United Response is a

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

operating in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...

, providing a range of support and services for around 2,000 people with

learning disabilities Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

needs or

physical disabilities A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity or stamina. Other physical disability, disabilities include impairments which limit other facets of daily living skills, daily living, such as respiratory ...

History

United Response was founded in 1973 by Su Sayer, CBE. She opened the first service in Tillington, West Sussex. By 1979, it was the region's largest provider of support for people with learning disabilities. In 1983, United Response expanded to the north of England, setting up its first service in Chesterfield. In 1990, the charity started working with people with mental health needs. Seven years later, it began implementing person-centered active support under the guidance of the late Professor Jim Mansell, CBE, who joined the Board of Trustees in 1995. In 1999, United Response launched the first of many social enterprises, a cleaning company under its trading arm, UR in Business. The company employed people with learning disabilities. In 2002 the charity began working with the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

’s Tizard Centre to study, monitor and evaluate the quality of its support. In 2006, United Response ran a project entitled Mental Wealth to raise awareness of issues facing people with mental health needs. In 2008 the charity launched Making Money Easier – resources to support people with learning disabilities access banks and manage their money. In 2010, United Response began its Every Vote Counts campaign, which it repeated in 2015 and 2019, encouraging more people with learning disabilities to vote. In 2013, United Response launched Easy News, the first accessible news magazine for people with

. In 2018, United Response began it
Disability Hate Crime
campaign. In 2021, United Response launched an annua
Accessible Voting Day

Services

United Response provides 24-hour support for people with profound physical needs or just a few hours for those who need less support to live their lives. Job coaches support people into meaningful paid employment. United Response can provide outreach support for those with mental health needs or help people who find it difficult to communicate by making information more accessible. They have also active support and

positive behaviour support Positive behavior support (PBS) uses a combination of tools from Applied behaviour Analysis and combines it with the values from the 'normalisation and social role valorisation theory' to focus on improving Quality of life. PBS uses functional an ...

as ways of involving people with even the most complex needs and

challenging behaviour Challenging behaviour, also known as behaviours which challenge, is defined as "culturally abnormal behaviour(s) of such intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is placed in serious jeopardy, or behaviou ...

in all areas of their lives.

Campaigns

In support of the organisation's vision, United Response also campaign to improve the lives of people with disabilities in society. This may mean lobbying decision makers such as

Members of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

to ensure that people's voices are heard or it might mean working directly with

disabled people Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

so that they can be more directly engaged in the

democratic process Democracy (From grc, δημοκρατία, dēmokratía, ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choose gover ...

. United Response also works with employers to ensure that more people with learning disabilities, mental health needs, and physical disabilities get a fair opportunity to work.

Accessible voting

Since 2010, United Response have campaigned to make politics easier to understand for the 1.5 million people with learning disabilities in the UK. But people are still effectively excluded from exercising their vote
Take the pledge for accessible voting for all

Disability hate crime

Disability hate crime
can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. United Response call for the criminal justice system to be more accessible for people with learning disabilities, mental health support needs and neurodiversity.

Campaigns Panel reports

United Response’s Campaigns Panel is an informal network made up of around 20 people it supports with disabilities around the country, plus some family members. The panel volunteers their time to ensure the charity’s campaigning is focused on the issues that matter most to the people it supports. Over the past five years, United Response has published reports on issues important to the Campaigns Panel, such as what good care looks like, what the government should be doing to support disabled people and the legacy of the 2013

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

Resources

United Response produces a wealth of resources, many aimed specifically at people with

Easy read documents and Easy News

The charity is experienced in producing ‘easy read’ documents, which use simple words supported by pictures to aid understanding. Producing these documents is part of its commitment to accessibility and to promoting the equality of people with learning disabilities. Its most well-known resource is Easy News, the first news magazine designed to be accessible for people with

, who often find politics and the news difficult to follow due to the use of jargon and complex language. Easy News uses simplified text and pictures to provide people with learning disabilities with easy-to-understand, politically neutral summaries of key news stories and events. United Response also employs groups of people with

and

autism The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

, known as UR Consultants, who are experts in easy read communication, to select and translate the stories within Easy News, and provide consultancy services to businesses throughout the UK. Other easy-read documents by the charity include Making Money Easier, its guide to all things money and finance-related, and its resources on politics and voting to accompany its accessible voting campaign.

Best practice resources

United Response also shares its best practice resources with other professionals in the

social care Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

sector. These span topics such as

person-centred planning Person-centred planning (PCP) is a set of approaches designed to assist an individual to plan their life and supports. It is most often used for life planning with people with learning and developmental disabilities, though recently it has been a ...

techniques, active support, positive behaviour support and community engagement.

Fundraising

United Response fundraises for their local community-based services, runs national appeals and raises money through various

social enterprises A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners. Social enterprises ca ...

staffed by people they support with disabilities.

Awards

In 2008, United Response was shortlisted as the best employer in the Third Sector Excellence Awards and highly commended for their Annual Report. They also won a highly prestigious National Training Award for the investment they make in their staff. United Response’s Easy News (the first easy read news magazine for people with learning disabilities) received a Charity Award 2014 for Education and Training. Later that same year, its creative Postcards from the Edges project won Best Use of the Web at the Charity Times Awards 2014, where it was also Highly Commended in the Charity of the Year category.

Notable patrons

Martyn Lewis Sir Martyn John Dudley Lewis (born 7 April 1945) is a Welsh television news presenter and journalist. He was a presenter for BBC News television programmes between 1986 and 1999 and was known for his involvement in the coverage of the death of ...

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

is president of United Response and was appointed a CBE in 1997 for his services to young people and the

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

movement. TV presenter and former sports commentator

Steve Rider Stephen Rider (born 28 April 1950) is an English sports presenter, and was the anchorman of ITV's football coverage. He anchored ITV's Formula One coverage from 2006 to 2008, and football coverage from 2006 to April 2010. He was the lead present ...

is a Vice President of United Response. The

’s founder, Su Sayer,

, stepped down after 40 years as CEO in March 2014,Civil Society
/ref>. She was appointed a CBE in 2013 for her services to people with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

in the UK.

References

{{reflist Disability rights organizations Mental health organisations in the United Kingdom