‘Busy Behaviour’ in the‘Land of the Golden M’: Going Out with Learning Disabled Children in Public Places.

Research suggests that the inclusion of learning disabled people is contingent, unsatisfactory and incomplete. This paper will take a step back and look at the experiences of mothers of learning disabled children in public places.Seventeen women have taken part in the small scale qualitative study which used a combination of single and group interviews to explore their experiences in public places.Four areas have been identified as having an impact upon the experiences of the mothers and children in public places: the effects of the childrens' learning impairments, structural constraints, the attitudes of others and the attitudes of the mothers.The paper will conclude by asking if there is a role for alternative primary communities for learning disabled people and make suggestions for the development of a more‘learning disabled child-friendly’ environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]