The IncludeAge Project

The IncludeAge project, led by Professor Judith Sixsmith at the University of Dundee and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, works across the UK (Scotland, England and Wales). The project seeks to understand the place-based experiences of inclusion and exclusion of middle to older aged LGBT+ people and middle to older aged people with learning disabilities.

Only by developing an understanding from the lived experience of these under-served groups can potential solutions be co-created towards more inclusive communities. The IncludeAge project has talked with more than 140 people with lived experience and over 40 organisations and is gaining information on the intersections between age, sexual identity and learning disabilities to inform policy and practice on how to enhance community inclusion. So far, the IncludeAge project has identified, in a series of workshops, key ways in which more inclusive communities can be created. This requires more than good intentions. It involves:

• Designing accessible and welcoming community spaces.
• Providing staff and volunteers within organisational and institutional settings with diversity and inclusion training.
• Amplifying the voices of older LGBT+ people and older people with learning disabilities in decision-making processes.
• Going beyond safe spaces by challenging discrimination and responding robustly to harassment in brave spaces and places.
• Celebrating the contributions of all people through community events and storytelling, making sure that diverse older people are visible and heard.
• Applying an intersectional lens to policies and practices to ensure that the most marginalised voices are heard and supported.
• Actively challenging ageist attitudes and promoting positive representations of older people.

The journey towards inclusive communities requires collective effort, empathy, and a commitment to valuing every person despite and sometimes because of differences. By creating environments where older LGBT+ people and older people with learning disabilities feel safe, respected, and included, we can begin to address the legacy of exclusion and build communities where no one is left behind.

Returning to human rights, everyone deserves to feel like they belong and are welcome – especially in the places and spaces that make up their everyday lives. Let's ensure that our communities are places where diversity is not only accepted but celebrated.

NDTi is part of the IncludeAge project team.

Visit the IncludeAge website for more information.