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Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging
Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging

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10 Summary of Session 1

In Session 1 you have heard about the experience of having a learning disability from people who can speak about it for themselves.

You have also considered how it is possible to find out what life is like for people who literally do not have a voice, who cannot communicate in words, but who can communicate through their behaviour, facial expressions and other means. People who know them well, often their families, become skilled at interpreting these types of communication.

You have also learned about the definition of a learning disability, considered some of the challenges of knowing who has a learning disability, and thought about the pros and cons of labelling.

Finally, you have begun to consider the question of rights, and some of the barriers to realising these rights for people with learning disabilities.

In this session you explored:

  • what a learning disability is
  • the different labels that have been used to describe people with learning disabilities and how people feel about those labels
  • what life is like for people with more severe or profound learning disabilities
  • some basic facts about the lives of people with learning disabilities
  • people’s rights.

In the next session you will discover more about the changing views of learning disability over time, which explains in part why rights and labels are such important topics.

You can now go to Session 2 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .