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People with learning disabilities are living longer. Older people with learning disabilities should be included in policies and plans that are for all older people. National plans and policies for older people often do not say anything about older people with learning disabilities, and it is hard to know whether older people with learning disabilities are benefiting. People who plan services locally often do not have good information on older people with learning disabilities. Using the Equalities Act 2010 could help people who plan services and write policy to think about older people with learning disabilities but this is not happening at the moment. People who work with older people with learning disabilities should be aware of policy for all older people, so that older people with learning disabilities do not miss out. This paper seeks to explore the opportunities and challenges generated by current policy, guidance and legislation in England relating to older people, in terms of the practical implications for older people with learning disabilities. Using the broad themes housing, employment, social inclusion and isolation, care and support, and promoting better health and well-being, this paper discusses potential practical opportunities and concerns for older people with learning disabilities arising from policy and legislation such as current initiatives regarding integration, personalisation and the dementia policy. Consideration is given to the implications of changing policy and practice for both current and future generations of people with a learning disability as they reach older age. This discussion paper concludes that whilst there is potential for older people with a learning disability to benefit from policy and practice aimed at improving the lives of older people generally, the tendency for policy to be targeted at specific groups without adequately considering the diversity of those groups often leaves those with a learning disability at the margins of being able to make the most of changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented that focuses on issues related to learning disabilities, including participation of people with learning disabilities in end-of-life care research, attitudes of support workers towards the affective and sexual lives of people with intellectual disabilities, and challenges concerning attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder that is often misdiagnosed in people with learning disabilities.

A response to the paper "Use of Technology by Older Adults With an Intellectual Disability in Ireland to Support Health, Well-Being and Social Inclusion During the COVID-19 Pandemic,"by Darren McCausland, Mary McCarron and Philip McCallion, is presented. Topics include ways to present quantitative data in academic journals for easier understanding, practical information that should be included in research papers and the importance of the research to people with learning disabilities.

The article describes the process of recruiting a researcher with a learning disability at a United Kingdom (UK) university. Topics discussed include how the editors choose the paper, the job application process, and how the team works together. The support needed by people with learning disabilities when they apply for a job is also mentioned.

Accessible Summary: Some of the papers in this issue focus on supporting people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.One paper is about support during Covid‐19 times and some papers are about therapy support following difficult times in people's lives, including (alleged) abuse.There are also papers about using mobile phones, learning to do research, and parents adjusting to advocate for their child with learning disabilities.In journal updates, the editors will be discussing accessibility of journal papers with the authors of the In Response papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: The papers this time are all about the well‐being of people with learning disabilities.Some papers are about emotional well‐being, such as feeling secure, dealing with stress and anger, coping when someone dies, having a good life and planning for death.Some papers are about physical well‐being, particularly keeping healthy and what some medicines can do to us. One paper is about having the money needed to keep well and live a good life.There is now an easy read guide to what the journal is about and how to judge papers for the journal. You can follow us on Twitter too, @BJLD_Wiley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: This is my first editorial as chief editor. It is an honour to be editor. The journal supports the rights of people with learning disabilities. It works to improve their lives.Editors before me helped to make the journal special. They encouraged people with learning disabilities to get involved in writing papers. One special issue of the journal was edited by researchers with learning disabilities in an inclusive research group.Self‐advocates have said "if it's about us we should be able to write in it, otherwise what's the point?" Thanks to them we now have easy read guidance on how to write a paper and how to submit it to the journal.I will make sure we have good guidance on how to review or quality check papers. We want papers that are good at involving and respecting people with learning disabilities. We want papers to be good research that says something new too.I will also introduce In Response papers, where people with learning disabilities respond to the issues in other papers. This will help us to see where the papers are relevant to people's lives.You can now write up to 7,000 words in papers for the journal. Before it was just 5,000 words.There are new editors: Alex Kaley, Edurne Garcia Iriate, Elisabeth Olin, Lucy Series, Tim Stainton, Vasilis Strogilos, Iva Strnadová, Liz Tilley, Ben Simmons and Simo Vehmas.I end with a word about COVID‐19. It means we need to hear the voices of people with learning disabilities like never before. We need to challenge the prejudice in who gets medical help. We should be proud of the great easy read information that people are sharing. And the creative ways people are finding to stay connected, and to stay safe and calm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: After the consultation with people with learning disabilities, the topic of health inequalities was chosen for the 2024 special issue.The lives of people with learning disabilities around the world was also of interest to people so we have made this the theme of this issue. There are papers from the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Belgium, Chile and Iceland.We also have papers about life in the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: Many of the papers this time are all about the relationships of people with learning disabilities. This may be loving or sexual relationships, relationships with staff, research, sport or friends.This issue has the first In Response article. Here people with learning disabilities share their response to one of the papers in the issue. Everyone involved learned greatly from the process.Some of the papers are based on inclusive research – where people with learning disabilities were also researchers – and many include the experiences of people with learning disabilities.The papers highlight how loneliness can be a problem. Two papers show the challenges for people forming relationships in their new settings if they have come out from institutional care.Papers in this issue show the importance of open honest communication such as when talking about planning for the end of life. The final paper shows how staff need to be compassionate in their care roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: The journal now has a statement on the website about respecting diversity, wanting to include different people and their perspectives, and standing alongside people with learning disabilities.We have done some research with people with learning disabilities about how they might contribute to reviewing papers. We will report on this soon.This issue of the journal has papers about community and well‐being for people with learning disabilities.The papers look at how we can help people who belong in communities. Some cover how people stayed connected during Covid lockdowns. Others focus on different ways of supporting people's mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advantages of including people with learning disabilities in research teams have been well described, but it is rare for researchers with learning disabilities to be employed at a university. This paper explores the extent to which university recruitment procedures are accessible to job applicants with learning disabilities. Methods: We present reflections on the process of recruiting a Research Assistant with a learning disability onto a university research team. The recruitment process is described from the perspectives of the employee, line manager and Human Resources representative. Findings: The recruiting manager and Human Resources representative had to make adjustments to a wide range of standard processes, including centralised online recruitment systems that were difficult to navigate, inaccessible job descriptions and difficult application forms. Finding workarounds to ensure reasonable adjustments were made was time‐consuming. The employee needed significant support from within his own networks to cope with the application process and had concerns about the potential impact of fixed‐term job contracts on future benefits. Despite our efforts, procedures remained difficult for the applicants to navigate. Conclusions: Employing researchers with learning disabilities is important. Fundamental changes to job application systems are required, including easy‐to‐understand information, alternative formats of application forms, and support available where needed. Flexibility from the Human Resources departments is key. They will need support from teams with experience working with people with learning disabilities. Accessible summary: It is important that people