What do Human Rights mean to you?
People with learning disabilities alongside The Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) and The Publishing Bureau launched ‘Human Rights Town’, an app to empower people with learning disabilities to recognise and realise their rights. In this blog, App Development Group Member, Leeanne Clark, shares what human rights mean to people with learning disabilities in Scotland.
The Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) wanted to create an app to help people with learning disabilities to understand and get to know their human rights.
‘Human Rights Town’ started on a large sheet of paper SCLD used at events to talk to people about their rights, but when the COVID-19 pandemic happened, we decided an app would be a better idea!
I became involved in the Human Rights Town app because I wanted to get the voices of people with learning disabilities heard.
It is important people with learning disabilities get their voices heard because they do not get their views listened to as much as other people who do not have a disability.
Human rights are important to me because you need to have respect for other people. Sadly, people with learning disabilities do not always get treated with respect. This means if they are applying for jobs some people do not want to say they have a learning disability in case they get judged and they do not get the job.
On Monday the 30th of August 2021 we launched the Human Rights Town App. Over 150 people from across both Scotland and the world attended the launch.
At the launch the development group gave presentations about the Human Rights Town app. We wanted to let people know about the human rights of people with learning disabilities and how important they are. We also wanted to let people know how we created the app with the help of The Publishing Bureau.
At the launch we asked those who attended a question, what do human rights mean to you?
This is what they told us:
“Right to support, right to be equal”.
“Everyone feeling and being included”.
“Being treated fairly, so I can live the life I want”.
“Being included and treated fairly and equally”.
“Being able to love another person for who they are”.
“Knowing what to expect from other people and how we want to be treated”.
“A common pool of rights that everyone can access, the right to live as I wish…”
“How we can all live together well and safely”.
“To be able to have dignity, respect and our voices heard”.
The App Development Group and SCLD want to make this a reality for all people with learning disabilities. This is why we have made the Human Rights Town app, to help people with learning disabilities understand their rights.
Our inspiration for this app came from the words of Eleanor Roosevelt:
“Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood s/he lives in; the school or college s/he attends; the factory, farm or office where s/he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we look in vain for progress in the larger world.”
Leeanne Clark
About Leeanne
Leeanne Clark is a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and a writer. Leeanne is publishing her book, ‘My journey through life- the real me’ this year. The launch of her book will be on Thursday 28th of October 2021. Leeanne is also a member of the Human Rights Town App Development Group.
Human Rights Town is available to download for free from Apple App Store and Google Play Store now.
