History

We are a user led organisation and this has been our philosophy since day one!

Disability Nottinghamshire was formed in 2009 but prior to this the charity was called DIAL Mansfield and District which began life in 1983. The name change reflected the growing need from individuals across Nottinghamshire who required assistance from us. Also, within the old constitution of the charity, it only permitted us to work with people from the Mansfield area. So after careful consideration and engagement with users, volunteers, public/voluntary services, the charity made the decision to change names.

From humble beginnings back in 1983, where a group of likeminded individuals came together to form a grassroots organisation, giving independent and impartial advice to people in the local community; we’re proud to say our main ethos has not changed (even if some of our services have or the way it’s delivered has!).

The charity has experienced many highs and lows, changes locally and nationally, and been an integral part of the disability and caring community of Nottinghamshire for many years; raising awareness; improving services; involving users; fundraising; challenging discrimination and promoting an inclusive society.

The majority of our volunteers, trustees and staff have personal experience of disability or caring for someone which is one of our biggest strengths and sets us apart from others. Quite often people tell us that we have understood their situation far better than anyone else they have spoken to.

On average we help 2,000 people a year. This would have been smaller in the beginning but we estimate to have dealt with approximately 50,000 enquiries from Nottinghamshire. Some of these are repeat clients who contacted us 5, 10 or even 15 years previously or it could be the son/daughter of a grandparent we helped.

As the organisation develops and grows, we hope to branch out to more and more places in Nottinghamshire as we know there is a need for the types of services we can offer.

If you would like to know more about our history, then please contact us. A couple of volunteers have been with us for over 30 years!