Elizabeth Dyer

Only my Mum, my husband and the NHS call me Elizabeth, I am generally known as Liz or Mum, I grew up in Burnley and went to Nottingham University where I met my husband Phil and we have been married forever.

I worked for several years for the Civil Service on Job Creation projects before having our three sons, Roger, Martin and Douglas.
Roger was diagnosed with muscular Dystrophy aged 2 since which time I have worked to promote opportunities and expectations for young people with disabilities and their families. Roger was a remarkable young man and it was my pleasure and privilege to be his Mum and to support him to achieve many of his dreams and ambitions. Roger died whilst an independent residential student of Economics at Manchester University in 2000.

Before having Roger I knew nothing about disability and it came as a great shock to realise that people with disabilities do not always have access to the same civil rights as everyone else. We sent Roger to the local school as we weren’t aware of any alternative, our naïveté was in this instance very useful, we just expected Roger to be included in all the same education and activities as his brothers.

In 1984 I was involved in setting up Hurdles family support group with a few friends, our mission was “total inclusion” in whatever our children wanted.

When Roger was at high school I decided to train as a teacher so I did a postgraduate teaching qualification with the Open University, I did some supply teaching whilst Roger was at college and then in 1997 I had the opportunity to start up Bury Parent Partnership.

I have been the manager of Bury Parent Partnership since 1997, Parent Partnership is a service to support the parents of children with additional needs in education. I have been involved in family leadership training particularly Partners in Policymaking and Kindred Spirits, I have also spent some years as a lecturer with Leeds Metropolitan University.

Since 2008 it has been my pleasure and privilege to host the Parent Participation element of Bury’s Aiming High for Disabled Children. I developed the Skill Building Course for parents and we have now run 13 of these 6 week modular courses in local children centres. These have been followed by Influencing Change and Education Awareness courses.

I am very proud to be a member of Bury Parents Forum and look forward to building on the investment in families we have made recently in Bury, these are exciting times and it is fantastic to have so much investment in and enthusiasm from families in Bury

Liz Dyer

email: lizdyer@togethertrust.org
tel: 0161 763 5001