In the DRILL National Advisory Group meeting in England, here are the members who sat for the meeting: Ben Geiger, from University of Kent- Co-director, Chih Hoog Sin from Q-step center – director of business development, David Bauxter from OPM – Director of communication and campaigns and David MacDaid from the British Deaf Association as professorial research fellow, among others.

“Does it matter? Decision-making by people with learning disability”
Keith Lynch the vice chairperson of People First, Scotland announced the research project the organization completed, “Does it matter”, through the support of DRILL.
People first is a user-led organization on learning disability. That means all members of the organisation have impairment in learning.

Dementia NI is service launched in 2015 by five persons with dementia to give support and a voice to others with dementia. Persons with dementia are seen to lose confidence after diagnosis and often times feel marginalized and sometimes stigmatized in the society.
Since the launch of Dementia NI by the five individuals in Northern Ireland, the group has been into different activities to boost confidence and help members through public speaking and relating with policymakers in the country.

DRILL Wales announced the take-off of its upcoming projects with a total award of £1 million. It also calls for proposals for the second rounds of similar projects expected in the nearest future. This is to fill research gaps, identify barriers and proffer solutions for persons with disabilities.
Another research project executed in Wales is “Young people and friendships: what matters to us”. From the report in 2016 (Sense), about 38% of disabled young people feel lonely most times. After listening to young people talk on the matter, it becomes evident that urgent attention is required for adequate action to be taken. The project, “Young People and friendships” comes in to fill the gap.