The Mary Stevens Hospice and Dudley Voices for Choice celebrate success of 'No Barriers Here' programme
A pioneering and award-winning project co-produced by The Mary Stevens Hospice, Dudley Voices for Choice, and an art psychotherapist has reached a new milestone with the publication of an academic book chapter, complete with an accessible, easy-read version to ensure it is accessible for people with learning disabilities.
The No Barriers Here programme began in 2019 as a one-year initiative to explore new ways of supporting people with learning disabilities to think about planning for their future care. Developed in co-production with people with lived experience, six years on, No Barriers Here has grown far beyond its original scope. The methods developed through the project are now used to train healthcare professionals across the UK and internationally, and are being applied in research studies with other communities who face barriers to care.
The latest achievement for the original No Barriers Here team is co-authoring a chapter in a respected academic book. Recognising the importance of accessibility, the team successfully challenged the publishers to allow them to also produce an easy-read version – a move that ensures other people with learning disabilities can read and understand the work.
“We are incredibly proud of what No Barriers Here has become,” said Gemma Allen, Director of Strategy, Innovation and Communications at The Mary Stevens Hospice. “This project has always been about working with and alongside people who are too often excluded from conversations about their own end of life care and experience barriers to wider healthcare. Seeing it grow from a local idea to something with global reach is inspiring, and this book chapter is a wonderful way to share our story and learning with others.”
The team recently came together at Dudley Voices for Choice’s new premises to celebrate the publication of the book and launch their book chapter together.
