Author Archive

Gary Bourlet

Gary Bourlet is a co-development lead at People First England. He has previously had development roles at Inclusion North and the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI). Together with Kaliya Franklin, he co-founded People First England in January 2014. The organisation aims to support people with learning disabilities to have a louder voice in the media and the world of politics.

800 years of Magna Carta but learning disabled people remain ‘villeins’, denied rights against arbitrary power. What would a Magna Carta for learning disabled people look like? Who are the ‘villeins’ today? No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way,  nor will be proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no-one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice. 800 years ago this set of freedoms was made law. Although Magna Carta is widely believed to have been …