with learning disabilities are involved in research, but not many people with learning disabilities have a job at a university as part of the research team.We can learn from examples where people with learning disabilities applied for a university job. One example is Richard Keagan‐Bull, who got a job as a Research Assistant at Kingston and St George's University of London.What was it like to advertise for the job, apply for the job, and get the job? In this article, three people talk about this: Richard (who got the job), Irene (his manager) and Maria (who sorts out the paperwork and computer systems at the university).They found that the university's systems for finding and employing new staff were too complicated for people with learning disabilities. They had to make many changes to it, such as writing an easy‐read job advert and asking easier questions on the application form.This all took a lot of time. Irene and Maria made things easier but didn't always get it right. Richard still found it all quite complicated. They wrote this article because they want other universities to learn from their mistakes. They hope that more universities will employ researchers with learning disabilities.People might lose their benefits when they start a job. Research jobs at universities are usually only for a short time (1 or 2 years). It can be hard and stressful to get back onto benefits. This may put people off doing these jobs.You can see an easy‐read version of this paper in Supporting Information Appendix 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The terms idiot, imbecile, and moron are generally associated with notions of intelligence, having served both scientific and mundane roles across cultural‐historical contexts and in many different countries. This study seeks to explore the degree to which the use of these terms is an everyday part of our lives and to map out the meanings being attached to them. Methods: This study reports on their current usage in two arenas: within 29 academic papers published from 2016 to 2021, reporting on interviews or observations undertaken in educational contexts; and within 134 articles from four English language newspapers published in the first three months of 2021. Using a discursive and thematic approach to the analysis, it considers the degree to which these may be considered slur or taboo words, and whether they can be linked to discriminatory practices frequently experienced by groups with whom they are associated. Findings: It is evident is that people use the terms differently in different arenas. However, they see them as negative, associate them with stereotypical characteristics, are happy to apply them to others, but want to avoid having them applied to themselves. Conclusion: This study shows how widely these words are used across social contexts, and suggests that as with other historical terms for marginalized populations we need to regard them as slurs and treat them as taboo. Accessible summary: The study looked at the use of the words Idiot, Moron and Imbecile in 29 academic papers and 134 Newspaper articles.The terms were used by a many different people involved in education and in the news media.These three words are used to belittle others and people do not wish to have them used about themselves.Idiot, imbecile and moron are recognised as disapproving words, but they also act as slurs and so perhaps they ought to be forbidden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper describes the experience of conducting a co‐researched project with people with learning disabilities in Madrid, Spain, during the COVID pandemic and lockdown. I discuss the advantages and limitations of working online and challenges encountered while coordinating and facilitating the research. Methods: Our research project was on the impact of COVID on the lives of people with learning disabilities, which the eight co‐researchers chose. As part of my PhD, I offered my services as researcher to work together with persons with learning disabilities. Eight people took up my offer. We worked together from January 2021 to March 2022 virtually and I recorded this experience. I have written the paper, but as part of my co‐researcher agreement, I have shared my reflections and work with my co‐researchers, and we have co‐written a section to share our findings. Findings: In this paper, I discuss the advantages and limitations of working online, challenges I encountered while coordinating and facilitating the research and the work together. Remote work enabled the group to work on a biweekly basis and with members from different parts of Madrid. It saved people time and effort getting around town, yet we had to introduce express times and spaces to socialise and create a working relationship that is less natural than during in‐person interactions and breaks. During our fieldwork, we found that the pandemic had spurred the access to digital devices and programmes, but people may still be reliant on their environment, carers or supporters to facilitate it. I included a section written with my co‐researchers, in which we reflect together on the experience of working online and how we reached out to their peers during our fieldwork. We identified limitations due to our online research methodology such as lack of owning a digital device, the difficulties having access to a private space from which to connect online and the joy of meeting other people to exchange experiences. Conclusion: Human rights based participatory research can be done online. There are different ways of overcoming barriers to participation. However, there are people with no access to the internet or without digital skills that are being excluded and we must ensure that we reach out to them as well. Accessible summary: I did an online participatory research project with 8 people with learning disabilities from Spain using Zoom. Participatory research means taking part and being involved in the decisions on how the research is done.I discuss online way to make decisions, share power and control over the research, have some social connection in the group, and give information.I show that people with learning disabilities can work remotely but need more opportunities to learn digital skills. Digital skills are the skills to use technological devices, e.g., a smartphone, a tablet or a computer.Digital skills were very important during the pandemic and the lockdown, for example knowing how to find and use information and stay safe online and how to communicate with others over the internet.Participatory research projects need to support co‐researchers to learn new skills and apply them. The researchers need to be creative to make the online work engaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on the paper "Decommissioning Normal: COVID-19 As a Disruptor of School Norms for Young People With Learning Disabilities" that is published in the present issue. Topics covered include the reasons he chose the paper to comment to, the methods used by the paper to determine how young people with learning disability were coping during the pandemic with online schooling in 2020, and the strengths of the study.

A review of the article "Always trying to walk a bit of a tightrope": The role of social care staff in supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to develop and maintain loving relationships" is presented.

Background Methods Findings Conclusions Coproduction is a fast‐developing approach to patient involvement. It entails health and social care services users working as equals in partnership with providers and other public institutions to produce novel research and information, usually aimed at the improvement of service planning and delivery.This paper presents two real‐life examples of attempted coproduction with a group of men with learning disabilities in England. The first case study concerns the piloting and assessment of a ‘user‐friendly’ version of a local authority's ‘vision statement’. The second explores an attempt to secure funding to develop and evaluate a community intervention with and for people with learning disabilities.Together, these portraits capture two important and intertwined problems that afflict the field of coproduction: namely, the drive to create fast results and the challenges of time and resource allocation that service users and professionals face whenever they attempt to coproduce work in a meaningful way.The paper concludes with some suggestions for how policy and practice might seek to address these issues in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: This paper considers what we know about the life stories of people with learning disabilities.It was inspired by one of the authors sharing his own life story.It explores what a life story is.It discusses how life stories help us to understand more about people's lives and historyIt reviews what we know about how people with learning disabilities can record their stories, including people with high support needsWe know life stories can help people to get good support and person‐centred careBut we found that people's stories are often lost when there are big changes in their livesWe found that staff may not have the skills or confidence to support people to tell and record their storiesWe think it is important to find out how life stories can be used to support better care for more people. ​ In this paper, the authors review life stories in learning disability research and practice since the 1960s. Although there is consistent evidence of their value in giving people a voice and an identity beyond the service label, they are not widely used in the provision of health and social care. This is despite long‐standing policy commitments to person‐centred practice. The paper explores possible barriers to the use of life story work and what further research is needed if they are to be more widely and effectively used in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses the various topics within the issue like the transition to adulthood of children with learning disabilities, parenting, and the challenges in giving medicines to children with severe and profound learning disabilities.

