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UEL Chancellor, Lord Rix, recognises University’s Rix Centre achievements in transforming healthcare access for learning disabled people.

Friday 25 June 2010

Rix Centre

Lord Rix, Chancellor of the University of East London, joined with key academics, professionals and people with learning disabilities themselves, to recognise the achievements of the Rix Centre and partners in improving access to primary healthcare for the learning disabled in the London borough of Tower Hamlets.

Speakers, including Katharine Marks, Chair of Learning Disability Partnership Board for the borough, Jane McLean, Associate Director Commissioning (Long Term Conditions) for NHS Tower Hamlets and Angela Harden, Professor of Community and Family Health at the Institute for Health and Human Development at UEL, highlighted the many issues faced by learning disabled people in accessing primary healthcare.

Learning disabled guests Debra Eary and Juber Ahmed were also present to demonstrate first hand the importance to them personally of the multimedia courses that the Rix Centre runs, which, using digital cameras and computer technology aims to help improve the quality of their daily lives.

Lord Rix, whose daughter Shelley was born with Down's syndrome, has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of people with learning disabilities for sixty years and is an enthusiastic advocate of the many benefits of new media to this section of the community.

The centre, which was named in his honour, is a charitable organisation committed to realising the benefits of new media technology in transforming the lives of people with learning disabilities. It supports the design and building of innovative new software, provides advice and guidance to organisations, runs training courses for social and community care professionals and has a research and development laboratory based at the University where it works with the learning disability community to develop ways in which the latest new media technology can enhance their lives.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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