
About VoiceAbility and Our Approach
At VoiceAbility, we are dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities and their caregivers who often encounter obstacles in accessing essential healthcare services. These challenges impact various aspects of their lives, including mobility, mental well-being, motivation, and energy levels.
Our advocacy services aim to address these barriers by providing personalised support, empowering individuals to understand their rights, make informed decisions about their health, and access necessary care. We take a tailored approach to advocacy, adapting to each individual’s communication style and needs and working in collaboration with our advocacy partners. Our advocates provide information in alternative formats such as Easy Read materials, braille, and large print, and can arrange for translators in British Sign Language, Makaton, and through talking mats. Additionally, we offer non-instructed advocacy support, which involves observing and understanding an individual’s wishes through various means, including input from those who know them well.
Our approach is focused on empowering our advocacy partners to voice their needs and be heard by those who can make a difference. One advocacy partner shared, “It’s taken me 53 years to receive the benefits support I should have had from birth. I cannot thank VoiceAbility enough for what they’ve done for me and my son.”
Real Stories
Jenny reached out to us for help to take a much-needed break from caring for her husband, as she had encountered barriers in accessing the support she needed. A VoiceAbility advocate called Karen worked tirelessly to secure Jenny’s first choice of care home and inform her of her entitlement to annual respite funding. Jenny expressed her gratitude, saying, “You have moved mountains in two short weeks that others had been unable to do over months. I cannot thank you enough for this. I cannot believe it is actually going to happen. Thank you so very, very much.”
Read the full story here: VoiceAbility | Karen’s story: ‘Jenny always put her husband’s needs…
Gordon came to VoiceAbility to get help to access disability benefits. He spoke about the barriers he faced when trying to access the online form, and the lack of public spaces to meet with his advocate in his rural village, stating, “things like that put an obstacle in front of people like myself, and people who are far worse.”
Gordon also experienced challenges when trying to understand questions on the form, adding “people on their own might end up putting the wrong information in and not get the right result.”
Despite the difficulties, our advocate Cheryl helped Gordon successfully submit his disability claim. Gordon expressed his gratitude for Cheryl’s support, emphasising the importance of having a dedicated advocate, “I’m glad I had Cheryl [as my advocate].”
Read Gordon’s full story here: VoiceAbility | “I’m lucky, I wasn’t on my own:” Gordon’s experience…
Our Work in the Community
In addition to one-on-one support, we facilitate group sessions where participants can discuss shared issues, work towards common goals, and amplify their collective voices. These sessions create opportunities for individuals to learn from others, develop self-advocacy skills, and raise awareness of issues affecting the community. We ensure that the insights gathered from these sessions are communicated to the Scottish government or relevant authorities to drive positive change.
We invited some of our advocacy partners to join us at a Scottish Parliament reception to speak to MSPs about their experiences accessing benefits from Social Security Scotland and the support that advocacy offered them. Read the full story here: VoiceAbility | VoiceAbility’s Scottish Parliament reception
Our commitment to addressing health inequalities also extends to our health creation initiatives, which involve providing educational programs to high schools. These programs aim to empower the younger generation by educating them about their human rights and equipping them with self-advocacy skills. One student who took part in our placement said, “I’ve learned a lot of things just from the word advocacy. This gives me confidence and an idea of how to speak up for myself and other people.”
Read about our careers week in Glasgow here: VoiceAbility | Glasgow school learns about advocacy in new…
Summary
In conclusion, our mission is to advocate for a healthcare environment that ensures equal access to information, support, and treatment for individuals with disabilities and their caregivers by breaking down barriers to essential healthcare and amplifying their voices. Through advocacy and health creation initiatives, we strive to create a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system for all.
Watch more of our advocacy partners speak about the support they received from VoiceAbility and the impact this had on them, here: Scotland benefits support: VoiceAbility made such a difference (youtube.com)
For more information on VoiceAbility and the services we offer, please visit our website at VoiceAbility | In Scotland.
Alex Adair is the Team Leader and Yasmin Ali is an Advocate at VoiceAbility.