A new project is being launched that captures the stories of friendships and relationships of people with learning disabilities.
The project, led by Mencap Cymru, will allow people with learning disabilities to be involved in the interpretation of their own history and design of public exhibitions.
For the first time, they will be representing themselves, where historically a family member, friend or medical professional would have undertaken the role.
The project has been awarded nearly £400,000 of National Lottery funding.
The award given by the Heritage Lottery Fund is a significant endorsement of the need to both capture the hidden histories of people with a learning disability in Wales but more importantly to help organisations like Mencap Cymru use the stories we uncover to influence Welsh Government and society at large. People with a learning disability and their families make up 5% of the population in Wales and their experiences need to be heard.
If we consider what is showcased within our museum collections generally, the heritage of people with learning disabilities is greatly under-represented.
The training of Wales wide volunteers and recruitment of project ambassadors will ensure the impact is felt across the country and it will be a major step towards documenting the experiences of people with learning disabilities everywhere.