Abstract
Since the 1980s inclusion of people with learning disabilities in mainstream life has been an ambition in many English-speaking countries. In the UK the King’s Fund publication, An Ordinary Life (1984), marked a major step in arguing for people with learning disabilities to be part of the community. The government paper (England and Wales) “Valuing People—A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century” set out in 2001 the key principles of rights, independence, choice and inclusion, as did the Scottish white paper “Same As You” (2000). A group of self-advocates wrote a report at the same time, “Nothing About Us Without Us”. These policy pronouncements led to hope that lives would improve for everyone. The Mental Capacity Act (2005) provided a framework for people to make their own decisions as far as possible and the Equality Act (2010) which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act provided legal protection for people in the workplace and wider society.
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Notes
- 1.
In Wales and Scotland Governments continued to fund national bodies to represent people with learning disabilities at Government level—People First Wales and People First Scotland.
- 2.
In 2018 167 adults in Scotland lived in NHS facilities and 11 in independent hospitals (https://www.scld.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Learning-Disability-Statistics-Scotland-2019.pdf accessed 8/5/23). In England in 2023 over 2000 people were resident in NHS or private hospitals (https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/learning-disability-services-statistics/at-february-2023-mhsds-december-2022-final# accessed 10/5/23)
References
Department of Health. (2015). No voice unheard: No right ignored – A consultation for people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/
Kings Fund. (1984). An ordinary life: Comprehensive locally- based services for mentally handicapped people. archive.kingsfund.org.uk
The Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Social Services and NHS England. (2015). The National Plan Building the Right Support (1.3 p 5) ld-nat-imp-plan-oct15.pdf (england.nhs.uk)
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. (2016). Inquiry Concerning the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland carried out by the Committee under Article 6 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention: Report of the Committee. Geneva: United Nations. Available at: www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/InquiryProcedure.aspx [last accessed 21.2.2017]
Further Reading
Bartlett, T., et al. (2022). Surviving through story: Experiences of people with learning disabilities in the Covid19 pandemic 2020–2021. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 270–286. https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.12463
Christian, P., & Ledger, S. (2022). Being part of history, being part of activism: Exploring the lives and experiences of Black people with learning disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 239–251. https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.12459
Cronin, P., et al. (2020). Peter & friends talk about COVID-19 and having a learning disability and/or autism. Penge Publishers.
Gentry, S. (2022). ‘Life after losing Ronnie’. Community Living 7.7.2022. https://www.cl-initiatives.co.uk/life-after-losing-ronnie/
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Morgan, H., Grove, N. (2023). Community and Culture. In: Tilly, L., Walmsley, J. (eds) Rights in Practice for People with a Learning Disability. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5563-3_9
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