7 Summary of Session 8
In this session you have learned that people with learning disabilities have the same rights as everyone else, but that these rights are not always upheld. The system needs to change, funding needs to improve, attitudes need to shift, and people with learning disabilities and their families must continue to be empowered to speak out and ask difficult questions.
In this session you explored:
- why it has proved so hard for people with learning disabilities to have their rights upheld
- the role of self-advocacy and family advocacy in helping people to understand their rights and get their voices heard
- the role of the workforce in helping people to uphold their rights.
A whole range of people with learning disabilities, families, support workers, academics, activists, professionals, commissioners and policy-makers are working hard to make things better, but this course has shown there is still a long way to go if people are able to feel like they truly belong in society.
Activity _unit9.7.1 Activity 10 Make a pledge
In 2018, the BELONG Manifesto was launched by Access all Areas, Beyond Words and The Open University. Read through the BELONG Manifesto, which is designed to get people thinking about what is needed to help people feel like they belong. You should open the manifesto in a new tab or window by holding down Ctrl (or Cmd on a Mac) when you click the link.
Link: BELONG Manifesto [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
Is there anything that you think you can do to help make a difference to the lives of people with learning disabilities? Make your pledge here and then revisit it in a few days, weeks and months. You can connect with other people who are interested in the Manifesto using the hashtag #LDBelong.
The final word of this course goes to Charlene.
