Becky Rich is a volunteer Dance Leader, Spokesperson and Ambassador for DanceSyndrome. As well as performing in both our contemporary dance and street dance performance teams, Becky works hard to promote our charity by giving inspiring speeches at conferences and special events and working to raise our profile through networking. In particular, she has recently been responsible for recruiting a number of Star Supporters who have given testimonials about the value of our work. Her work was recognised at a national level last year when she was included in the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders List. In this blog, she talks about the List and the impact it has had on her life.
“In December 2018 I was proud to be chosen as an inspiring leader on the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders List! I was one of only 15 people chosen in the category of Sports, Arts and Entertainment! It was a real honour for me and I am very proud of this achievement.
Today, I am very proud to share that I have been invited to be a judge for the 2019 Leaders List! This is such a privilege and I am very proud to be given this important opportunity!
I think that the Leaders’ List is a beautiful way for young leaders, and leaders in general, to be recognised in this way, showing how talented they are, inspiring strong and true leadership. I want to celebrate their talents and show that they are loved in society and that they do great, inspiring work!
Part of my role as a judge is to encourage people to nominate themselves or someone they know – I’d love to see lots of amazing people entering and being nominated. To help you to decide if you want to nominate someone, here is some useful information about the list:
The Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ List is a collection of stories about people who have learning disabilities and/or autism. It celebrates and shares the great things they have done.
This is the second time the Leaders’ List has been run – I was included in the very first one!
The list is run by not-for-profit support provider Dimensions and Learning Disability England and VODG help run the List.
In summer, a group of judges – including me! – will choose 42 Leaders.
The Leaders’ List will be published on 3rd December 2019. This is International Day of Persons with a Disability.
The Leaders will have their story published online, like mine, which can be read on the Dimensions website.
We're very excited to be able to share another amazing #achievement for one of our #Dance #Leaders! Congratulations to Becky Rich who has been featured in the national Learning Disability Leaders List! https://t.co/qRRsmry4tI#AbilityNotDisability #inclusive #dance
— DanceSyndrome (@DanceSyndrome) December 3, 2018
Dimensions will also tell the press and media about the Leaders’ stories. This is because they want more people with learning disabilities and/autism to be seen in the news. This is important because it helps more people understand what learning disabilities and autism are. I love it when I feature in the local newspapers, in articles like this one in the Lancashire Telegraph, because it changes the way people think about disability and that is really important!
There are 6 different categories of leaders. One category is Sports, Arts & Entertainment, which I was included in. This is for people who are doing creative and sporty things, like dancing. The other categories are:
– Local communities
– Advocacy, policy and the media
– Work and education
– Groups and teams
– Profound and multiple learning disabilities
A Young Leader award and Lifetime Achievement award will also be given to two Leaders.
Everyone who enters themselves or is nominated by somebody else will be given a certificate to say thank you and to celebrate what they have done.
Entries for the Learning Disability and Autism Leaders’ List are now officially open. They are open until 6pm on 26th July 2019. Visit www.dimensions-uk.org/leaderslist2019 to find out more about it.
I am very honoured to be a judge, I can’t wait to read the stories from people with learning disabilities and/or autism across the country who are making a different to disability awareness because this is a really important message.
Please tell people about the Leaders’ List and ask them to tell other people too. We want lots of people to know about it because it is a really great opportunity!
If you want to know more about the work I do with DanceSyndrome, you can read my case study or watch this video:
We would also be really grateful if you might think about making a donation to support the amazing work that we do!
