The South-East Network of Disabled People’s Organisations (SENDPO) is a network of user-led organisations working together to achieve real change in the lives of disabled people – so that we can all participate in our communities and have greater choice, control and freedom.
SENDPO was formed in 2011 and currently has 35 Disabled People’s Organisations as members. Read more about our history, and vision, mission and values.
Independent Lives undertakes administrative support for SENDPO and sits on the Board alongside Possability People, Spectrum Centre for Independent Living, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People, and Surrey Disabled People’s Partnership.
What are user-led organisations?
A user-led organisation (ULO) can exist for any group of users of any service or organisation. The Department of Health’s User-led Organisations Project defined a ULO as an organisation that ‘covers all local disabled people, carers and other people who use support either directly or via establishing links with other local organisations and networks’. SENDPO respects the right of carers and users of other services to have their own agenda, and very often there will be common ground between disabled people and other groups.
Disabled People’s Organisations (DPO)
A DPO is a specific type of a ULO, where disabled people control the organisation by being in the majority in the membership and on the governance board. DPOs include organisations who are CILs (Centres for Independent Living), that commonly provide services to support independent living, and coalitions of disabled people that are sometimes umbrella organisations representing the voice of disabled people by promoting their involvement in co-production.
The South-East Network of Disabled People’s Organisations 