Accessible summary: In the last issue of 2022 I reflect on the uncertainty we have been living with again this year. While the impact of Covid‐19 may be lessening, war and the cost of living are affecting us all.Following some research with people with learning disabilities about getting further involved in the journal more changes are on the way.I am busy consulting with people with learning disabilities about what the focus of the 2024 special issue of the journal should be.Meanwhile, this issue of the journal has papers on many topics including eating, mothering, having friendships, staying well and ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Negative attitudes remain a major barrier to the equality of people with disability, especially when coupled with the lack of autonomy imposed on many people. This paper analyses how disability self‐advocacy groups seek to change community attitudes and work towards systemic change by mobilising knowledge from their lived experience. Methods: The paper applies a cycle of praxis community development approach (a cycle of experience, learning and reflection, synthesis and planning, and implementation and review) to conceptualise and analyse their activities. The methods were a desktop document search, focus groups and reflective analysis with members of two self‐advocacy groups. Findings: A synthesised data analysis found that applying the four‐part community development framework was useful to understand the practice and the purpose of work by self‐advocacy groups to change attitudes. The analysis also demonstrates the benefits for advocates and codesigned activities to intentionally apply the cycle of praxis model to guide their future efforts to change attitudes. Conclusions: The research provides evidence that self‐advocacy groups achieve sustained impacts on attitudes in the community, beyond the direct benefit to their members. Government investment in self‐advocacy has potential to leverage wider system change in attitudes to achieve policy goals for the rights of people with disability. Methodologically, the research also has implications for the benefit of inclusive roles in reflective analysis to understand the lived experience of how practices contribute to system change. The design is an opportunity for inclusive researchers to intentionally incorporate reflective analysis into research processes. Accessible summary: Bad attitudes towards people with disability are a hard problem to fix.People with disability are more involved in changing community attitudes than they used to be.This paper talks about how the work of self‐advocacy groups changes attitudes.By working with self‐advocates, we learned that they used their own experiences in an organised way to change community attitudes.It would be good to share this success more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UK social care policy has "traditionally" sought to minimise organisational and sector boundaries through cooperation and partnership. This discussion paper argues that there is a case for a social care system based openly on separation of powers to address the conflicts of interest that inevitably exist between the actors—notably local authorities and service providers. Such systems, with "guardrails" to separate the actors, and "checks and balances" to keep them stable, have been developed over centuries in other spheres. Furthermore, if disabled people are to be considered as participants with rights, rather than mere recipients, they should be recognised as the third main actor in the system, also with powers that are protected and constrained. This paper takes a 50‐year retrospective view of these issues in terms of policy affecting people with learning disabilities, focusing on three policy episodes in the UK. First, the 1970s, with a system unbalanced by powerful medical professions, and an absence of self‐advocacy. Second, care management in the 1990s, which ducked the spirit of Sir Roy Griffiths' vision of a lively provider market. Third, the adoption and degradation of Personal Budgets. The learning from UK and international individualised funding programmes is too complex to be certain which ingredients are the keys to success. However, there are strong arguments, and substantial evidence, to suggest that Personal Budgets will not truly succeed until they are built on a structure that determines not only what councils and providers can and should do but also where they must not interfere. Accessible summary: •It is a nice idea that everyone involved in social care—the council, the service providers and people with learning disabilities—all want the same thing. If that is true, then they all need to work together as closely as they can.•But it is not really true. Council staff who do assessments and people who run services see things from different viewpoints. A person who wants support services will see things another way. That does not mean that anyone is a bad person, and a lot of the time they will want the same thing. But we are all human, and sometimes we pretend we are doing what we should do, when actually it is what suits us.•If you need a Personal Budget, the council may try to say you do not need much support, because that will save money. The support provider may want to tell you when you will get support, because it makes life easier for them, not you.•So maybe we should be more honest, and organise the system so that people have the power to do their job, but do not have the power to interfere when they should not. Disabled people should be part of this system, so that they have some power as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the different models of disablement in different religions and cultures around the world, social and aesthetic representations of intellectually disabled people are diverse in various societies. Disability is perceived in a different way in India than in the West. There are very few studies on the complex role of Indian mainstream Hindi cinema in the representation of intellectual and developmental disabilities in India. This paper explores the potential of shifting representations of intellectual and developmental disability in the late twentieth and early twenty‐first century Bollywood films in the context of multiple aesthetic challenges they pose. The shift in screen image of intellectual impairment is strongly related to the shifting and ambiguous sociocultural model of personhood in India. In earlier Indian Hindi films, characters with intellectual disabilities were depicted in terms of good/bad moralistic labels, compromised body image, leading to aesthetic undesirability. In later Hindi films, they were instead represented as enduring human beings. In short, in earlier Hindi films, there was a discriminatory hegemonic bias in the depiction of intellectually disabled characters, in contrast to that in later Hindi films, where they were depicted in richly diverse perspectives. The changing artistic parlance becomes even more interesting in the context of major developments in Indian governmental policies and rights for the disabled in the last two decades. Thus, the paper highlights that contemporary Hindi films urge the audience to consider intellectual and developmental disability as a multilayered issue and rather than merely as a disease. Accessible summary: Our ideas about disability are linked with those of family, religion and tradition in a particular society.Cinema also reflects our perceptions and concepts of disability.This paper is about the how people with intellectual disabilities have been shown in Hindi cinema in the last 30 years, and how intellectual disability is understood in India.In Hindi cinema, intellectually disabled characters are represented in a way that is slightly different from those in Western literature and films.Research on representations of intellectual disability in cinema is important as it can stimulate healthy discussions on a more empathetic society with a better understanding of the various facts related to intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The immediate post‐world war II era was a critical turning point in the history of learning disability in the United Kingdom and much of the global north. Most notably the gradual move away from institutional provision to a community‐oriented approach. While many diverse threads contributed to this change, a key influence was the slow, and incomplete, recognition that institutional provision was not an acceptable option. From the mid 1950s onward a number of commissions and inquiries considered the question of institutions both generally and in response to specific incidents and scandals. This paper traces the history and influence of this early discourse in the third quarter of the 20th century and locates it within the long history of scandals and abuse. Methods: Methods included a review of original documents from the period along with scholarly and grey literature review. Findings and Conclusions: The recurring scandals and public outcry that surrounded the long‐stay institutions of this period was a pivotal piece in spurring the move away from institutions towards community care. While significant progress was made deinstitutionalization remains a work in progress and institutions remain remarkably resilient despite a long and consistent history of failure. Accessible summary: After the second world war many people with learning disabilities were locked away in institutions and forgotten about.After the second world war some people started to speak out about how bad the institutions were and the government had a lot of inquiries (people looking at what happened or was going on) about abuse and other bad conditions.All of this attention finally led to more people being in the community than in institutions.Institutions still exist though and are still full of abuse and bad conditions. In the past a lot of words were used that we don't use anymore because they are hurtful and insulting. Because this is a paper about history there are a lot of those words in the paper so if you think that might upset you maybe have a friend or someone you trust read it with you. