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Why you should read this article: • To be aware that social inclusion for people with intellectual and development al disabilities (IDD) is a focus of welfare policies and legislation in many countries • To recognise that the implementation of policy and legislation for people with IDD is the shared responsibility of governments, and health, education and social care professionals • To identify shared learning among students in health, education and social care programmes as one means of achieving social inclusion for people with IDD Policies for people with disabilities, and specifically those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), have undergone significant changes during the past three decades. Many people with IDD experience social exclusion, which has significant implications for the individual, their family and wider society. Today the focus is on accessing universal services, care and support in the community to facilitate social inclusion. Professions and professionals in health, education and social services implement social inclusion policy in the field of IDD. However, there is a lack of coherence between the policy intentions of social inclusion and the realities of professional practice. Educational collaborations involving academics, students and practitioners from the professions working with people who have IDD provide an opportunity for shared learning. These collaborations support the development of knowledge and understanding, and the barriers that need to be addressed to achieve social inclusion for people with IDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International student exchange is an opportunity to discover and learn from practice in other countries but few students sign up. This article describes two European Union Erasmus Intensive Programmes that gave learning disability nurses from England and Scotland, special teachers from Sweden and Romania, and special educators from Norway, the opportunity to participate in international and multidisciplinary classroom learning about health, employment and educational services for people with learning disabilities. A module on this will be delivered online in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research done on the experiences of care workers who work in an institutional care setting in Sweden for people with learning disabilities. The study procedure included interviews conducted with 18 care workers. Results indicated the efforts being done by care workers to create a family-like atmosphere as well their efforts to organize daily activities.

The article reports that people with autism die 16 years younger on average than everyone else based on a Swedish study published in the "British Journal of Psychiatry."