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LEARNING DISABILITY WEEK

council where he experienced different
departments, resulting in his current
full-time job. Apart from social events,
a health day and a training day on safe
dating, the week had employment-
themed activities. These included a
drop-in breakfast at Disability Equality
North West (DENW) on employment
with benefits advice support;
drop-ins at Integrate’s social enterprises
offering opportunities in packing, shop
work, gardening and wood recycling; and
ended with a free showing of Ken Loach’s
film I Daniel Blake.

FROM HARROW TO NEWCASTLE
Harrow Mencap held an inspiring
Learning Disability week fashion show
with people with learning disabilities as Passers-by were encouraged to join in with DanceSyndrome’s flag market workshops.
models and supported by local
businesses; Friends Action held Works
for All events across Newcastle and the websites or through social For the full report see:
Twisting Ducks Theatre Company and media, which included NHS England’s https://www.wlv.ac.uk/current-students/
Newcastle City Learning in Partnership ‘Message to Employers’ news/july-2017/student-experience-
with the Skills Funding Agency https://vimeo.com/187842280, learning-disability-awareness-week-.php
created a host of films and whilst areas like Kirklees and
resources for employers and Leeds, led by Aspire, MEANWHILE IN SCOTLAND…
people interested in ran a more general Scotland’s Learning Disability week earlier
employment (see http:// programme of sports in May had its theme as ‘looking back,
www.friendsaction.co.uk/ and fun events. thinking forward’. The aim was to learn
news/works-all-learning- lessons from the past and consider how
disability-week). It takes a lot of to work for a better future. This year is
Across England support for the effort, resource and the Scottish Year of History, Heritage and
week’s employment theme was connectivity to engage Archaeology giving the opportunity to
often through postings on people in a position to reflect on how the lives of Scottish people
change things, so perhaps the with learning disabilities have changed
activities most likely to have had impact since Scotland’s first 2001 learning
were reported by a University disability strategy.
of Wolverhampton student Laura
Creswell. She spent the week with References
Dudley Voices for Change. Their full (1) Work, health and disability:
programme included a very wide improving lives, Department for
engagement relevant to employment – Work and Pensions,
job centres, job coaches, tutors, Department of Health, 2016.
psychologists, nurses on Day 1’s
employment event. The benefits of (2) Lives not services,
employing people with learning Community Living, Vol. 30, No. 3.
disabilities were illustrated there by a
lunch of delicious food provided by Lunch
on the Run. Their week saw a full range of
workshops aimed at showcasing both the
context and the achievements and talents
of people with learning disabilities.

Across England support
for the week’s employment
“ theme was often through
postings on websites or
through social media
which included NHS England’s
Jack talking about his career path to
visitors at the flag market ‘Message to Employers’. ”

www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 31 No 1 | Autumn 2017 25