bemix Leaders with Lived Experience have presented their annual report to the Kent and Medway Learning Disability and Autism Delivery Partnership Board (LD &A DPB), highlighting a year of meaningful change and authentic co-production across Kent and Medway communities.

On January 22nd, Tim Chapman, Leader and Co-Chair of the LD & ADPB, and Tina Walker, Leader and member of the LD & ADPB, delivered a powerful presentation showcasing the actions, experiences and outcomes achieved through their work alongside the Kent and Medway programme delivery teams.

The presentation, developed with input from all bemix leaders with lived experience - Felicity Head, Steve Chapman and Tracey Eyles, with support from the Team Leader, Rachel Baker - demonstrated the tangible impact that authentic lived experience brings to policy and service delivery.

Real Change Through Lived Experience

Tim Chapman shared several key impacts from his work as a Leader over the past year, including a significant intervention in procurement processes.

"Our intervention as leaders changed the procurement process of Advocacy for All to ensure service users' views were better taken into account and emphasised the need for clearer communications", Tim explained.

Tim also highlighted how developing knowledge and networks has created unexpected opportunities for support, including his collaboration with ND Harbour that led to a Suicide Prevention sponsored video(watch below), and connecting two Autistic people experiencing similar health conditions to share experiences and mutual support. 

Tina Walker's contributions this year have focused on education, advocacy and developing future leaders.

"Learning disabilities versus Learning difficulties—I've helped others to understand the interpretation of Learning disabilities being the process of how you are learning and learning difficulties is about how you can read and write", Tina said.

Tina's work has influenced the LeDeR report, emphasising the need to engage Autistic people with lived experience. She is also part of the "Be A Leader" programme, developing leaders with lived experience for the future, while continuously influencing how communications are developed for people with learning disabilities.

Amplifying All Voices

The presentation also celebrated the achievements of fellow Leaders who couldn't attend on the day.

Steve Chapman took on the role of Co-Chair of the Learning Disability Partnership Board this year, bringing immediate positive change to how meetings are conducted.

"Being part of this board and Co-Chair, has made a difference to the meetings. Having clear agendas to follow and people are more engaged since being in thier roles", Steve reflected.

Felicity Head has received remarkable feedback from the Kent and Medway Transforming Neurodiversity Services Board (TNS) about the value of her contributions.

"They feel they have learnt a lot from me over my time attending the communication group (and other meetings), and that they really feel that without my input, following their own ideas/instincts/knowledge would have missed the mark. My clear and direct feedback has influenced others to review and improve communication for Autistic people going forward", Felicity shared.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The presentation was well received, with board members asking questions about the team's plans for the coming year. Tim and Tina confirmed that the Leaders will continue to work closely with Kent and Medway communities, bringing the lived experience of people with learning disabilities and Autistic people to support the delivery of the Kent and Medway Learning Disability and Autism Plan.

The Leaders will represent the voices of neurodivergent people across Kent and Medway, with a particular focus on reaching marginalised groups. They will seek to implement the strategy through co-production and co-design with the Kent and Medway Learning Disability and Autism programmes.

The Leaders with Lived Experience work is funded by Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board and Kent County Council for a further 12 months through a contract with bemix. The team will present their detailed plan for 2026 to the LD & ADPB board in March.