“When we first began planning the Our Life Stories project a couple of years ago, our initial aim was to gather stories about the progress of social care and the role United Response has played in it. However, as the project developed, we realised it presented a unique opportunity to conduct peer-on-peer interviews, enabling us to gather insights and experiences directly from people with learning disabilities and autistic people, through conversations with their peers.

These unique snapshots into people’s lives — such as their upbringing, school experiences, and relationships — will be stored in the British Library and shared in exhibitions around the country.


This style of interview about learning disabilities will be the first of its kind for the British Library, so it’s it an exciting and historic moment for everyone involved.

My role within the project is to motivate and encourage the interviewers. I offer advice and feedback on their interviews, and ensure that everything is coordinated between the interviewees and their support workers. Naturally, in people’s lives, things can change rapidly — perhaps an appointment comes up, or someone can’t attend — so we’ve had to be flexible and adaptable to accommodate those changes.

I’ve supported Donna and Alex, two of our interviewers to travel to Bognor Regis and Littlehampton to conduct eight interviews so far. The people we support and the staff were really supportive and engaged with the project which makes a huge difference.

The Our Life Stories project has been really rewarding for everyone involved.

Rather than having their lives documented by others, such as care providers or support workers, the interviewees are given the chance to share their own perspectives, in their own words. This project offers an opportunity to hear voices that have historically been silenced.

The interviewees have a valuable opportunity to express themselves in a way that is often not afforded to them and the project team, myself included, are incredibly proud to bring their stories to life.”

Our Life Stories: find out more