Breaking Down Barriers
The Walking With Gaints Foundation is a proud supporter and member of the Breaking Down Barrers Project.
The project was created by Alström Syndrome UK (ASUK) and is funded by the The Sylvia Adams Charitable Trust.
It is 30 organisations working together to improve the lives of people from marginalised communities including those from BAME backgrounds, so they have equal access to health services.
Addressing health inequalities is at the centre of what we do as a network of organisations: finding ways that health services can be shaped to become inclusive and accessible, and working with families to encourage and support them to access those services.
The Breaking Down Barriers network of organisations, working at a grass roots level, is sharing good practice and exploring new ideas to help educate, empower, and provide an evidence base to promote equity of access to mainstream health services.
Breaking Down Barriers – The Aim Of The Project
Breaking Down Barriers aims to:
- facilitate patient organisations and support groups to join together and share examples of good practice
- develop new guidelines to highlight effective ways to support families at increased chance of having a child with a genetic disorder
- address difficulties and inequalities experienced by families in accessing mainstream services
At Breaking Down Barriers, they believe that patient organisations and support groups have an important role to play in addressing the challenge of developing appropriate genetic services for the UK’s multi-ethnic population. The purpose of this project is to strengthen the ability of patient organisations and support groups to develop supportive and inclusive services for individuals and families affected by genetic disorders.
Why Is This Project Necessary?
There are a small number of projects around the UK focusing on working with families from diverse backgrounds. Many of these are being driven by health professionals and while they may be benefiting small groups of people in specific locations, there is a clear need for a national project to benefit larger numbers of people and communities and to develop new policies and practices. Breaking Down Barriers can provide a model of good practice where by patient organisations and support groups can demonstrate a key role in providing effective support to families affected by genetic disorders.
Research on genetic service delivery and the patient and family experience shows that patients and families affected by genetic disorders continue to have problems accessing services. It is well documented that this is particularly so for those from minority ethnic groups and those with close cousin marriage. Providing accessible information about genetics to individuals and families is crucial in developing understanding about specific conditions and in ensuring people are aware of the reproductive choices available to enable them to make informed choices about future pregnancies.
Breaking Down Barriers has been discussed extensively with patients, patient organisations, support groups and health professionals and the project has received a very positive response. There is a shared understanding of the need to work in collaboration to help improve awareness of genetics and improve the accessibility to mainstream services. We are confident that the enthusiasm that has already been demonstrated towards this project will help us to achieve our aims and will provide crucial benefit to individuals and families living with genetic disorders.
You can find more information about the Breaking Down Barriers Project by visiting their website here
Walking With Giants Foundation – Our Commitment
Since our conception, the Walking with Giants Foundation has ensured that no matter who you are, what your ethnicity is or religious background is, you are treated no different from anyone else.
We provide all families access to our family support programme, medical advisory board, help with accessing genetic services and financial support in times of crisis and difficulty.
