Book excerpt: Until recently, many people with learning disabilities spent most of their lives in long-stay hospitals and residential homes. They often had little contact with the wider community. Thanks to National Lottery players and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, over 18 months Solihull Action through Advocacy has been able to explore and record the experiences of the people who lived through one of the biggest changes in adult social care in the 20th Century. This book tells some of their stories. It aims to ensure that Solihull’s “Hidden Lives” are not forgotten.