On Tuesday 16 June 2026, we celebrated Learning Disability Week 2026 by bringing together service users, carers and professionals for a day of meaningful conversations to help shape the Learning Disabilities (LD) strategy for the next year.

Being guided by this year’s theme, “Do You See Me?”, our event created a space for listening, reflection and co-production and aimed to ensure the voices of those with lived experiences remain at the heart of everything we do.

We were so pleased to welcome people from across our London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest to ensure that the voices in the room were as representative as they could be. By reviewing our strategy with the people it affects we can identify where we are doing things right and where we can evolve the way we work to make sure our services are more inclusive, responsive and empowering.

We identified some key themes to develop:

• Strengthening co-production so that services are continued to be shaped with people, and not just for them
• Ensuring that Universal Care Planning and reasonable adjustments are embedded consistently
• Improving accessibility and communication across every patient, service user and carer touch point
• Supporting and championing independence whilst maintaining safety and quality
• Further deepening collaboration across our boroughs and our partner organisations
• Recognising and celebrating the individuality of every person we support

 

Alongside our conversations we were entertained with bingo, and a performance by one of our service users whose voice lifted the room and got our attendees on their feet dancing. 

The learning and feedback gathered during the event will directly inform the ongoing development of our LD strategy. More importantly, it reinforced a shared commitment to working in true partnership with service users, families, carers and colleagues across the system.

Learning Disability Week is not just about raising awareness — it is a call to action. The question “Do you see me?” challenges us every day to reflect on how we listen, respond and deliver care. By continuing to hear and act on the voices of the people we support, we can ensure they are not only seen, but truly understood, respected and empowered to live the lives they choose.

During the week our Learning Disabilities teams held a range of events across our boroughs, you can see a video of our main event plus some additional photographs below!