This part of the website is about people being part of their community. Community means different things. Here we mean 2 things:
The community where you live... it can be an area or a town or a city, a village or sometimes your street
'Community of interest' This means people who share something in common. So people with the same hobby or interest could be a community. Or people who have the same faith. Or it could be people with learning disabilities because they know what its like to be treated as a disabled person.
There are also different ways people with learning disabilities can be involved.
Being included - People with learning disabilities want to be included. They want to be able to go to the local leisure centre, join an evening class, join an association or club with people with the same interests as them.
Giving something to the community - People with learning disabilities have lots to offer the community. People come with all sorts of skills and abilities that can be great for their communities. They can be good friends, neighbours and volunteers.
Active citizens - The government wants everyone to be more involved in their community. People with learning disabilities can be active citizens too... For more about this see: www.active-citizen.org.uk
People with learning disabilities can be active citizens in different ways, like:
Being part of an advocacy group
Being on a Partnership Board
Going to the Regional Forum
Some people with learning disabilities are also getting involved in their communities as:
I&DeA have written a guide called 'Including people with learning disabilities', that shows how local leaders can ensure people with learning disabilities take their rightful place in eveyday life. It also has best practice examples from the 'Valuing People' Beacons. To have a look at this guide go to www.idea.gov.uk
We help to improve services and achieve better outcomes for children and families, adults and older people including those with mental health problems, physical or learning disabilities or people in the criminal justice system. We work with and are funded by
