12. I have a learning disability. This is why I became a researcher.

People with a learning disability need to be involved in research.  Especially when the topic is so important – The DAPPLE Project is about life and death!  I became a researcher because I want people with a learning disability to get good care at the end of their lives.  I also want to challenge – and stop – ignorance about people with a learning disability and what society says we can and can’t do.  (I feel very strongly about this and wrote a rap about it – you can watch my music video 'Judgement's Rage' here). 

Our experiences of having a learning disability bring a different perspective to research.  We know a lot of things that people without a learning disability don’t.  This means we really help make a difference.  I believe that people with a learning disability can be lights that shine in a research team.

Before getting this job, I had been working with Kingston University as part of the Staying Alive and Well co-production group for the LeDeR programme, who meet once a month online.  I saw on social media that the Learning Disability Research Team were looking for a new Research Assistant.  I liked that there was a video with information about the job.  It made it so much easier for me to understand what the role was.  I was also able to get some support to do the application, which was very helpful.  It is great to be working now as part of the team at Kingston University.  The job gives me a purpose – I feel like I am doing something important.

I hope my role on The DAPPLE Project will open doors for me and lead to more opportunities working in research.  I would really like to present at conferences and give seminars.  I want to speak out and share what we are doing.  So watch this space!

Written by Sunny Sokhal, Research Assistant at Kingston University London