For Lisa, a newly qualified social worker in the Complex Care and Support Team, that pledge is deeply personal.
Lisa chose this pledge because it reflects not only her professional values, but her own lived experience.
"I have ADHD, so it really resonates with me. I know that it can be difficult to feel listened to when you're neurodivergent. Having that experience helps me empathise and advocate for others."
Bringing creativity into social work
Long before becoming a social worker, Lisa was already challenging traditional approaches and finding creative ways to connect with people.
While studying at the University of Cumbria, she received the Caroline Larmour Prize for Outstanding Creativity in a Community Setting for Outstanding Creativity in the Community, after developing innovative approaches to social work practice and communication.
Rather than relying solely on established models and methods, Lisa looked for ways to make complex ideas more accessible.
One example was creating her own social work model, inspired by systems theory but designed around a series of interconnected cogs.
"I visualised it as working cogs representing all the different parts of a person's life and support network. It made much more sense to me, and hopefully to other people as well."
As someone who found traditional presentations challenging, Lisa often used alternative methods to communicate her ideas, including songs, poems and animations.
Her discomfort with presenting ideas on the spot encouraged her to explore more creative ways of communicating. It also reinforced her understanding that people do not all learn or express themselves in the same way.
The impact of Lisa's work extended beyond her own studies, with examples of her creative approaches helping to inform how future students are supported and taught.
Seeing the person, not the label
Today, those same principles influence Lisa's work with adults across Dumfries and Galloway.
Central to her approach is ensuring people's voices are heard, particularly when others may be speaking on their behalf.
"I'm a strong believer that the person's voice should come first. Before carers, before professionals, before anyone else. They are the expert in their own life."
Recently, Lisa worked with a neurodivergent individual whose behaviour was often viewed as challenging or hostile.
By taking the time to listen and create space for communication, a different picture emerged.
Lisa found that the person had not been given enough opportunity to be heard. As communication improved, the reasons behind the escalating situation became clearer and the approach to supporting them changed.
Experiences like this reinforce her belief that services should adapt to individuals, rather than expecting individuals to adapt to services.
The experience strengthened Lisa's view that services should respond to people's individual needs and recognise the different ways they communicate and express themselves, rather than asking them to change who they are to fit a system.
Making support personal
Lisa believes accessibility is about much more than simplifying information.
During her studies, she worked with people experiencing mental health challenges and neurodivergence and developed personalised approaches to support planning.
Rather than relying on generic documents, she redesigned support tools around the individual using colours, images, sensory elements and personal reminders of what mattered most to them.
Recognising that everyone communicates differently, Lisa began looking for ways to make support more personal, meaningful and relevant to each individual.
The approach helped people connect more meaningfully with information and support at difficult times.
"If someone is in crisis, handing them a generic piece of paper doesn't always help them feel seen. Making something personal helps reach people in a way that recognises who they are."
For Lisa, accessibility is not simply about providing information. It is about making sure people feel understood, respected and included.
Rights, choices and opportunities
At the heart of Lisa's practice is a belief that people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent individuals should have the same opportunities, choices and rights as everyone else.
"People need room to make their own decisions. They need the opportunity to make choices, learn from mistakes and live their lives in the same way anyone else would."
Originally planning to work in children's social work, placements in adult services transformed her perspective and helped her connect her own experiences of neurodiversity with her professional role.
Lisa has seen how adults with learning disabilities and neurodivergent people can have their decision-making abilities underestimated. When people are given suitable opportunities to communicate, their understanding and capacity are often much greater than others initially assume.
A rights-based approach, challenging discrimination and promoting genuine choice remain central to her work.
For Lisa, this means approaching every person with equal respect and understanding, while challenging discrimination and making space for genuine choice.
Supporting inclusion across Dumfries and Galloway
Lisa is also passionate about the positive work happening across the region to support people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent individuals.
She highlighted organisations and initiatives that help people develop skills, build confidence and participate fully in their communities, including council run Activity and Resource Centres (ARCs), sports clubs and outdoor-based opportunities that promote independence and inclusion.
Looking ahead, she believes there is still room to think differently about how information and services are designed.
Looking ahead
Asked what she would change about society's understanding of learning disability and neurodiversity, Lisa points to the importance of challenging assumptions.
"A person's understanding is just as valuable as anyone else's. Their communication needs might be different, but that doesn't define who they are."
Having learned to advocate for herself throughout her own journey, Lisa recognises the importance of supportive colleagues and managers who are willing to make adjustments and understand different ways of working.
Lisa's journey from award-winning social work student to newly qualified social worker demonstrates the value of creativity, compassion and seeing the person behind the label. Her experiences have shaped a clear commitment to services that listen, adapt and recognise each person's strengths, individuality and potential.
A promise to keep on challenging
For Scottish Learning Disability Week, Lisa has made the following pledge:
“Champion neurodiversity and ensure that people with learning disabilities and neurodivergent individuals are listened to, understood and supported to have the same opportunities, choices and voice as everyone else.”
The pledge brings together the themes that run through Lisa's work: listening before making assumptions, adapting support around the individual and recognising that different ways of communicating are equally valuable. It is both a personal commitment and an invitation to colleagues and communities to keep making inclusion part of everyday practice.
"People shouldn't have to adapt to fit into services. We should be adapting to them. Everyone deserves the opportunity to express themselves, make their own choices and have their voice heard."