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper reports on a participatory project on the history of learning disability. The paper makes contributions to discourses on using participatory research methods with people labelled with learning disabilities, on the nature of research impact in participatory research, and on the lived experience of learning disability today. Methods: We used a two‐step methodology. The first step involved searching for and selecting archive material relating to the history of learning disability. The second step involved a series of participatory workshops. We worked collectively to systematically analyse the case history of Antonia Grandoni. Then we responded to it in a variety of creative ways. In doing so, we made connections between Antonia's life and our own. Findings: Many of Antonia's experiences seem very similar to what people labelled with learning disabilities often encounter today. These include discrimination, segregation and dehumanisation. Despite this, we very much enjoyed doing the research. As well as finding out about the history, some of us learned new skills, some of us grew in confidence, and we also made new friends. Conclusions: Participatory methods are an effective way of making digital archive material more accessible to people labelled with learning disabilities. In this project, using participatory methods revealed a lot of parallels between how we think somebody experienced learning disability in the mid‐19th century, and how it is experienced today. They also resulted in significant impact on the people doing the research. Accessible summary: This is a paper about how we researched learning disability history together.We used material in a digital archive as well as creative methods to do our research.Working this way helped us learn about ourselves, and each other's experiences of learning disability, whilst we learned about the history.This is important because people with learning disabilities have not often been able to do historical research.Research like this matters because doing it teaches us useful skills and can be empowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Young people with learning disabilities use many digital technologies to undertake meaningful and social activities in their everyday lives. Understanding these digital activities is essential for supporting their digital participation. Including them in exploring their digital activities can be challenging with conventional qualitative research methods, because digital activities are a complex and abstract topic to discuss, particularly for people with learning disabilities. In this paper, we present the rationale for developing and using visual tangible artefacts (VTAs) to include young people with learning disabilities in exploring their digital activities. Methods: We devised a suite of VTAs to engage young people (aged 14–27 years) with learning disabilities in exploring their digital activities via interviews, diaries, and workshops. The VTAs comprised Talking Mats (TMs), probing with technology, digital snapshots and inspiration cards. Findings: Our significant methodological findings were that VTAs are useful for exploring digital activities with young people with learning disabilities. TMs and probing with technology can engage participants to map, recall and explain their digital activities. Digital snapshots are valuable for validating findings with participants, and inspiration cards aid perspectives about digital aims. Although communication and abstract representations can be challenging for people with learning disabilities, VTAs that combine familiar, simple, intuitive, individualised, rewarding elements and collaboration with participants proved valuable for exploring their digital activities. Conclusion: We concluded that VTAs are inclusive tools for exploring the digital activities of and with young people with learning disabilities. The VTAs allowed access to conversations, information and insights that are not obtainable otherwise. As such, the VTAs may be regarded as a new model for inclusive research in the field of disability and technology studies. Accessible summary: Digital technologies are widely used by young people with learning disabilities to talk to their friends and family, meet new friends and entertain themselves.These digital activities are complex and can be difficult to talk about.We developed methods to support conversations about digital activities with young people with learning disabilities.The paper gives examples of how the methods are used, why they are necessary and how they promote discussion of digital activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the issue is presented discussing reports related to studies in learning disabilities.

Accessible Summary: People with intellectual disability are often described as "vulnerable" or a "vulnerable group."The paper focuses on vulnerability as part of an ethical discussion in research.The paper says that people with intellectual disability are not necessarily more vulnerable than others in all areas of life but, like everyone else, experience many social contexts that may or may not place them in vulnerable positions.The paper is concerned with how the negative attributes often related to the label intellectual disability and vulnerability affect the decisions and views of researchers. Background: People with intellectual disability are often defined as a vulnerable group. The feminist philosopher Jackie Scully argues that vulnerability is often associated with qualities such as immaturity, helplessness, victimhood, passivity and so forth. As research is a social activity, the qualities associated with vulnerability affect researchers' decisions about who to include and exclude from their research project as well as influencing their interpretations of the research participants' answers, behaviour and actions. This may result in excluding people with intellectual disability from research or that their ways of being becomes interpreted as mere symptoms of their diagnosis rather than subjective opinions and experiences. Conclusion: By addressing these issues through the work of Norwegian philosopher Hans Skjervheim, this paper contests traditional interpretations of vulnerability and instead argues that vulnerability should be related more specifically to each individual research project and prompt questions such as: How do we protect these particular participants from harm? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors responds to a comment on their paper "Decommissioning Normal: COVID-19 As a Disruptor of School Norms for Young People With Learning Disabilities" that is published within the issue. Topics covered include the ways on how the Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA) managed to help people with learning disabilities during the pandemic, and their agreement with the comment that changes should be made to services for children with learning disabilities.

Accessible summary: The COVID‐19 pandemic has forced everyone to live at a social distance from other people. This has changed the way people live and are included socially.This paper focuses on the unexpected ways schools have altered and deepened social inclusion for children with learning disabilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic.We interviewed six people: two people who work for a Local Authority, one Headteacher of a special school, one Special Educational Needs and Disability Consultant, one young person with a learning disability and her mother.The findings and conclusions show the "new normal" caused by COVID‐19 can help to deepen social inclusion for children with learning disabilities. For example, it can help children communicate in alternative ways with their teachers and friends. It can help families to understand more about their son/daughter's educational abilities; this means they can advocate better for them. It can help professionals to meet the needs of children with learning disabilities more quickly.We do not enjoy living at a social distance from everyone else, but we do want to make sure that lessons can be learnt from this moment in time. Background: To slow the spread of COVID‐19, on 20 March 2020, nurseries, schools and colleges across England were closed to all learners, apart from those who were children of key workers or were considered "vulnerable." As young people with learning disabilities, families, professionals and schools become acquainted with the Erfahrung of the new horizon brought about by COVID‐19, the negativity of altered social inclusion is becoming the "new normal." Capturing this transitory moment in time, this paper reflexively analyses the curiously productive variables of altered ecological pathways to social inclusion for people with learning disabilities. Methods: Taking a hermeneutic stance, this paper draws on Gadamer's construction of the nature of new experiences. Focussed on the experience of social inclusion during the COVID‐19 pandemic, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six key stakeholders. As the phenomenon in question was new, an inductive approach to thematic analysis was applied. Findings: The critical tenet of this paper is that the Erfahrung of COVID‐19 has created the conditions for a "new normal" which have afforded children with learning disabilities altered opportunities for social inclusion, whether that be through increased power/agency for them and their families and/or new modes of connectedness leading to enhanced relationships. Conclusion: Whilst the impact of COVID‐19 has been a negative one for many aspects of society, application of Simplican and Gadamer's theories on social inclusion and the nature of new experiences has permitted the surfacing of new possibilities for the social inclusion of children with learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: •British Journal of Learning Disabilities is celebrating its 50th year. There will be a special issue next time to look at 50 years of the journal and the wider history of learning disability.•The issue has a mix of papers about the lives of people with learning disabilities sharing new knowledge and ideas.