Synopsis

Emma Livingstone, CEO of UP – The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement, will share insights from her lived experience and advocacy work on the evolving care and understanding of cerebral palsy (CP) across the lifespan. Her presentation will explore recent research advancements, the lifelong nature of CP, and the importance of addressing co-morbidities. She will also discuss how child practitioners can better equip children with CP for adulthood.

Speaker

Emma Livingstone qualified as a speech and language therapist at Birmingham University in 1998 and has worked predominantly with children, running services for both pre-school and school-age children across London. More recently she has worked at City University supporting student speech and language therapists and also practices as a life coach. Emma is married and mum to 3 teenage children.

Emma has cerebral palsy and has had a significant decline in her mobility in recent years leading to several surgeries and needing to give up work. It was her frustration at the lack of knowledge and understanding of cerebral palsy as a disability affecting adults that spurred her on to begin campaigning. In 2018 she founded the charity Adult Cerebral Palsy Hub, now renamed Up – The Adult Cerebral Palsy Movement, to campaign for better support and services and give voice to the adult Cerebral Palsy community. Emma has recently been appointed as a Lay Trustee for the British Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (BSPRM).