Do you know that there are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK?
Or that approximately 1.3 million of those people with a learning disability are in England?
How do we ensure that they are not disenfranchised from the voting process because of their disability?
To help answer that question, Voice4Change-England's Development and Grants Officer, Jana Kovariova joined our good friends at the Learning Disability Network London to deliver an in-person #YourVoteYourVoice - Political Literacy and Voter ID Awareness workshop supported by the Greater London Authority.
Learning Disability Network which is a V4CE member works with children and adults living with learning disabilities and their families in London.
The workshop which took place at their Community Hub, in London on Thursday 16 November 2023 provided attendees with information and insights around the new voting requirements brought about via changes to the Elections Act (2022).
The workshop was adapted to the needs of the audience to enable them to learn about the new requirements of Photo ID for voting. Jana spoke about the accepted forms of photo Voter ID, how to register to vote, and how to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate.
The GLA and Shout Out UK provided easy-to-read materials to make the information more accessible.
The audience was warm and engaging, asking the right questions and showing interest in how to vote, what ID they would need, and what they could do if they did not have one.
The session was supported by members of staff of the LDNLondon who provided assistance when needed.
At the end of the session, the participants shared that they felt more informed about this and confident enough to help if someone asked.
The workshop was capped with refreshments and festive goodies.
*This workshop is supported by the Greater London Authority, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE, printed and promoted by Voice4ChangeEngland, 2c Falkland Road, NW5 2PT.