Kyle's story

Kyle, now aged 30, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and a learning disability as a child but has never let his diagnosis be an obstacle in achieving what he is passionate about.

He moved into a Lifeways supported living service in 2015 and shared his amazing story for the latest issue of Lifeways quarterly newsletter, Lifelines.

Kyle volunteers at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital where he delivers presentations in order to raise awareness on Learning Disabilities in the hospital environment and provides training to doctors and nurses. Kyle is passionate about raising awareness and addressing health inequalities faced by individuals with learning disabilities. He is a Steering Group Member for Mencap’s Treat Me Well Campaign, which aims to create better experiences in hospitals for people with disabilities.

 As part of the campaign, Kyle was invited to the Houses of Parliament and spoke with MPs about making Learning Disability Training a part of the mandatory training in all hospitals. Thanks to the hard work and effort of the Steering Group, this has now been achieved.

Following this, Kyle was invited to the Learning Disabilities and Autism: Improving Care Conference in Manchester to discuss the Treat Me Well Campaign and the impact it has had on changing the Government and Healthcare Policy.  Kyle said, “Getting to be a part of the Treat Me Well Campaign was amazing but, my proudest achievement was moving away from home and moving into my own flat. Although I missed my parents, I have learned to make my own decisions and with the help of Lifeways, and live a happy and independent life”.

Determined to inspire other people living with disabilities, Kyle is an advocate for patients and young people with learning disabilities who are scared, isolated and need someone to talk to. “My biggest aspiration in life is to make a positive impact in people’s lives. I have learned that in life, people will always treat you how you treat them so I always treat people how I would like to be treated myself.”

Well done Kyle – what an amazing achievement and an inspirational attitude!