Publications

  • Politicians must recognise that people with learning disabilities have a right to vote - 20th January 2010

     

    Already, 2010 has seen a flurry of new manifesto pledges and advertising campaigns, with politicians of all persuasions using every means at their disposal to try to win votes, whether embracing new media such as Facebook or announcing US-style live television debates. Yet despite this, hundreds of thousands of eligible voters with learning disabilities are in danger of being ignored.

    Over the last few decades, much progress has been made in recognising people with learning disabilities as citizens with a valuable contribution to make to society. Thankfully, many now live in their own flats, work, marry, raise a family, and play a part in their local communities. Yet when it comes to democratic rights, the overwhelming majority of adults with learning disabilities still find themselves largely excluded by the complexity of the system and low awareness of their right to vote. Our research found that while 80% of people supported by United Response in England were registered to vote in the 2005 election, only 16% used their vote. This compares with a turnout of 61% in the general population.

    As regular users of social services, public transport, health services and much more, people with learning disabilities are affected by political decisions in the same way as everyone else. The majority of adults with learning disabilities do have the capacity, as well as the legal right, to vote, and would like to do so if given the opportunity.

    Over the last three years, United Response's Every Vote Counts project, funded by the Electoral Commission, has explored the many barriers that people with learning disabilities face when trying to vote, and has developed a set of interactive guides. Designed in collaboration with people with learning disabilities and their supporters, the first set explains, in an accessible and highly visual way, what democracy is, why it is important, and how to take part. Crucially, it shows people how the democratic process affects every area of our lives.

    The second set of guides provides political stakeholders with guidelines and tools to make their own information on policies and candidates easier to understand for people with learning disabilities, through more accessible language, avoidance of jargon, and the use of visual aids.

    Today, at the House of Commons, we are calling on the social care sector and all politicians to recognise the right of adults with learning disabilities to vote, and to encourage them to do so. We need to involve people with learning disabilities and their families, and work together to open up the democratic process and make it easier to understand. We are asking the main political parties to release easy-to-read versions of their manifestos and to work with the social care sector to increase the number of people with learning disabilities voting in the 2010 election to at least 40%.

    Reaching this target will not be easy. It will require effort and creative thinking from us all, particularly politicians and disability organisations. But if we want a truly inclusive election this year, one that involves everyone who will be affected by the outcome, we must not ignore people with learning disabilities.

    • Su Sayer is chief executive of United Response

     

    learning-disability-voting.pdf (76KB) Download

  • Dyslexia Campaign - Supported by 'The Fonz' - 10th January 2010

     

    The fonzHappy Days star Henry Winkler spoke today of his struggle with dyslexia as a campaign aimed at boosting the confidence of youngsters withspecial educational needs (SEN) was launched.

    Winkler, who played The Fonz in the hit US sitcom, joined children's secretary Ed Balls and the prime minister's wife, Sarah Brown, in Downing Street to launch the First News My Way! campaign.

    The campaign focuses on improving attitudes to children with SEN as well as building self-esteem.

    Winkler agreed to front the drive due to his own experience of having dyslexia. He was not diagnosed with the condition until he was 30, and has since penned his own series of children's books, about a 10-year-old boy, Hank Zipzer, who has the learning difficulty.

    "Children learn differently, every child has got something good in them and there's a tremendous prejudice between intellect and the child who is really good at vocational," Winkler told GMTV today.

    "A society needs every citizen, every child to be at the top of their potential. A society doesn't work on children who can recite Latin."

    Winkler also spoke of his personal struggle with learning scripts for his screen role. "I had to go over it and over it so I didn't make a fool of myself," he said. "I cannot read out loud."

    Balls said: "This campaign will help raise awareness of special educational needs and give children who learn differently the confidence and self-esteem to achieve their full potential."

    The campaign will run in First News, the children's weekly newspaper. It has been funded jointly by First News, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and Pritt (Henkel), together with Walker Books. It is being supported by the Teaching Awards

     

    the-fonz-dyslexia-support.pdf (91KB) Download

  • Special Needs Education needs radical 'Overhaul' - 16 December 2009

    The government should "radically overhaul" the system for children with special educational needs, to provide new support for parents and pressurise schools to cater properly for pupils whose learning difficulties put them at risk of being left behind, a government commissioned review reports today.

    The inquiry, which was immediately accepted in part by the schools secretary, Ed Balls, reveals the scale of the struggle parents have to get appropriate support for children with special educational needs such as autism or dyslexia.

    Read more here

     

    special-needs-education-radical-overhaul.pdf (101KB) Download

  • Dyslexia Awareness week - 2nd November 2009

    The other side of dyslexia...

    Dyslexia Awareness Week focuses on the benefits it brings to a sufferer, such as high IQ, curiosity and a strong work ethic

    Read more here

    Al Cambell is author of A Dyslexic Writes, priced £5.99 and available at www.adyslexicwrites.com

    dyslexia-week-article.pdf (93KB) Download

  • People with Down's Syndrome 'need help with dementia' - 5th October 2009

    Down's syndrome makes people more vulnerable to dementia, says an expert, but the problem is being ignored.

    Read here for further details.

    downs-syndrome-dementia.pdf (69KB) Download

  • Patient target missed 14 years on - October 2009

    Muckamore

    More than 250 patients with learning disabilities are still in hospital 14 years after the Department of Health said they should be in the community.

    Will the new target of 2013 be more realistic? Is it more achievable? Is it simply the lack of funding that is keeping these people in hospital? Or is it that families feel there are a number of people who should continue living in the hospital?

    Read more here. 

     

    patient-target-missed.pdf (120KB) Download

  • Family Matters - Counting Families In

    'In the same way that it is emphasised that adults with intellectual disabilities are people first , so caregivers must be considered people first and consideration given to their full identity and multiple roles'.

    IASSID & WHO January 2000

    A document from the Department of Health (March 2001) 

    countingfamiliesin.pdf (183KB) Download

  • No Secrets

    Guidance on developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse.

    nosecrets.pdf (1216KB) Download

  • Person Centred Planning - a framework

    This pdf depicts and explains the framework of Person Centred Planning. It is a useful training tool and is easy to follow and understand.

    pcp3.pdf (170KB) Download

  • Human Rights Act 1998 - Your questions answered

    The Human Rights Act 1998 came into force in full on 2nd October 2000. It incorporates into domestic law the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to which the UK has been committed since 1951. Convention principles were therefore already reflected in Government legislation and policies and have been informing best practice in health and social care. The Act modernises relationships between people, and between people and the State and embeds values of fairness, respect for human dignity and inclusiveness in the heart of public services. To quote from the then Home Secretary, Jack Straw, "I believe that in time, the Human Rights Act will help bring  a culture of rights and responsibilities across the UK…..the Convention rights…. are going to become an anchor for our laws and policies and a sail for service delivery."

    humanrightquestions.pdf (17KB) Download

  • Government Report on Learning Disability Services - 2004

    governmentreportld2004.pdf (2010KB) Download