It was our social media consultant Coire Blackwood’s birthday on Thursday! VIAS decided to surprise him at lunch with some gifts and cake. The cake was delicious and the gifts were great! Here’s to another year older, Coire!

It was recently our consultant for The Life I Want David’s birthday! Of course we had to surprise him with some gifts for his new car and a cake! We hope David had a fantastic day. Here’s to another year older!

Our Triple E job coach Davie celebrated his birthday today along with the VIAS family! It was great for us all to get together and celebrate this special occasion.

Happy birthday Davie!

A project which aims to increase the number of people with learning disabilities securing employment held its graduation ceremony at the University of Aberdeen last week!

The ceremony celebrated the achievements of the class of 2023/24 who graduated from the DFN Project SEARCH programme – a collaborative project which provides real-life work experience, combined with training in employability and independent-living skills, to young people with learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum conditions who want to go on to find paid employment.

Tracey Slaven, University Secretary & Chief Operating Officer of the University of Aberdeen, who presented the Interns with their graduation certificates, said: “We are delighted to have hosted this unique programme on our campus for 11 years. Graduation ceremonies are always special and the Project SEARCH event is a proud moment not only for the families of the graduating Interns, but for all our colleagues in the University and beyond who have supported them during their journey. Our graduating Interns are wonderful ambassadors for young people in the workplace who can champion neurodiversity. Our ceremony today reflects how Project SEARCH is instrumental in paving the way for change beyond education and the workplace and into society more generally”.

Neil Cowie, Principal, who represented North East Scotland College (where Interns are registered students), said: “Our graduates can look back on their time with Project SEARCH with enormous pride. It’s a major milestone and one which sets every individual on an exciting path. The dedication each individual has shown, and the talent and energy demonstrated in so many different ways during the programme, provides a tremendous platform to thrive in work and in life. Celebrating the achievements of the Interns is always a highlight of the year for all connected with NESCol and our valued Project SEARCH partners. What I enjoy even more is hearing about what happens next, where the hard work and skills that have been built lead to. With Project SEARCH those stories never fail to inspire and we are very grateful for all that the interns have brought to the programme and to everyone who has played their part in supporting the class of 2024.”

The ceremony also included contributions from the Co-Chairs of Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS), which holds the licence to operate the DFN Project SEARCH programme in Aberdeen. Norma Curran, Chief Executive, said: “Everyone at VIAS is hugely proud of the achievements of this year’s interns. Their growth as individuals and as role models has been inspirational. We are excited to see their next steps and wish them all well for a bright future. We are grateful to our partners at DFN Project SEARCH University of Aberdeen for making all of this possible for this inspirational group of young people”.

Highlights from the ceremony included contributions from graduating Interns, Lewis Pickering, Rebecca Thomson, Jamie Maciver and Katie Anderton and the premiere of two videos showcasing the achievements of Interns past and present.

Thanks were extended to the on-site team and to the representatives of all organisations which had supported the programme during the year, including funders (Aberdeenshire Council and Shell UK Ltd) and several local businesses who had generously provided sponsorship and/or external placement opportunities!

We are in the middle of Learning Disability Week 2024, the theme being digital inclusion.

As many of you will know, in 2021, VIAS celebrated 50 years since the establishment of Campaign for the Mentally Handicapped (CMH) which later became Values Into Action UK. One of the primary purposes of CMH was to campaign for the closure of institutions (or sub normality hospitals as they were known as at that time) which, at the time, housed around 70,000 people with learning disabilities in the UK (7,842 people in Scotland alone).

Digitally this was an exciting decade with some important milestones occurring during that period.
1969 – Stanford and UCLA established the first computer link up between to different places
1971 – The first message was sent using @
1972 – Calculators were invented
1973 – The first handheld mobile phone was developed by Motorola
1974 – The first personal computer was developed

It sends a chill down my spine that a society so progressive as to make such technological advances could, at the same time, be capable of barbaric practices of locking people with learning disabilities away often in insanitary and inhumane conditions.

We know how things have moved on digitally since all those firsts of the 70s. We also know that many people with learning disabilities did indeed leave the institutions although it should be noted that 300 Scottish people remain in assessment and treatment units to this day.

In terms of technology, we were never more grateful than in the COVID pandemic of 2020 when, during lockdowns, technology became our only link to family and friends, to work and to health care. Yet again, we found that people with learning disabilities were (and continue to be) at the back of the queue in terms of digital inclusion. There are many reasons for this, some of which include: –
• Cost of internet access and mobile phone contracts
• Inaccessibility of devices and apps
• Nobody has taught people how to use technology
• Nobody supports people to use technology
• Friends are often digitally excluded too so there is no real incentive to use digital technology.
Let’s be honest, we could pick any topic relating to everyday lives and find that people with learning disabilities are most disadvantaged – health, relationships, employment, housing, the list goes on…… Being digitally competent plays a huge part in all the above for most people today.
Health – health apps, online medical appointments
Relationships – dating apps, online friendship groups
Employment – digital job applications, online banking
Housing – online housing repair booking, online mortgage applications.

As well as running and supporting events and activities this week, we decided that this was a good time to go back to basics to look inwardly as well as outwardly.

Yesterday, the amazing Heather Simmons facilitated the first of two sessions for VIAS staff. The aims of the sessions are: –
• To remind ourselves of the original purpose and intention of VIAS
• To remind ourselves of what we do and how we do it
• To offer some ideas that might shape how we go about our relationships with our colleagues and our work practices
• To consider any gaps there might be and what we can do to close them.

It is so important to take time to pause for thought. As Scotland emerges from the consultation period around the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill, VIAS stands resolute in our commitment to being a broad church that welcomes all regardless of label and looks forward to being part of the much-needed change for Scotland. We also renew our commitment to ensuring that anything and everything that we do as an organisation puts people with learning disabilities at the heart of design, development, and delivery. If we can get support right for people with a learning disability, then we get support right for everyone.

When CMH was established in 1971, equal participation and people telling their own stories was as much part of the DNA of the organisation as was their mission. Their 1972 conference Our Lives was groundbreaking and played a huge part in the development of the strong self-advocacy movement that we see today. We thank Heather for helping us to reflect on this and to celebrate the fact that equal participation is as strong in VIAS now as it was in CMH and that together, we will achieve the change that is long overdue and very much deserved.

– Norma Curran, CEO, Values Into Action Scotland

DFN Project SEARCH University of Aberdeen are holding a fundraising ceilidh and barbecue hosted by Shell UK on Friday 17th May!

Starting from 4PM, there will be a raffle, traditional dancing and plenty of entertainment!

The event will be held at Woodbank House in Cults, Aberdeen and is £15 a ticket (cash only). Get in touch with Clare Northfield at clare.northfield@viascotland.org.uk to book your place at this exciting event!

VIAS would like to wish a very happy birthday to our CEO Norma Curran! She and Jojo loved the gifts she received and everyone enjoyed the special birthday fruit salad. Happy birthday Norma!

VIAS is delighted to welcome Kerry McQuillan to the team!

Kerry will be working as a lead consultant in job coaching for our supported employment service Triple E. She will be helping disabled job hunters find employment and matching them with organisations looking to find capable candidates for their job vacancies.

Welcome to the team Kerry!