21st-27th June 20201 is Learning Disability Awareness Week, promoted by Mencap, and is a great way to raise awareness of learning disabilities across the UK. This year it is a celebration of the vital role friendships and relationships play in the inclusion of everyone.
As fellow members of the Disabled Children’s Partnership (DCP) with Mencap, we at Urban Saints are fully supporting this initiative as we focus on how we can equip Urban Saints Groups, Camps, and Overseas Adventures to include, support and build relationships with children and young people with learning disabilities. Taking inspiration from this focus, we are promoting these six ways to make a real difference for children and young people with a learning disability:
Focus on barriers that might prevent a young person accessing the activity
Remove those barriers by adjusting the activity so that it is more inclusive
Identify the specific support needs of a young person with a learning disability
Encourage family members to share what strategies work well at home / school
Nurture young people by putting strategies in place to help them belong
Do something today, don't put it off or promise to get around to it 'sometime'
By following these six simple steps to make a real difference for children and young people with a learning disability, we can ensure that our Groups, Camps and Overseas Adventures are accessible, inclusive and places where everyone belongs.
A learning disability (sometimes referred to as an intellectual disability) is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause difficulties with everyday activities, socialising and communication, learning and understanding and much more, and affects someone for their whole life. People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complicated information, and interact with other people. There are approximately 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability.
For further advice, including training, consultancy, tailor-made courses or visits that can help you to be ‘All Inclusive’ in your children’s and youth work, see urbansaints.org/additionalneeds for more details, or contact me at marnold@urbansaints.org