Leeds For All will showcase disabled people’s achievements

Leeds For All will run digitally over four days to coincide with the International Day of Disabled People on December 3.

The diverse December 1 to 4 event will feature everything from discussion groups about the accessibility of open spaces to an art exhibition on social media showing how disabled people have coped during the coronavirus pandemic.

Leeds For All is being jointly co-ordinated by the William Merritt Disabled Living Centre in Rodley and Third Sector health and social care groups Forum Central and Volition. They are being supported by a planning group drawn from various physical and sensory impairment organisations and individuals.

Last year’s event, in the Brodrick Hall in Leeds City Museum, featured 35 stalls and had art, performance and film displays. It attracted around 200 people, but this year’s initiative is hoping to tap into a wider online audience.

Karen Fenton, operations manager for Volition, said the event would be a mix of the celebratory with plenty of fun items like Zoom discos, sing-a-longs and poetry. But there will also be debates looking at wider issues facing the disabled community.

She said they would look at “What have we got to be proud of, the achievements of the city, what are the things we are really pushing for? On the flip side of that - where could things improve collectively to push some of that forward?”

The event will be opened by Coun Kevin Ritchie, Geoff Turnbull and Volition trustee Phil Gleeson.

Mr Gleeson, who is disabled, said: “I’ll try and keep it light and celebratory but we have got to realise Leeds is not accessible. I don’t mean Leeds city centre either, I mean Leeds as a whole from Bradford and way over to places like Harrogate. There are still a lot of places and estates which still don’t have drop kerbs. We know it’s happening but of course with things like funding they will struggle to be even done.”

Leeds For All’s programme of events has been part-funded by Leeds City Council ward councillors and the LCC Equality Hub. All the sessions are free to attend and can be booked through Eventbrite. As well as the ‘live events’, content will also be uploaded to YouTube. People can access things like Ascendance’s ‘Dancing with Parkinson’s’ film anytime from December 1.

The organisers are acutely aware that not everyone has a computer, so a number of offline packs have been printed so those people can still join in.

Mr Gleeson said the event was open to all, not just to disabled people. He added: “As a disabled person, just as a person and a citizen of Leeds I hope everybody enjoys it. I hope they get a lot out of it and forget about what’s going off (in the world) while they are sitting in front of a screen, watching what’s going on.” While Karen Fenton wishes the initiative will reach as many people as possible. She said: ”There is so much light in it all. There is so much celebratory stuff going on throughout the four days. There is a lot of joy to be had from the things we have brought together. It’s all for free and we are not charging anybody a penny to do it.”

The networker hopes the event will bring disabled people and organisations closer together. And in the long term she hopes their discussions can help make “tangible changes and improvements for people”.

BACKGROUND:

Leeds For All is a great opportunity for disabled people to connect with service providers.

That is the view of David Blythe, the general manager of the William Merritt Disabled Living Centre.

The centre in Rodley is jointly hosting the virtual event from December 1 to 4 with Forum Central and Volition.

Mr Blythe said: “Due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic many third sector organisations have had to postpone or cancel many informative and supporting events that promote and inform disabled people of the services that are still available across Leeds.

“The Leeds For All event is a great opportunity for disabled people and community groups to interact with many third sector organisations who provide important healthcare services.”

The event will be jointly opened by Leeds City Council’s Disability Champion, Coun Kevin Ritchie. Mr Ritchie, who will give the welcome with Geoff Turnbull and Phil Gleeson, said: “Thank you to Forum Central and the William Merritt Centre for putting together such a comprehensive program for the week. I’m looking forward to the packed agenda and learning about the successes achieved and challenges ahead, so we can develop our partnerships, to ensure we have a more accessible city.”

To find out more about Leeds For All go to www.wmdlc.org/idodp.