Disabled People User Led Organisation
Run by disabled people, for disabled people
We support disabled people from every community in Hackney to get the services they need, live independently and with dignity, and make their own choices about their own lives.
- Free and confidential
- Based in Haggerston, E8
- Registered charity 1077287
Where would you like to start
Three ways to get involved
Whether you need support yourself, want to give your time, or want to help us keep going, there is a place for you here.
I need support
Talk to an advocate about benefits, housing, care, health or anything else you are finding hard to sort out on your own.
Talk to usI want to volunteer
Become a telephone befriender, gardener, shopper or walking friend and make a real difference to a disabled person nearby.
How to volunteerI want to donate
Every donation goes straight into advocacy, volunteering and training for disabled people living in Hackney.
Make a donation
What we do
Services we offer
Every service is free, confidential and shaped around what you actually need.
Information, Guidance and Advocacy
A professional advocate stands alongside you, helps you understand your options and makes sure your voice is heard by the people making decisions about your life.
Ask about advocacy
Hate Crime Advocacy
If you have been the victim of a disability hate crime we will support you through reporting it, dealing with the police and getting your life back on track.
Ask about hate crime support
Get a Volunteer
Our volunteers help with gardening, shopping, walks and a friendly phone call, so you can stay independent and connected in your own community.
Ask about a volunteer
Training and Employment
Disabled people are too often stuck in low paid, low grade work. This project helps you build skills, find better work and get properly paid for it.
Ask about training
Getting support
Reaching out is the hardest part
You do not need a referral, a diagnosis on paper or the right words. Here is what happens when you contact us.
You get in touch
Call, email or drop in by appointment. Tell us as much or as little as you want to.
We listen properly
We talk through what you are dealing with and work out together which kind of support actually fits.
We stand alongside you
An advocate or volunteer stays with you for as long as you need, at meetings, on the phone and in writing.
Nothing about us without us
Our story
Led by the people we support
Choice in Hackney has been run by disabled people, for disabled people, for over twenty five years. Because the people who lead this organisation have lived it themselves, the support we offer starts from understanding rather than assumption. We work with disabled people from every community in the borough, whatever your impairment, background or first language.
Led by disabled people
Our staff and board of trustees are disabled people from Hackney and the surrounding boroughs.
Rooted in the borough
Based at the Marie Lloyd Centre in Haggerston, a short walk from Haggerston and Dalston Junction stations.
An accessible welcome
Our office is wheelchair accessible. Tell us what you need in advance and we will make sure it is ready.
Volunteering
Give a few hours, change someone's week
Our volunteer project matches people like you with disabled people living nearby. Volunteers help service users feel less isolated, get out into their own green spaces, do their shopping and go for walks that lift both health and mood. You do not need any experience, just a bit of time and a willingness to listen.
Telephone Befriender
A regular, friendly call for someone who might not speak to anyone else that day.
Gardening Volunteer
Help someone enjoy their own garden again, whatever their mobility.
Shopper or Walking Friend
Practical help with the shopping, or company on a walk around the neighbourhood.
Accessibility
Built to work the way you do
This is a site for disabled people, so being usable is the whole point rather than an afterthought. If any part of it does not work for you, tell us and we will fix it.
Plain language
We use direct language, short sections and descriptive headings to make pages easier to understand and navigate.
In your language
English is not everyone’s first language in Hackney. Tell us what you are most comfortable with and we will find a way to talk that works.
Keyboard and screen readers
Every part of this site can be used without a mouse, with clear focus outlines and headings a screen reader can navigate.
Another format
Large print, audio or a printed copy posted to you. Ask us for what suits you and we will send it out.
We are working towards WCAG 2.2 level AA, and we treat anything that falls short as a bug to be fixed rather than a box to be ticked.
Work with us
New job opportunities at Choice in Hackney.
Get in touch and we will take it from there
Call us, email us or drop in by appointment. Tell us what you are dealing with and we will explain how we can help. There is no charge and nothing to sign up to.
- Phone
- 020 7613 3206
- Visit us
- Marie Lloyd Centre, 329 Queensbridge Road
LondonE8 3LA - Office hours
- Monday to Friday
9:30am to 5:00pm - Getting here
Overground: Haggerston or Dalston Junction
Buses: 236, 149, 242, 243, 394
Our office is wheelchair accessible. Please let us know in advance if you have any access requirements.