People with learning disabilities are set to have a stronger role in shaping the services and opportunities that affect their lives, following a new agreement between Oxfordshire County Council and My Life My Choice.
The new “Deal”, developed by My Life My Choice’s campaign champions — a group of activists with learning disabilities — is designed to strengthen the council’s commitment to working alongside people with lived experience when planning and improving support across the county.
The agreement builds on existing work between the council, My Life My Choice (MLMC) and local partners, and aligns with the Oxfordshire Learning Disability Plan 2025–2035, which sets out long-term priorities for services and inclusion.
Three core pledges
The Deal sets out three key areas of focus:
- Improving social care support and workforce awareness, to ensure staff better understand the needs and experiences of people with learning disabilities.
- Strengthening routes into education, training, volunteering and employment, with the aim of expanding opportunities and reducing barriers.
- Ensuring access to well-connected, inclusive communities, so people can take part in everyday life and feel part of where they live.
Campaign champions and MLMC members will continue to play a central role in delivering the agreement by sharing their lived experience and helping to show what effective support, meaningful work and inclusive environments look like in practice.
“About making sure we get a better life”
Anup Upadhyaya, a trustee of My Life My Choice in 2024–25 and one of the campaign champions involved in developing the Deal, said the agreement was rooted in lived experience.
“This is about making sure we get a better life,” he said.
Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said the Deal reinforced the authority’s commitment to co-production and co-design.
“We are proud to be working so closely with My Life My Choice and their campaign champions,” she said.
“Their insight and advocacy ensures that the voices of learning disabled people are not only heard but embedded in the decisions we make.
“By signing this Deal, we are strengthening our commitment to delivering the right support, the right opportunities and the right environments for people to thrive.”
How progress will be monitored
Progress on the Deal will be overseen by the county’s Learning Disability Improvement Board, which is co-chaired by Dawn Wiltshire, who brings lived experience to the role.
The council said this structure will help ensure that commitments made under the Deal translate into practical changes and improvements over time.
More information about My Life My Choice, including its campaigns and resources, is available at https://mylifemychoice.org.uk/.
