Welcome to the Our Social Lives Peer Research ProjectÂ
Co-produced research by ARC England, Learning Disability England and Paradigm
- This was a co-produced peer research project that ran throughout England in 2024/25.
- It was created by ARC England, in partnership with Learning Disability England and Paradigm.
- Our Steering Group consisted mainly of experts by experience.
- Training for our peer researchers was co-produced and co-delivered.
Our Steering Group
The Steering Group say:
âThe point of Our Social Lives was to find out about social lives through individual voices.
While we were clear that we could not make improvements ourselves – we hoped by sharing and making sure people are heard, leaders listen and take action to change things.
People themselves can change things but may need a wider experience.â
What we found
The people interviewed for the project said:
– Family and friends are the most important people in their lives.
– Many people feel lonely when routines change or when they cannot see others.
– People enjoy a wide range of hobbies and activities
– Transport is a big problem
– Some people have no paid support
Read full details of the project so far:
– Our Social Lives Report – Easy Read
– Our Social Lives Report – Long version
Launch Webinar 10th December 2025
The teams from Learning Disability England and ARC England were joined by the Steering Group, interviewers and everyone interested in finding out what was discovered about the social lives of people with a learning disability and autistic people in England. Almost 100 people took part in the session.
Groups went off into breakout rooms to discuss the findings and what should be done with them.
Everyone recorded their ideas in Mentimeter polls and you can see some of the results in the images on this page.
What happens next?Â
The project is not finished – we are talking about how to take the suggested actions forward – watch this space!
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