•The editor met with the authors of the In Response articles to hear their ideas for making the journal more accessible and to reflect the perspectives of people with learning disabilities even more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: Some parents with learning difficulties are supported by child welfare in raising their child. Many mothers and fathers with learning difficulties have their child removed.This paper is the first published research about being a mother and being father with learning difficulties in Austria. There is not enough good quality support for parents with learning difficulties in Austria.We interviewed six mothers and five fathers with learning difficulties and asked them about who supports them and how. We also asked them what it means to them to be a mother or a father.Most parents said that they get the wrong support and are being checked on by child welfare. One mother said that she gets very helpful support.Being a mother with learning difficulties is different to being a father with learning difficulties. Mothers who have lived with their child feel that they are the main caregivers, but fathers sometimes feel excluded from their child's life. Background: Many parents with learning difficulties face high rates of child welfare intervention and child removal. In contrast to other high‐income countries, there has not been any published research on the lives of mothers and fathers with learning difficulties from an Austrian perspective. After presenting an insight into the international literature and the Austrian context, original empirical findings relevant to providing professional support for parents with learning difficulties are introduced. Method: As part of a larger qualitative study, ten individual parents with learning difficulties (six mothers and four fathers) were interviewed to gain insight into their experience of motherhood and fatherhood. During the interviews, participants were asked to visualise their social networks through network maps that were then included into analyses. The current paper primarily engages with parents' experience of professional practice based on a hermeneutic analysis of latent and manifest meanings. Findings: The study results reinforce the relevance of social networks, including (a lack of) professional parenting support, and gendered parental self‐understandings in relation to barriers for parents with learning difficulties in Austria. Parents often experienced surveillance from child welfare professionals and referred to "being checked on" as well as receiving "the wrong support". Only one study participant experienced the (flexible and self‐determined) support provided to her family as helpful. Mothers and fathers with learning difficulties face, at times, quite different challenges in the parenting role. The findings highlight a maternal self‐understanding as being primarily responsible for their child, while fathers often felt excluded from their child's life. Conclusions: Support services need to acknowledge the relevance of gendered parenting roles and intersections of multidimensional disadvantages. The parenting support currently available to mothers and fathers with learning difficulties (if available at all) needs radical improvement and nationwide support structures need to be installed in collaboration with families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Introduction Methods Results Conclusions This paper examines the experiences of people with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom as society transitions towards cashless transactions and services. It is a significant study because it highlights the need to understand their digital financial experiences.This study employed an inclusive, interpretivist approach, focusing on participatory methods. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse data from focus groups including 40 people with learning disabilities across 3 day services. This original study included co‐researchers with lived experience of learning disabilities who assisted in data collection and analysis.Four key themes emerged: heterogeneity of preferences for cash versus digital payments; the urgent need for support and training in digital financial literacy; balancing safeguarding and fostering independence; and accessibility challenges in physical and online banking environments.The shift to a cashless society poses significant challenges for people with learning disabilities, requiring tailored support and training in digital finance. Financial institutions should be cognisant of these needs, suggesting that systemic changes are required for improved financial inclusion. The study highlights the importance of including people with learning disabilities in the design of digital financial tools and policies, to support their financial autonomy and independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background Method Results Conclusion During pregnancy, some women with an intellectual disability encounter some challenges, and some midwives who provide them with support lack the knowledge to provide the best care. This systematic review explores the experiences of women with intellectual disability during pregnancy and midwives' experiences of providing care.Four databases were searched (PubMed, CINHAL, PsycINFO and Web of Science) and the resultant studies were appraised for quality using CASP. The selected papers were published between January 2012 and December 2022 and originated from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Canada and Ireland.Eight studies were included: five examined the experiences of pregnant women with intellectual disability, one investigated the midwives' experiences of caring and two analysed both groups. The primary themes amongst women included pregnancy announcements, involvement in their care and fear of losing their baby custody. The midwives expressed their lack of readiness and need for additional support. Both groups recognised the necessity for improved education and accessible communication.Women with intellectual disabilities who are in the context of this review revealed their requirement for improved education and assistance in understanding antenatal information. The midwives within the included studies felt inadequately prepared to support women with intellectual disabilities: they lacked specialist training and required additional support in health education and communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Documented inequalities in access to eye care for people with learning disabilities and/or autism are caused by poor uptake of primary eye care services, poor identification of eye problems, lack of signposting and reasonable adjustments of existing services, concerns about costs of care and the low priority historically given to these issues in eye care policy at a regional and national level. In 2019, the charity SeeAbility employed four eye care champions (ECCs) with lived experience of learning disability and/or autism to work in local communities in London and the Northwest of England. They provided peer‐to‐peer support on understanding the need for good eye health and engaged with policy makers, and learning disability, autism and eye care professionals at the local, regional and national levels to influence both the clinical practice of individual practitioners (within existing service/pathway models) and more widely to influence the commissioning of the Easy Eye Care pathway. This study explores the experiences of these ECCs. Methods: The study was conducted in April and May 2023. A case study approach was used to describe the experiences of the ECCs from March 2019 to March 2023. Data from structured interviews with the four ECCs and workload analysis were triangulated to provide a multifaceted understanding of this novel health promotion project. Findings: The ECCs found the role useful and reported that confidence in their practice and impact grew with time but they required ongoing support in the role. A good understanding of the promotional messages was reported. Developing a good network of contacts at an early stage, both people with learning disabilities and healthcare professionals, was key. Relationships with professionals were supportive and positive and a positive emotive response to their lived experience was reported in these interactions. Conclusions: From the perspective of the ECCs, the role is useful and beneficial. The work suggests some key recommendations for future development which include planning to build networks, support in presentation and communications skills and defining key messages and knowledge. Confidence of the ECCs builds with time in the role but also needs support the emotive impact of their lived experiences on audiences is highlighted. There is a need to evaluate how the programme is perceived by those who interact with it and how it changes behaviours which leads to better health outcomes. Accessible Summaries: People with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely than other people to have a problem with their eyes but less likely to get the eye care they need.This paper explains how people with a learning disability and/or autism are employed to tell other people with learning disabilities and/or autism, their supporters, health and care professionals and people who plan services about how important it is to get regular eye care. This job is an 'Eye Care Champion'.We share what the eye care champions did in their role, what worked well and what did not.We discuss how what we have learnt can help other people with learning disabilities and/or autism work as eye care champions and perhaps as champions for other areas of healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We chose to respond to this paper because bad things are happening in health care for people with intellectual disabilities. We met with Chris Hatton, one of the authors of the article. There were things we liked about the article, things we liked about the study that were not in the article and things we asked Chris about. We enjoyed talking to Chris about the study and writing our response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID‐19 pandemic has brought about disruptions in healthcare for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There is a need to explore ways to promote proactive healthcare and better prepare individuals for healthcare encounters. Methods: A co‐designed tool, the COVID Check‐in Tool, was introduced as part of a virtual health education programme to encourage proactive healthcare. Implementation of this Health Check‐in was evaluated with 36 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and 96 family caregivers who completed the programme using surveys, structured interviews and focus groups. Findings: Forty‐four percent of participants engaged in the Health Check‐in process, resulting in many reported benefits for those who participated. However, there were also barriers to initiating the Check‐in, along with challenges using the COVID Check‐in Tool, according to both the adults with disabilities who were