Glasgow Disability Alliance’s Future Visions

GDA's Future Visions explored the opportunities offered through Self-directed Support with positive outcomes for disabled people

Glasgow Disability Alliance

Run by and for disabled people since 2001, Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA) (this link will take you away from our website) exists to empower disabled Glaswegians to take control of our lives and have our voices heard. Our accessible learning and events bring together a strong community – now over 4000 members – who support each other to build confidence and connections, to tackle barriers so we can make our vital contributions to our families, communities and society.

About Future Visions

Glasgow Disability Alliance’s Future Visions project offers a programme of short-term intensive support, modeled on the landmark Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 (this link will take you away from our website).

• Future Visions empowers GDA members to identify goals, overcome barriers, make choices and take control of their lives, in relation to the support they need.
• Sharing these successes with allies, services, decision-makers and, most importantly, other disabled people, Future Visions highlights and champions what can be achieved with choice, control and the right support.

The results:

• More positive identity, sense of purpose, social connections and improved health and wellbeing.
• Accessing services and making choices, including social care and SDS.
• Accessing wider supports, including community based supports and opportunities e.g. learning, training, volunteering and employment.
• Increased independence: people were supported to participate more and be “leaders” in their own lives, making contributions to their families, communities, and society.

Key Learning – Ingredients for Success

• Simple assessment and a “good conversation” led to reduced red-tape, built trust, targeted resources on self- identified needs and resulted in improved outcomes.
• Solutions were simple and included Financial Assistance, Access and Personal Support.
• Learning, coaching, peer support including role models are vital in raising aspirations, inspiring change and driving forward action for disabled people.
• Access – such as transport, personal assistance or communication support is critical to enable participation.
• Choice and Control develop identity, purpose and wellbeing – this can be both life changing and “life-saving”.
• Feeling respected and being treated with dignity leads to improved self-respect and self-belief.
• Solutions needn’t cost a lot of money but do need to be flexible to make a big impact.
• Building Confidence and removing barriers: essential to change mindset, set goals, Dare to Dream!
• GDA’s ‘one stop shop’ approach: identifies participants and connects them to information, services, networks, campaigning and other activities and opportunities.
• Building capacity, resilience and social connections transforms lives beyond the individual participants to family, friends and community.

To read more about GDA’s Future Visions project, click on the resources below.