Di Lofthouse MBE
Position: Associate
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Di Lofthouse is a member of ‘Talk Back UK’, a self advocacy organisation. Di is also a self direct associate.
Di became a member of her local Mencap Gateway club as a young person, this gave her a keen interest in sport, and this led to Di being selected as a member of the GB team at the Special Olympics in Russia, winning a gold medal in table tennis.
Di has been a strong campaigner for the rights of people with a learning disability in the UK and internationally and features in the award winning video ‘Perfect People’.
Di played a leading role in changing Mencap’s constitution to include people with a learning disability in the decision making process across the organisation. She was the first person with a learning disability to have a place on Mencap’s National Council.
Di now works locally to speak up and campaign for people with a learning disability and health problems.
This year, 2010, Di has been awarded the MBE for her work raising awareness of hate crime against people with a learning disability.