Equal Say began life in 1995 at a time when the term ‘advocate’ was most often associated with the black gown and bewigged QCs in the High Court.  However, the idea of having someone to speak on another’s behalf and add weight to a person’s viewpoint was fundamentally important because of a major shift in health policy – care in the community and the closure of long stay institutions.

The original purpose of Equal Say was to offer advocacy to residents and former residents of Lennox Castle Hospital.   Equal Say aimed to help residents in their move from the hospital to their own homes in Glasgow.

In Victorian Britain there was a policy of placing people we would now consider to have learning disabilities into large institutions.  Every major city in the country had its own facility; Glasgow’s was Lennox Castle Hospital. Many were purpose built and all shared the same function- to keep people with learning disabilities apart from the rest of society and from each other. Why? Because the ideas behind the eugenics movement led Victorians to believe that there was a risk to society at large if people with learning disabilities and other ‘degenerates’ were allowed to breed. This took place not just in Britain, but across Europe and North America as well.

With the introduction of the NHS in 1948 many asylums became hospitals, inmates became patients and wardens became nurses.  However, conditions remained poor and the scandalous treatment of the people detained attracted ever growing publicity and condemnation. Eventually, the closure of all long stay hospitals was suggested and with the introduction of Care in the Community, this finally became a reality.

So when the decision was made to close Glasgow’s big institution, Lennox Castle Hospital, and move people back into communities where they had once lived, new questions were asked: How could these patients have their say?  How could it be ensured that people have a voice?  Who could witness people’s lives and safeguard them from harm?

A new idea had recently come over from the USA where they had charities working in programmes called Citizen Advocacy.  The idea was simple: paid workers ask ordinary citizens to speak up for just one other person and volunteer their time and energy only to them.  This model of advocacy was seen as particularly suitable for the closure programme of a large long stay learning disability hospital.  Some people had spent decades in the institution and had lost all contact with family, friends and the communities they once belonged to.  Citizen advocates had the advantage of being ordinary folk with ordinary lives, potentially the perfect bridge to re-associating people with the ordinary streets and communities where they once lived.

Over twenty-nine years and 450 volunteers later many things have changed.  The hospital closed its doors in September 2003 for the last time and almost no trace remains of the former institution.  Equal Say continues to be in great demand from people with learning disabilities or mental ill health who want a say, who want to be listened to and need help to have their point of view heard.

With the introduction of new laws affecting people with mental ill health and/or learning disabilities, our work has become more complicated and time consuming, so the valuable contribution made by volunteers is now strengthened by advocacy provided by members of the staff team.

Equal Say’s history has been heavily flavoured by highly held principles and strong values.  Long before it was fashionable we worked to an equalities agenda and sought to challenge the myths that some people have less value or fewer rights than others.  This ideal remains at the core of what we seek to achieve and has proved to be the touchstone of the organisation through over two decades of growth and change.