It’s Learning Disability Week this week, 19-25 June 2023, and the theme for this year is ‘myth busting’. It is an annual event that was established by Mencap to:
The theme this year has been picked to demonstrate that people with a learning disability can achieve amazing things, and alter the misconception about what they can do. This also brings to light the stigma people face regularly.
It is important to create an inclusive environment and by celebrating Learning Disability Week, it provides the opportunity to reflect on the challenges faced by people with learning disabilities and promote a more inclusive society.
Also, it helps us honour their unique abilities and raise awareness about the importance of providing equal opportunities for everyone who is neurodiverse to thrive.
Learning disabilities are neurological differences that affect how individuals process and acquire information. They can impact a person's ability to read, write, listen, speak, reason, or perform mathematical calculations. It is important to note that learning disabilities are not indicative of a person's intelligence or potential; they simply present unique challenges that require tailored support. There are many disabilities, including:
A person could have one of these, or they could have a combination of multiple conditions. And there are variations of scale, so people can have a mild learning disability, or it could be severe.
Often a learning difficulty will present itself during childhood, and can be a reason why there are problems in a classroom. But in some people, it can take a while to get a diagnosis.
There are many resources on the Mencap website, and they have activities taking place every day, during the week, as follows:
At ILX, we understand that people learn differently, so we have developed different training delivery methods for our accredited and non-accredited training. We also have worked hard to ensure that it is accessible. But we also recognise that, as more research and information becomes available, there is more we can do to enhance our learning content to be effective for neurodiverse people.
We are keen to raise awareness not only externally, but internally through training and development, so we can understand what is needed.
We are also committed to diversity, equality and