I Am Here... To Be Seen: Why Visibility Matters for People with Learning Disabilities

By Lucy McKee, Self-Advocate, Enable 

I am here…To be Seen…  

The theme of the week is I am Here…To be Seen, and I think that it is important that we are all seen in the world and we are all visible.   

We work to build an equal society for everyone through our self-advocacy work and through representing Enable and those we serve.  

Lucy McKee is a self-advocate and Membership Ambassador in Enable's Communities team and has worked with Enable since May 2021. As Co-Chair of Enable's National Self-Advocacy Forum, Lucy has represented self-advocates at local, national and international events, championing equal rights and inclusion for people with learning disabilities. 

How does your role in Enable help you to be seen? 

As a self-advocate of Enable, I attended the 21st Europe in Action Conference in Vicenza in Italy. Bringing my voice to this international platform allowed me to be seen. It was an event run by Inclusion Europe where more than 20 million people with learning disabilities are seen and heard. Here I told people about our national self-advocacy work and what it means to people. My message was I wanted people to see that Human Rights is a universal right and collectively we are stronger together as a national voice.  

I was there to be seen.  

Why was it important for you and Enable to be seen on the international stage as well as the Scottish stage? 

To be seen internationally meant that we could take - Our Rights Now! Campaign - to a global audience. We showed how everyone could be seen through voting for your rights.  

Our work is national so no one is left behind.  

We are seen by the Scottish Government.  

We make human rights apply to everyone – as set out by the UNCPRD Articles 29 (participation in political and public life) and Article 30 (participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport.) 

When we speak together, we are seen! 

What does learning disability week mean to you? 

Learning disability week helps to raise awareness, it puts in the spotlight the barriers that people face and the challenges that need to be overcome.  

What is the self-advocacy forum? 

The National Self-advocacy forum brings people together to discuss their rights, share experiences and influence change. It is a partnership and power-sharing between self-advocates and the organisations that support them. 

 It is a forum where we are all seen.  

What are your hopes beyond Learning Disability Week?   

My hopes beyond Learning Disability Week are that we continue to be seen, heard, and valued, not just for one week, but every day. I want our voices to be listened to, our rights to be recognised and upheld, and for true equality to be visible to everyone, not just a few. Being seen means being respected, included, and given the same opportunities as anyone else, now and in the future. 

I am here... to be seen.