"I love being an activist and speaking up!"

I became an activist several years ago. Because of my learning disability , I don’t always get treated right. People talk to me in a different way that I don’t always understand. This happens a lot to people like me. I want to change this, which is why I became an activist.

I campaign with a local organisation in Croydon called Willow Learning for Life. We’ve supported Mencap’s Treat me well campaign since it launched in 2018. I give talks to healthcare professionals about how to better communicate with people with a learning disability.

Hospitals and GP surgeries aren’t always accessible for people with a learning disability. For example, appointment letters can be hard to understand if they are not in Easy Read – it can be like reading double Dutch!

I’m also campaigning to get an extra learning disability nurse at my local hospital. I call them ‘special nurses’. They’re so important as they help make sure we get good healthcare in hospital.

I recently met Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, at Mencap’s Health Inequalities summit. I spoke to her about why I’m campaigning to improve healthcare, not just for myself but for others with a learning disability. It was lovely to meet her.

I love being an activist and speaking up for people with a learning disability. I’m in my late sixties now, so it just goes to show you can be an activist at any age!