Is the Choice Forum still relevant? Should we continue?

Discussion
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Dear Choice Forum Community,

As a significant milestone approaches – 25 years since the Choice Forum began in September 2000 – it is time to ask important questions: Is the Choice Forum still relevant? Should we continue the Forum? What changes should we make? How can we encourage more discussion?

The Forum was born from a recognition that professionals working with people with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) often felt isolated in their vital roles. What began as a focused initiative for the PMLD community quickly blossomed. The Choice Forum organically expanded, taking on a life of its own to become a much broader, inclusive venue where anyone involved in the learning disability sector, from whatever perspective, could meet and share.

For a quarter of a century, we have been a neutral, friendly place where we have come together online to:

  • Ask questions about supporting people with learning disabilities
  • Exchange knowledge, experiences, and information
  • Highlight and discuss concerns
  • Support each other
  • Find out the latest learning disability related news, events, and information, and
  • Connect with other like-minded people.

We have welcomed anyone who wants people with learning disabilities to have a better life. Our diverse membership includes individuals with learning disabilities, parents, friends, relatives, professionals in the field, national and local policymakers, service providers, and commissioners. This broad-based membership truly makes us unique.

If we decide that the Choice Forum is still relevant and there is demand for it to continue, would you like to be involved in helping give it a new lease of life for the next few months, years, and decades?

The ideal scenario would be for a number of passionate volunteers to come forward, each taking on a small, manageable role to help us guide the forum into its next chapter. This could involve, for example, moderating discussions, curating resources, helping with social media, publicity and technical aspects. We also need people to champion specific topics that are important in the lives of people with learning disabilities.

Please share your thoughts on whether the Choice Forum should continue to serve our community, and if so, how you can lend your support - whether it is actively posting or as a volunteer to help it run.

Unfortunately, unless other people step up to take the Choice Forum forward it will need to close.

Many thanks,

Neil

Current Guardian of the Choice Forum

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Hi Neil
The choice forum for me has been a comfortable place to read and sometimes to chat with likeminded people . A forum which understands the complex needs of CYP and that’s why it’s easy to contribute to it and use it.
It would be useful to know how it is run at the moment?
Who does the editing ? How many people are involved etc.
it will be very sad if such a forum no longer exists. It caters for the low incidence and specialist needs of children with PMLD , in a clear, friendly, honest , well organised, current and v informative way.
Not to have it anymore would be a great loss. Its usage reflects the low incidence of the disability . Like children with PMLD they are stable and then a they have a crisis . Hopefully, it is often overcome.

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Hi Neil,

I think that the forum should continue because it is an invaluable network. It has a broad membership. As a parent carer, through the forum, I was able to participate in a research project. Now, with the government looking at welfare reform, it is important to have this forum because we need to have a positive view of disability.

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CHESTER, Verity (HERTFORDSHIRE… reacted to your message:
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Thanks, @Murree, for your encouraging comments.

Currently, the forum is run by me on a volunteer basis, with some assistance from my wife and a friend when needed. I moderate the occasional message when new people post, and I share relevant information when I become aware of it.

Ideally, we would have someone continue to do this work, while working to build the forum up through networking and building links to increase the Choice Forum’s profile. Having an increased presence on social media is also essential.

My work over the last few years has taken me in a different direction, and I don’t realistically have the time to dedicate to the Choice Forum that it deserves and needs to be more helpful to the community around people with learning disabilities. I am, however, committed to supporting its development in the background, should a group of interested people wish to run it on a day-to-day basis. If you or anyone is interested, please either private message me on the forum or email me at hello@choiceforum.org

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Thanks @Parentcarer for your comments. One of the things that have driven my continued involvement with the Choice Forum is the nature of the network, how it brings together parents/carers with professionals and vice versa, sharing our knowledge, which brings positive impacts for the people with learning disabilities we are involved with supporting. The amount I have learnt over the years is immense. Lots of people still benefit from the information shared as it is all available on the web. We have 10s of thousands of people every year who read material that has been shared on the Choice Forum.

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Hi Neil
I can ask around and see whether there are any learning disability organisations that would be willing to take over the administration of the site. I think its a great resource and outlet for the community.