Disability
The Churchill Fellowship
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Disability

About this theme

This theme covers topics relating to the realisation of a more equitable, diverse and inclusive society for disabled people. It is an area of enduring interest that runs throughout our grantmaking. Fellows’ stories

Blogs & conversations Advancing Sexual Self-Advocacy for Adults with Learning Disabilities

Sue Sharples travelled to the USA and Canada to explore new approaches to preventing sexual harm among adults with a learning disability – including linking self-advocacy skills to sexual rights education and using trauma-informed practice. Since returning, she has co-authored a training pack for social care staff and worked with learning disabled colleagues in Lancashire to develop a new sexual self-advocacy resource. Grounded in the belief that people should be their own first line of defence, it’s already helping people feel safer, better informed, and more in control.

By Sue Sharples, 2025

Blogs & conversations "If Not Us, Then Who?" Transforming Social Care

A BBC debate on the Assisted Dying Bill pushed me out of my depth – but my Churchill Fellowship had prepared me to feel the fear and do it because. What began as a modest research plan became a five-week tour across the USA, connecting with trauma institutes, service providers and experts. The relationships I built continue to shape my work today, including through Unique Connections – our growing effort to build a social care system grounded in love, belonging, and equity for people with intellectual disabilities.

By Beverley Samways, 2025

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