Today, Harvey Price has announced that he will be taking up a new role as Ambassador for the UK’s leading
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.
charity, Mencap.
Harvey plans to use his new position as Mencap Ambassador to act as a role model to young people with a learning disability and educate the general public about learning disability to help tackle stigma and online bullying.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain this morning, his mother Katie Price made the announcement, with more details about how Harvey will be helping Mencap to change the lives of people with a learning disability in the UK to come.
There are 1.5 million people in the UK who have a learning disability, who are often not treated like equals and face stigma and
discrimination
Discrimination is when someone is treated differently (usually in a bad way) because of things like their disability or their
religion
Religion is to do with the things you believe about the world. For example you may believe there is a god or something else. Examples of religions are Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
.
every day of their lives. People with a learning disability are seven times more likely to feel lonely, are twice as likely to be inactive and die on average two decades younger than the general population. Almost one in three young people with a learning disability spend less than one hour outside of their homes on a typical Saturday.
Speaking of his new role as Mencap Ambassador, Harvey Price says:
“I am so happy to be a Mencap ambassador. I want to do good things with the charity like stop online trolling and be a voice for young people like me. I can’t wait!”
Edel Harris, Chief Executive of the learning disability charity Mencap, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Harvey Price as our Ambassador. Harvey is already doing some great work to tackle online bullying and raise awareness of what life is like when you have a learning disability.
“We are pleased to be working with him to help increase the visibility of people with a learning disability across the media and society to help transform attitudes and to do our bit to ensure that the UK is the best place in the world to live for people with a learning disability.
“We look forward to unveiling our exciting plans with Harvey very soon.”
Harvey’s mum Katie Price said:
“Now Harvey is 18, he is becoming a man and growing in confidence and independence
Independence means doing things on your own. Making your own choices. . It has been Harvey’s dream to be a role model to young people with complex needs across the UK, and to use his profile to raise awareness.
“I am thrilled that Harvey has become an Ambassador for Mencap. Mencap does fantastic work campaigning against inequalities, supporting people to live the lives they want to and bringing about change in attitudes towards people like my son. I am so proud to see him take on this role and I can’t wait to see what he will achieve with Mencap.”
People with a learning disability are also one group who has been hit hardest during the coronavirus pandemic. Seven in 10 have seen their social care support stopped at a time when they needed it most. Shockingly, people with a learning disability are dying with coronavirus at six times the rate of the general population.
Mencap is currently campaigning for all people with a learning disability to be prioritised for the
vaccine
A vaccine is medicine that helps your body to fight an infection in the future.
and is calling on
the Government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work.
to invest in the right support in the
community
A community is the people and places in an area.
so all people with a learning disability can get the support they need to lead independent and fulfilling lives.
Price, now 18, was born with Septic Optic Dysplasia, Prader-Willi syndrome,
autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
and a learning disability. His documentary, BBC One’s Katie Price: Harvey and Me, which follows Harvey and his mum during a crucial year in his life as he turns 18, won widespread praise from viewers.
Katie Price: Harvey and Me was broadcast on BBC One on Monday 25 January 2021 and is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
-ENDS-
For further information or to arrange an
interview
An interview is a meeting where you talk to someone or a group of people about something. When you have an interview for a job, you have to answer questions and say why you would be good at the job. The person who gives the best answers is offered the job.
with a Mencap
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.
.
or
case study
A case study is a piece of writing that tells people more information about someone's experience.
, please contact Mencap’s media team on:
- media@mencap.org.uk
- 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
Notes to editors
About Mencap
There are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK.
Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to
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
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
facilities.
Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
Visit www.mencap.org.uk.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap’s freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (10am-3pm, Monday-Friday) or email helpline@mencap.org.uk.
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life
- Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’ - People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.