interviewed and the family caregivers. Conclusions: The study underscores the importance of considering ways to integrate tools into routine healthcare practices, to facilitate improved healthcare delivery for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during pandemic recovery efforts. As well, involving people with lived experience in the development and implementation of healthcare resources is critical. Accessible Summary: Our team worked together to make a tool that would help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities talk to their doctor about health problems after not seeing them a lot because of the pandemic. We called this tool the 'COVID Check‐in'.Then people from our team taught online health courses about how to use the COVID Check‐in Tool and other health topics.After the courses were over, we asked 36 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and 96 family caregivers if they had a Health Check‐in with their doctor and how it went, or what problems they had with it.Almost half of the people who took the courses had a Health Check‐in and most of the people thought it was helpful. Some people did not do it or did it but had problems with it.We end the paper with some ideas of how to make it easier to check in with the doctor and why it is important to include people with disabilities and family caregivers when making healthcare tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People with learning disabilities experience health and social inequalities, and research that could improve health services may not be implemented in real‐life settings. Building stakeholder networks that can share and implement research findings may address this. This paper presents a framework for building a stakeholder network that maximises the likelihood of research recommendations being implemented in practice. This was developed as part of the 'Making Positive Moves' (MPM) study, which explores the experiences of people with learning disabilities following discharge from a residential stay within a hospital inpatient setting. Methods: We reviewed the literature on existing theoretical frameworks to support the development of a model for dissemination of the MPM findings. Stakeholder categories were identified through consultation with the MPM researchers, experts by experience and the steering group and a hub and spoke model to represent all stakeholder categories was created. These categories include person moving; family of the person moving; specialist schools; social care; care providers; regulators; third sector organisations; policy organisations; academic community; and NHS professionals. After establishing the categories, we consulted with people with learning disabilities and other stakeholders and conducted online searches to create a stakeholder database. Through information gathering and direct contact with stakeholders, we assessed levels of interest, power and engagement to determine which stakeholders to prioritise in our dissemination activities. The Stakeholder Wheel was created to present the data captured within the database and engagement profiles in an illustrative way. Findings: We use two stakeholder sub‐categories, user‐led organisations and care providers, to demonstrate the methodological approach. The examples illustrate how a scoring system helped us to identify high‐priority stakeholders who we then contacted to collaborate within developing our dissemination strategy to maximise the impact of the MPM research findings. Conclusions: We developed a framework to map stakeholders for the MPM study and enable targeted dissemination to increase the impact of the research. This approach has the potential to reduce health inequalities among people with learning disabilities by increasing the awareness of and ability to implement evidence‐based recommendations in real‐life settings. The stakeholder mapping framework could be applied to research projects associated with learning disabilities to bridge the gap between research and practice and reduce health inequalities. Accessible Summary: People with learning disabilities experience unfair disadvantages relating to their health. These are known as health and social inequalities.Findings from research projects can help improve health and social care for people with learning disabilities, but only if people know about and are able to apply the research recommendations.Finding people and organisations who can make use of the research findings (known as stakeholders) is an important first step in sharing research. Working with stakeholders to think about how they use the findings to change practice can improve care and services.We have been doing this for one research project called Making Positive Moves and it has helped us plan how to share our findings. Our approach could be used by other researchers to make it more likely that their research findings will be used to make a difference in the lives of people with learning disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Youth with intellectual disabilities experiencing homelessness are invisible within multiple service sectors. We know little about their experiences of homelessness, or the impacts of such on the social and physical health and well‐being. Methods: We used quantitative and qualitative methods to measure prevalence and learn from key informants and homeless youth with intellectual disabilities about factors leading to and sustaining homelessness, and the implications of such on their social, physical, and mental health and well‐being. The project involved seven co‐researchers with intellectual disabilities and experience of youth homelessness in research design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. We created Forum Theatre scenes that creatively represent the findings of the project. In this paper we share one of those scenes, as well as the recommendations three co‐researchers with intellectual disabilities have for improving support to homeless youth with intellectual disabilities. Findings: Lack of awareness of and about homeless youth with intellectual disabilities, combined with siloed ways of working by involved sectors, results in significant disadvantage and health inequities for youth. Also revealed was the likelihood this would continue given existing obstacles to accessing appropriate housing and supports to exit homelessness. Conclusion: Services providers, policy makers and representatives of the involved sectors need to recognize and acknowledge homeless youth with intellectual disabilities and take responsibility for learning and working together to develop integrated and responsive approaches to effectively supporting them. Accessible Summaries: Many youths with intellectual disabilities are homeless, but we do not know very much about them. We do not know how they became homeless, what their lives are like when they are homeless or how being homeless affects their health.The (name withheld) research project included academic researchers and co‐researchers with intellectual disabilities, who had experience of being homeless. They spoke to service providers and to homeless youth without intellectual disabilities about these things.They learned that most homeless youth with intellectual disabilities have had very difficult lives. They face many challenges every day. They don't have access to health care, mental health supports, food and nutrition or physical safety. Attending school or having a job is harder to do when you are homeless.Many different services are involved in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities who are homeless. However, these services don't know about each other or work together to support homeless youth with intellectual disabilities.Service providers, governments and policy makers need to take responsibility to learn about the lives of homeless youth with intellectual disabilities. They must work together, and with homeless youth with intellectual disabilities, to develop better supports for this group of youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease contribute significantly to societal and individual impact globally. High‐quality management of these long‐term health conditions is important to prevent deterioration of health, although potentially more complex for patients with intellectual disabilities in residential care. Disease management in this context particularly benefits from complete and accurate recording of disease management. Without complete records, long‐term health conditions are more difficult to track due to the level of uncertainty regarding which clinical examinations have and have not been performed. This study therefore aims to examine the recording routines of quality indicators for disease monitoring for chronically ill patients with intellectual disabilities in Dutch residential care. Methods: This retrospective study utilised medical record data from a large Dutch long‐term care provider. We assessed the occurrence of cardiovascular disease (ICPC‐2 codes K74, K75, K76, K89 and K90), type 2 diabetes mellitus (T90, T90.02) and/or COPD (R91, R95). For adults with intellectual disabilities and long‐term condition, we analysed data entries in an 18‐month period (between July 2020 and December 2021). Observed consultation rates were calculated and presented in median with interquartile range and contrasted against the baseline number of consultations in primary care. Information on recorded quality indicators was presented in frequencies and percentages. Findings: Of the three long‐term conditions investigated, the most common was type 2 diabetes mellitus (8.6%; n = 287), followed by cardiovascular disease (5.8%; n = 195) and COPD (3.0%; n = 101). Of those who received management for their long‐term condition from their contracted GP, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, or COPD had fewer consultations in 2021 than the Dutch baseline. Discussion of lifestyle was often not recorded. Disease monitoring quality indicators were recorded more often but at a lower frequency than expected. Conclusions: Because of the infrequent recording of quality indicators, recording of management of long‐term conditions for patients with intellectual disabilities in long‐term care appears suboptimal. Although this may not directly harm individual patients, it may jeopardise the quality of management of long‐term conditions, as suboptimal recording limits opportunities for evaluation and improvement. Within a broader trend towards