What is a learning disability?
Mencap defines a learning disability as ‘a reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities – for example, household tasks, socialising or managing money – which affects someone for their whole life.’
People with a learning disability tend to take longer to learn and may need support to develop new skills, understand complicated information and interact with other people.
Working with people who have lived experience
Information:
We recommend that you work with an advocacy organisation that has existing relationships with learning disability communities. They can put you in contact with people who have lived experience. This will help you to plan and deliver your engagement activity in a meaningful way.
Take advice from family members, carers and advocates about how to work best with participants, and if they need support to share their views.
Remember there are different types of learning disabilities, ranging from mild to profound, and each person will have unique needs and preferences.
Engaging with people with learning disabilities takes time, so remember to factor this into your timelines.
Consider employing someone with a learning disability to work alongside you, to help bring insight from their perspective.
Looking after your participants
Information:
Many people with a learning disability prefer face to face and one to one engagement. If you are talking to a large group, be aware that some people may find this difficult.
Where possible, give people different ways of getting involved so that they don’t feel stigmatised or treated differently.
During events
When holding events or including people with lived experience in key meetings:
- Have a pre-meeting to make sure your participants are prepared and try to check in with them afterwards.
- Don’t ask too many questions at once.
- Give people enough time to think about information and to give answers.
- Take care to get the right balance between the number of professional in the room and other people who are taking part.
- Book accessible venues – as well as physical considerations such as ramps and accessible toilets, consider how easy it is to get to the venue and to navigate to the correct meeting room once in the building.
- Have regular breaks – asking people to think about big and complex issues can be tiring, especially if people are discussing negative experiences.
- Have a break-out room or support worker/carers present – sometimes people can get upset or overwhelmed by talking about emotive subjects or the environment they are in.
Communicating clearly
Information:
Consider working with specialist organisations to create Easy Read documents. Easy Read documents are simplified documents for people with learning disabilities or low literacy. They use a combination of pictures and short sentences, so that information can be more easily understood.
When communicating, Mencap recommends that we:
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Use bigger text and bullet points, and keeping writing to a minimum
- Use easy to understand words and words that show people are human beings, not numbers or beds
- Avoid jargon or long words that might be hard to understand
- Avoid using too much colour as it can make reading harder
- Follow the lead of the person we are speaking with and progress the conversation at their pace
- Always check that we have understood what has been said
Try to watch and learn from people’s body language and facial expressions. Also, think about how you use gestures and facial expressions. For instance, If you’re asking if someone is happy or unhappy, use your facial expressions to reinforce what you’re saying.
Use visual tools to aid communication
Information:
Be prepared to use different communication tools and be creative. Drawing, using photos, objects or playing games may help you get the feedback you need.
Mencap use a system of coloured cards.Participants use the cards to to help them communicate more clearly.
Participants use:
- a blue card if they have something they’d like to share or ask
- a green card if someone has explained something well, or if they agree with what is being said
- a yellow card if someone is talking too quickly or if their volume is not right
- a red card if someone is using words or phrases that are difficult to understand
Asking good questions
Some people will find it easier to talk about the detail of their experiences. They may find it more difficult to come up with solutions or consider hypothetical situations.
Ask open questions – these are questions that don’t have a simple yes or no answer.