Evidence based frameworks for improving quality of residential support, Dr Tony Levitan

Esther Springett

I am an advocate for my sister who has a learning disability and has lived in residential group homes. I am interested in how we make inclusive spaces which lead to greater visibility for people with complex support needs in social, civic and cultural life. I am a co-director of one of Feeling at Home’s project partners Quiet Down There who are developing the Feeling at Home photovoice exhibition, which opens in July 2022 in, Brighton. Quiet Down There specialises in amplifying the everyday and believe that culture is everywhere and everyone creates culture in their own way. They create and support environments where individuals, artists and communities can articulate and develop their own culture – making the invisible visible.

Dr Tony Levitan

I have worked in the NHS as a psychologist for nearly 10 years. My work has mainly been with adults and children with learning disabilities, helping people have a good quality of life.

Over the years I have visited people in their homes where people have staff support. This has made me think about how to help people feel more at home where they live. I am really interested in how people with learning disabilities can be more involved in health and social care services. In my clinical role, I have worked alongside people with learning disabilities to co-facilitate groups to support people with their mental health.

I am really excited to work on the Feeling at Home project and hope it will help people with learning disabilities and their supporters work together to make positive changes to their homes.

Dr Katy Brickley

I am the Research Assistant on the Feeling at Home project. I have a background in making and researching accessible information: I am interested in how it is produced and used. My previous research looked at linguistic and communicative issues in return migration for asylum seekers and irregular migrants. I focused on barriers to people giving informed consent in this multilingual environment. I have produced training for advice staff working with refugees to understand what communication barriers might exist in their work and what strategies they can use to overcome them. In my spare time, I work as an Easy Read translator, translating complex information into Easy Read to make it accessible for people with learning disabilities.

Dr Deborah Chinn

For many years I worked as a clinical psychologist for the NHS in community teams for people with learning disabilities. These days I work in a university helping train NHS staff and researchers. My own research is about the everyday lives of people with learning disabilities, and the services they get from the NHS and social services. I hope that my research can help improve these services, so that people with learning disabilities, their staff, and families can get the help and support that they deserve. My job in the ‘Feeling at Home’ project is to lead the research team and make sure that we complete all the tasks to make sure the project is a success.

Shalim Ali

I work as an Expert by Experience and Quality Checker for Choice Support – a charity that supports people with autism, learning disabilities, and mental health needs. I also have experience living in group homes with other people with learning disabilities. I’m really excited about bringing all this experience and my ideas to the project. I am a trustee for Heart ‘n Soul, a creative arts organisation for people with learning disabilities, and am a member of Learning Disability England Ideas Collective. I am really committed to supporting others with learning disabilities to have a voice.

Dr Andrew Power

I am an Associate Professor in Geography at the University of Southampton, and a co-researcher on the project. I am interested in research on personalisation and care in times of austerity. I have a track record of working inclusively alongside disabled people, using participatory methods including photovoice and arts-based activities. I have led recent research projects examining how people with learning disabilities are building meaningful lives in their communities with peer support and self-advocacy initiatives

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