Commission awarded United Response a grant of £123,586 to implement Every Vote Counts, a three year project aimed at making politics directly relevant to people with learning disabilities, to extend their understanding of how politics affects their everyday lives, and to support them to become actively involved.