Together 4 Change logo
This is our logo. It was designed by Michelle Rebello at Dimensions. She made sure the colours work for people who are colour blind.

‘Together 4 Change’ is a place where supported people can come together to talk about things that matter. 

Anyone who is supported by an ARC England member can join. You do not need to be a member. People who provide support are also welcome. 

We meet every 8 weeks on Zoom. 

Meetings are on Thursdays from 1.30pm – 2.45pm 

Supported people decide what we will talk about and if the group wants to do this, we share feedback, ideas and concerns with the leaders and managers working in services to make changes happen. 

Chairs

Matthew Lester and Sui Ling Tang are the co-chairs of the group. They lead every meeting together.

Find out more about Matthew Lester and Sui Ling Tang. in the T4C Co-Chairs announcement.

Sui Ling Tang
Matthew Lester

At each meeting we: 

  • Talk about our news. 
  • Hear about an important topic. This can be a visiting speaker or a supported person talking about work they have done. 
  • Discuss the topic and what we want to do. 
  • Set the agenda (what we are going to talk about) for the next meeting. 

 

Topics covered 

Together 4 Change has been meeting since September 2021. 

At our meetings we have talked about: 

  • How we get more supported people to vote. 
  • Dating agencies. 
  • Choosing our staff. 
  • How to use the internet safely. 
  • The cost of living – how to save money 
  • Oliver McGowan training 
  • Using public transport 

 

Last meeting 

At the last meeting we talked about: 

Autism-friendly training. 

  • Michelle talked about the work she has done at Dudley Zoo. She talked about how places like zoos and cinemas can work better for autistic people. 
  • The Shout Out group talked about a podcast they have made. It is called ‘Jasper Pickles Climbs Everest’. It is about how difficult a hospital visit can be for someone who is autistic. Watch ‘Jasper Pickles Climbs Everest’. 

You can see a video about the meeting. The passcode is: 96Uisk*t 

Evaluation 

We are very pleased because at our last meeting:  

  • Everybody said they had learned new things. 
  • Everybody said it had helped them understand their rights. 
  • People said it was very interesting.

 

Find out more 

If you want to know more about ‘Together For Change’ email Rod at [email protected] or call 07502 691 784.