2 Disabled by association
In Session 1, Cian, Charlene and Terry talked about a sense of exclusion they felt from society.
Do families share this sense of not really belonging that people with learning disabilities talked about?
Activity 2 Disabled by association
Watch the video below. You may remember some of this content from Session 1. What do you understand the term ‘disabled by association’ to mean?
Answer
The reason parents and siblings can feel excluded is because of a fear about what other people think about their disabled relative, and also how others will react.
According to Bhavin’s mum, Niroo, they are ‘disabled by association because wherever you go they look at you, you know’.
According to Jignesh, Bhavin’s brother: ‘There were many things I would see a lot of my friends and their families doing which actually we as a family could never do. Very rarely could we go away as a family together.’
OpenLearn - Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging 
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