Dear Prime Minister - People First Keighley & Craven

Dear Prime Minister...

Dear Prime Minister…

We are the members of People First Keighley & Craven. We are a charity in the North of England, led by and for disabled people.

Some of us have learning disabilities, some of us are neurodivergent, some of us have physical disabilities too.

When people receive the right reasonable adjustments, accessible information, time to learn and opportunities to succeed, something incredible happens.

Confidence grows. People discover their strengths. They build friendships. They begin to lead.

Employment isn’t the first step. It’s often the natural result of everything that comes before it.

Our goal isn’t simply to help people find work. It’s to help people become confident, informed and engaged citizens who can shape the lives they want.

Every day we reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and how we can do even better tomorrow.

Because success isn’t about never making mistakes.

It’s about learning from them together.

That’s how confidence grows. That’s how leaders grow. That’s how we make change.

Alongside us are disabled volunteers and disabled staff. They understand many of the barriers we’ve experienced because they’ve lived them too.

Our Chief Executive began here with just one hour a week as a volunteer. With encouragement, reasonable adjustments, opportunities and people who believed in her, she became CEO of People First Keighley and Craven. And we want to help others to follow their dreams!

We don’t believe in ticking boxes!

Today we’re proud that our framework has been created by disabled people and now we’d like to share it.

Employment matters, but a good life is about more than a job.

People need friendship, purpose, community and leadership!

We believe the model we’ve built here in the North of England could be replicated across the country to help many more disabled people thrive—not only in work, but in every part of life.

We want to play our part in building our country!

Prime Minister, we would love the opportunity to meet with you, to share our work!

Thank you!

We hope to meet you soon.

People with Disabilities SUCCEEDING in Employment!

Stand Out Socks are an independent online shop that sells colourful, hand-made socks with a mission to provide jobs for people with Down’s syndrome. In March 2024, we got the chance to speak to them on the People First Podcast to learn all about their company.

In 2024, Mar Galcerán was elected as Spain’s first member of Parliament with Down’s syndrome as a member of the Conservative People’s Party.

In 2015, a woman with Down’s syndrome living in Wisconsin in the United States of America won a discrimination lawsuit against Walmart for $125 million dollars. She worked in Walmart for over 10 years before being fired, after a reasonable adjustment was not made to keep her able to work.