data‐driven work methods in healthcare, recording of quality indicators requires attention from practice, research and policy. We should watch over long‐term diseases to help people stay healthy. We run tests, like checking blood pressure. The results are written in their medical records. These tests are like quality checks.We wanted to see if and how these quality checks were used, mostly for people with a learning disability living in care homes who also have heart disease, diabetes, or lung problems.We looked at their medical papers to see if these checks were there. We also looked at how often they saw the doctor.We found that chronically ill people with a learning disability went to the doctor quite often. But not as often as we expected. Also, the checks were not always written down. The talks about their lifestyle with the doctors were not noted very often.This can impact how well doctors care for the health issues of people with learning disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Findings Conclusions The hospital or health passport is widely acknowledged as a central element in making reasonable adjustments for patients with intellectual disabilities. Historically, the health passport has been used exclusively for patients with intellectual disabilities; however, it has wider applications for any patient requiring additional support. Commonly, it documents past medical history, communication needs and a person's means of expressing pain. There are, however, significant barriers to their use, meaning patients are unable to access adjustments to improve their experiences in a healthcare system that already marginalises and discriminates against people with intellectual disabilities. This umbrella review aims to establish whether the passport is an effective reasonable adjustment, identify barriers to its use and make recommendations to alleviate these barriers.Database and citation searches informed a synthesis of international evidence to address these aims. Following the removal of duplicates and screening, nine review papers originating from the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland were identified for inclusion. Seven focus on the use of passports for patients with intellectual disabilities, one on the use of passports for autistic people, and one exploring the use of passports for patients with dementia.The results demonstrated that the passports are effective in improving care for patients with intellectual disabilities. However, there are barriers to its routine use. We identified three main issues with the current use of the hospital passport. First, there is a need for greater managerial support to implement reasonable adjustments. Second, standardisation of the passports at a national level will make them more accessible to healthcare professionals and will ensure that information is not ‘buried’; the development of a standardised passport must involve consultation of patients, carers and staff to meet the needs of all stakeholders. Finally, education for all healthcare staff to raise awareness of the passport and ensure it is utilised appropriately will ultimately pave the way for positive, long‐lasting change.Passports can be an effective means of communicating reasonable adjustments. Addressing a lack of awareness of its utility, ensuring managerial commitment to implementing reasonable adjustments and making the passport accessible through a standardised format will empower patients to engage with their own care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: Two young men who have learning disabilities became mentally ill. They said that they had been hurt by their carers. They said that the carers hit them and made them have sex with them.They had post‐traumatic stress disorder, which made them scream, cry, hurt themselves and have frightening nightmares.They were helped by a Mental Health of Learning Disabilities Team. They talked to a psychologist which helped them to understand what happened to them.Talking to the psychologist helped them to get better. They could do the things that they enjoyed again. The therapy took 2 years.This paper writes about new and better ways to help people who have learning disabilities recover when someone has hurt them or frightened them. Background: This is the second of two papers describing a case study of two young men with complex learning disabilities. They presented with severe trauma‐related mental distress following alleged sexual, emotional and physical abuse. This paper concerns the psychological intervention and support provided for them and their families over a period of 2 years. There is a lack of research, guidance and evaluated therapeutic models for the assessment and treatment of people with complex learning and communication needs following abuse. Methods: In this case, therapeutic interventions were modified from systemic and narrative therapies and interpersonal psychotherapy. Creative techniques included acting, drawing and walks to develop a therapeutic relationship, to experience affect in a contained and safe way and to support the development of coherent narratives. Results: Recovery moved through stages of remembering and recounting, understanding and assimilating and improved mental well‐being and coping strategies. Conclusions: Modified models of therapy proved effective and further research recommended. The personal strengths and family support of the men were critical in progressing recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: Two young men who have learning disabilities were students at a college. While they were there, they were sexually abused by people who were meant to care for them.When they tried to tell people, some people would not listen. Some people listened but could not understand them.They became mentally ill because of the abuse. Then, some people started to listen and help them tell their stories. Then, the police and the courts said that the two young men could not give evidence in court because of their learning disabilities.This paper matters because it writes about ways to protect people with learning disabilities from people who abuse them. We need to try and help people who have been abused to tell their stories. We need to make sure those stories are listened to. Two young men disclosed emotional, sexual and physical abuse while attending college and living with Shared Lives carers in the UK. This paper provides a narrative account of the period when the two men were exposed to the abuse, the disclosures, the investigation and the legal and safeguarding investigation outcomes. A second paper describes the therapeutic response and outcomes for the men. A review of the literature on abuse and learning disabilities highlights the difficulties in conducting research in this area. Authors find significant barriers exist to disclosing abuse and to being believed. Prosecutions are rare despite evidence that abuse may be widespread towards people with learning disabilities. This paper considers the narrative experience of the two young men, the barriers they faced to being heard and believed and how their personal accounts were discounted and eventually lost to the investigation. Lessons for practice are considered for learning disability mental health and social care professionals, education, police and legal services. Further research suggestions are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: Positive behaviour support is used by staff to help people with different disabilities, but we do not know what helps staff to keep using positive behaviour support.We looked at all the reports that people have written about using positive behaviour support to find out what helps staff to keep using it.We used a special way of putting everything together and found groups of important things to do with positive behaviour support, the people who use it, and things happening around them. These things can help staff use positive behaviour support better and for longer. Background: It is necessary to understand which variables successfully contribute to the adoption of positive behaviour support (PBS) in disability services if people with disability are to experience meaningful outcomes. Methods: A systematic review of the disability support literature was undertaken, and meta‐aggregation was used to synthesise the findings. The study applies ENTREQ statement criteria, and diffusion of innovations theory was used to analyse and interpret the results. Results: Twenty‐seven papers were included in the analysis, from which over 300 findings were extracted. Forty‐one aggregated findings generated a final set of 26 principles which informed the development of a conceptual framework for the adoption of PBS in disability services. Conclusion: The conceptual framework and supporting principles will assist those interested in introducing PBS into disability services for successful adoption and are applicable to researchers, managers, and practitioners alike. Recommendations are made to expand research on the application of PBS in specific disability contexts and to broaden the application of PBS beyond challenging behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: This special issue of the journal celebrates the 50th birthday of the British Journal of Learning Disabilities (BJLD). The stories in this special issue are about the history of learning disability from around the world. It is important that people know about the history of learning disability, because people with learning disabilities have been kept in the dark for too long. Ian Davies says "why should we be forgotten? We're as much a part of society as everyone else". Over the years BJLD has included stories about learning disability history, but many of these stories were written by people who do not have learning disabilities. In the past few years, people with learning disabilities have been doing important history projects. In this special issue, we have included stories about history that have been written by people with learning disabilities. In the next 50 years, it needs to be easier for people with learning disabilities to write for journals like BJLD. It should also be easier for people with learning disabilities to find out about other people's research in journals like BJLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the article "Someone will come in and say I'm doing it wrong: The perspectives of fathers with learning disabilities in England" in a 2021 issue is presented.

