The Impact of Oliver McGowan’s Story on People with Learning Disabilities | The Advocacy Fellows #12

In this episode of The Advocacy Fellows Podcast, we explore the tragic yet powerful story of Oliver McGowan, an autistic young man with a learning disability whose avoidable death highlighted critical gaps in healthcare.

We discuss the importance of the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training, designed to educate healthcare professionals on supporting individuals with autism and learning disabilities. The Fellows also share their personal experiences, both positive and negative, navigating hospitals and healthcare services in Cornwall.

Our heartfelt thoughts go out to Oliver McGowan’s family. His story has led to vital changes, including the introduction of mandatory training for healthcare staff on autism and learning disabilities.

Key topics include:
🔹 The need for better staff training in autism and learning disabilities
🔹 First-hand experiences of healthcare, from misdiagnoses to compassionate care
🔹 How improved communication and accessibility can transform healthcare for all

A big thank you to everyone who took part in this episode and to Nick at KMF Radio for helping us bring these vital conversations to life.

Join us as we amplify the voices of young adults with learning disabilities and advocate for change.

🎧 Listen now and support our mission for better, more inclusive healthcare.

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DISCOVER Voices is a brand-new podcast network that discusses life through the lens of people living with long-term health conditions or disabilities. 

We welcome a variety of hosts all with their own podcast series, giving their own outlook and take on topics and discussions that are close to their heart. 

We try our very best to make these podcasts as accessible as possible, that includes captioning every video with closed captions. We apologise in advance for any slight grammatical errors with the captioning. 

Discover Voices (c) 2025, a production by registered charity, disAbility Cornwall & Isles of Scilly.