Ismail Kaji
Labour Party Conference, Liverpool
Earlier this month I spent two days at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool with Rob Holland, Mencap’s Parliamentary
Manager
A manager is a boss at work. They tell you what you need to do and give you support if you need it.
.
I attended as a
spokesperson
A spokesperson is someone who speaks up about something. They usually speak up on behalf of a group or
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
.
for Mencap and people with a
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
. I was there to make a difference for people’s equal
rights
Rights are the things everyone should be allowed to do like have a say, or go to school.
.
Party conference is an event that all political parties have once a year. Party members and MPs come together with businesses and charities to discuss many issues including health,
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
,
employment
Employment means having a job.
and
the economy
The economy is to do with how much money a country is making. A good economy is when the country has enough money. A bad economy is when the country doesn't have enough money.
.
When we arrived at the Labour Party Conference, Rob and I dropped our bags at the hotel and then had lunch and at the conference hall. The first event we attended was about the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is also called the UK. It includes the countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
’s plans to leave the European Union – also known as Brexit. The speakers were the MPs Chukka Umunna MP, Ed Miliband, Lisa Nandy, and Rachael Reeves.
The discussion was interesting, and the speakers talked about what the country will be look like when we leave the European Union.
I also went to the Brexit fringe event, and asked a question on
easy read
Easy Read is a way of making written information easier to understand. Pictures are usually added next to the writing.
information and the barriers there were before the EU Referendum to understanding what staying or leaving the European Union would mean for people with a learning disability.
Conservative Party Conference, Birmingham
I then attended the Conservative Party Conference, where I went to their Brexit fringe event. I thought it was well set out and that there were good question and answers.
After this discussion, I went to an event about employment. It was very busy and I asked a question about employment for people with a learning disability and their support through the Access to Work scheme.
After this, I spoke to the Care Support Alliance to share my personal experiences using the NHS and how it has been challenging in many ways.
I also met Dr Tania Mathias MP (pictured above). I spoke to her about my work at Mencap and my experience of personal health, and how we are going to start communication training for health professionals.