What kind of access do people with learning disabilities want? Part 1

Access that is real

• People with learning disabilities want to be able to make real choices. They want to have all the information they need to make those choices.


• Sometimes professionals see barriers to access, that should not be seen as real barriers.


• It is a challenge for professionals to make access appropriate and meaningful. Some professionals have the skills to do this, others will need support.


• We can tell the difference between real access and access that is not so real. For example being given a job but not being paid a proper wage.

Access that is meaningful

• People want access to real jobs, jobs that match their skills and interest. They don’t want just any old job.


• At School there is a danger that we will focus on doing well in tests and not on what people with learning disabilities have really learnt.


• We like to experience things (for example, at museums and heritage sites) that mean something to us. We like to experience things that have a link to the real world.


• At college, people want access to a curriculum that is personalized to them, where they have control and choices.

Access that is provided as normal or standard practice

• The idea that 'special people' need 'special teachers' and ‘special equipment’ can be a barrier to gaining access to an ordinary life.


• It is not right that sometimes in order to get access you have become a “special project”.


• It doesn’t always feel right when access is understood by others to mean having to make a special effort to get ordinary things.