This Carers Week, Family Member Representatives of Learning Disability England – Kate Chate, Liz Wilson, Paula Strike and James O’Rourke – reflect on this years theme ‘Building Carer Friendly Communities’.

The theme of this years Carers Week ‘Building Carer Friendly Communities’ is a reminder to recognise, value and support carers in every part of society, including the workplace. 

As Family Member Representatives, we know members share a commitment to people with learning disabilities, and to the families and carers who support them.

We also know that one cannot live a good life without the other. 

The UK Supreme Court has changed the way the law on whether a disabled person is being deprived of their liberty if they cannot make the decision themselves. 

This means that the rules on Deprivation Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) has changed.

The Court has ruled that the long-standing “acid test” should no longer be used on its own.

The acid test asked two questions:

1. Is the person under continuous supervision and control?
2. Is the person free to leave?

If the answer to the first question was yes and the second was no, then the person could be deprived of their liberty.

Instead some new things must now be looked at when deciding if someone is deprived of their liberty.

It is 15 years since the TV programme that showed the abuse and bad treatment of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View.

Since then, there has been a government plan but still not enough has changed.

Many people with learning disabilities, families and staff have worked to try to change things.

Learning disability England supports there good work and will carry on speaking up with them for change so people live good lives.

As we approach the 15th anniversary of the BBC Panorama investigation that exposed abuse at Winterbourne View, self-advocate Steven Chapman reflects on his work challenging institutionalisation and the role peer advocacy plays in supporting people to leave long-stay hospitals.

His work is just one example of the determination and leadership shown by people with learning disabilities, families and allies over the past 15 years to fight for people’s rights to live safe, good lives in their communities.

In this blog, Lorna Rouse, researcher from The Open University, speaks about migraine in people with learning disabilities. She shares what she has learned and invites people to take part in a survey to help plan future research.

I am a researcher interested in healthcare for people with learning disabilities and I have lived with migraine since the age of 5.

So I was intrigued to find this presentation about migraine in people with learning disabilities:

Migraines in people with learning disabilities.

Gary Bourlet, Membership and Engagement Lead at Learning Disability England, shares why he believes hope is important if we want good lives for all people with learning disabilities.

People with learning disabilities, and their families, have spent a long time fighting for their basic rights. 

Lots of people are still fighting. There are still difficult and unfair things happening to people with learning disabilities. 

The Assembly is an interview show on ITV where well-known celebrities are questioned by a group of autistic and neurodivergent people and people with learning disabilities.

Last year Simon Cramp, Self-advocate, Campaigner and Lifetime Member of Learning Disability England, reviewed the first series.

Read series one review