The Camphill Movement is one of the largest independent providers of social care for people with a learning disability: there are 119 communities located throughout the world. From the start, the principal aim of the Movement—co‐founded by Dr. Karl König and his wife Tilla (née Maasberg) in Aberdeen—was to build communities in which children and adults with a learning disability could live, learn, and work with others in healthy social relationships. Karl König was born in Leopoldstadt, Vienna on the 25 September 1902 and died on the 27 March 1966 in a Camphill community in Brachenreuthe, Germany. Mathilde Maasberg was born in Gnadenfrei, Silesia, on the 9 March 1902 and died on the 17 September 1983 in the Camphill community of Fairways in South Africa. The paper focuses primarily on the lives of Karl and Tilla König and highlights the key points in their respective biographies. Whilst it is usually the name of Dr. Karl König that is associated with the Camphill Movement, a case is presented here that his wife significantly shaped the essential character of the Camphill way of life. She had been born into a Moravian Brethren settlement and latterly wove a strong, discernible and enduring element of Moravian practice into the fabric of Camphill life and work. Since the deaths of Karl and Tilla König Camphill communities have continued to seek the creation of environments where the economic, social and spiritual aspects of the community life complement one another. The paper identifies six key constituents that it is argued are central to the essence of Camphillness: mutuality, rhythmicity, spirituality, tranquillity, ecological sensitivity and economic sustainability. The paper ends with reflections on the 21st Century relevance of Camphill communities. Accessible summary: This paper is about the life of Karl and Tilla König.It discusses the influence of the Moravian Brethren.The characteristics of Camphill communities.I conclude by reflecting on the 21st Century relevance of Camphill communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Findings Conclusions I'm Me is a creative research project co‐created between York St John University and Mind the Gap, investigating learning disabled and autistic artists’ understandings of identity, representation and voice.In this paper, we use Walmsley and Johnson's criteria for inclusive research to reflect on the involvement of people with learning disabilities and autism in I'm Me.Researchers need to carefully reflect on who benefits from research. Long‐term relationships allow genuine allyship and for research design to emerge in an inclusive manner. Taking the time to develop access and clear structures for decision‐making can support people with learning disabilities’ participation and control over research. Part of access is sharing our findings in accessible ways, in this case, by using plain language and artistic outputs.Working out how people with learning disabilities and autism should be involved in research has involved establishing structures, reflecting and responding to create as much involvement and enable as much decision‐making as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Policy, research, and people's own experience in the UK consistently highlight the central importance of a home of choice for people with learning disabilities. Yet attention is mainly focused on the development of specialist as opposed to generic housing options for people with learning disabilities. Methods: This article reviews the findings from a major research study looking at the rented housing sector for people with learning disabilities. The study comprised of a review of local authority learning disability strategies; a 'national conversation' with key stakeholders; and thirty‐five, qualitative interviews with people with learning disabilities who rent their own homes. Findings: The research found that local learning disability strategies are lacking in information on rented housing for people. A national consultation identified a range of challenges in accessing rented housing for people wishing to do so. Interviews with people with learning disabilities renting their own place confirmed some of these problems but also, crucially, highlighted the success for most who rented their own home. People liked renting and were managing their tenancies well with relatively modest support. Conclusions: The evidence points to the possible benefits of a greater focus on renting for people with learning disabilities. Accessible summary: People with learning disabilities want to live in a home they feel safe and comfortable in.Some—but not very many—people with learning disabilities rent their own homes from social housing organizations or private landlords. There is not much research about this.The research in this paper looked at local authority strategies about housing and people with learning disabilities and then talked to lots of different people about the issues including people with learning disabilities who do rent.Overall, people enjoy renting their own homes and feel happy and settled.But people did not always get enough support to rent their own homes. It could be a complicated process, and information was often not very accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite the growing diversity among students in higher education, nonprogression to postsecondary education persists for many students with intellectual disabilities with low completion rates for those who do progress. Research suggests that occupational therapy (OT) support can be extremely beneficial in assisting students. Less is known however about the impact of OT in higher education. This study aims to examine the use of OT embedded in a postsecondary programme for students with intellectual disabilities. Methods: This study uses a scoping review of relevant literature and a qualitative analysis of OT working in a higher education programme specifically designed for students with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Findings: This paper highlights how the OT support within this programme uses a four‐fold collaborative approach supporting students, staff, business partners and wider organisational structures in the university. Conclusion: The analysis highlights the opportunities for collaboration between OT and curriculum developers, teaching and ancillary staff and students in higher education along with the significant OT input into work placements and internships with business partner mentors. Challenges in educating stakeholders to understand OT in the higher education environment would suggest a substantial need for further research. Accessible summaries: Many students with intellectual disabilities go to university now. Some students find university hard. They need help with university.We did research on one programme for students with an intellectual disability. This programme has occupational therapists. The occupational therapists help students.Occupational therapy helps people with problems/challenges in university.Our research showed how occupational therapists can work with students with an intellectual disability in university.The study also documented how the occupational therapists work with other people to help the students such as lecturers, people who design the programme and business people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We now have sufficient evidence demonstrating inequalities in specific avoidable causes of death for adults with intellectual disability compared to their peers without intellectual disability. Apart from covid‐19, the largest differentials that disadvantage people with intellectual disability are in relation to pneumonia, aspiration pneumonia, epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, ischaemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, diabetes and sepsis. The aim of this systematic review is to report on strategies at the individual, population or policy levels aimed at preventing these conditions that are applicable to adults with intellectual disability and that have been based on or recommended by research. Methods: Systematic review of PUBMED, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, Social Care Online, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), Web of Science, Scopus, Overton, the Cochrane Library and Google Scholar databases was carried out. Searches were completed on 30 June 2023. Quantitative, qualitative and mixed‐methods research; systematic, scoping or evidence‐based reviews; and audit and reports of mortality reviews were included. Publications included in the review were about preventing the eight potentially avoidable causes of death. Findings: Ninety‐four papers were included in the review (9 in relation to pneumonia; 11 for aspiration pneumonia; 18 for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; 7 for cerebrovascular disease; 8 for ischaemic heart disease; 4 for deep vein thrombosis; 31 for diabetes; 6 for sepsis). The eight most frequently occurring potentially avoidable causes of death in people with intellectual disability are very different medical conditions, but they shared striking similarities in how they could be prevented. The literature overwhelmingly implicated the need to make lifestyle changes to address obesity, lack of exercise and poor nutrition, and to have regular medical reviews. In addition, 'whole‐population' approaches are required that look beyond the individual to the social determinants of health. Conclusions: We found little peer‐reviewed evidence specifically about preventing these conditions in people with intellectual disability. However, most of the literature about preventative strategies pertaining to the general population was applicable to people with intellectual disability, albeit that some 'reasonable adjustments' would be required. Accessible Summaries: People with intellectual disability die from some illnesses that could be avoided. This is a bigger problem in people with intellectual disability than in people without intellectual disability.We searched for evidence about what we could do to prevent these illnesses.We found that although the most common illnesses are very different, there are things we can do that will prevent them. Some things will prevent a few illnesses.The best things that we can do are to eat a healthy diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, to do lots of exercise and to lose weight if we are overweight. Changing our lifestyle like this can make a big difference to how long we live.The government also needs to do things, like making sure that healthy food is easy to get and that there are safe places to exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]