Learning Disability Week 19th – 26th June 2023
Date 9th Jun 2023
Learning Disability Week takes place this year, from the 19th - 26th June. Organised annually by the charity, Mencap, it’s a time to celebrate the achievements of people with learning disabilities and to challenge the misconceptions that they can often face.
It’s estimated that there are 351,000 children aged 0-17 in the UK with a learning disability. And while every child is an individual with their own needs, it’s essential that every child receives the right support from both parents and teachers so they can go on to lead fulfilling lives.
What is a learning disability?
Mencap define 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. Secondly, there are different types of learning disability, which can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. In all cases a learning disability is lifelong.
Learning disability vs learning difficulties
The term learning disability can often be confused with learning difficulties such as dyslexia or ADHD. Mencap describes dyslexia as a “learning difficulty” because, unlike learning disability, it does not affect intellect.
However, a lot of people with a learning disability may have more than one diagnosis and have a set of conditions that are unique to them. This may include associated conditions such as Downs syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and challenging behaviour. Therefore, some individuals with a learning difficulty may also have a learning disability too.
Help support Learning disability week 2023!
The theme of this year's Learning Disability Week is Living life with a learning disability, and we’ll be supporting teachers, educators, parents and carers during learning disability week by sharing a series of free content, inspirational stories, and advice about how to support children with SEND.
The good news, it's easy to get involved in three simple steps:
1 Sign up for our free monthly newsletter
2 Follow us on Facebook
3 Follow us on Twitter
You can also find out more about learning disability week and take a look at the free resources available on the Mencap website