All of Valuing People applies to people from black and ethnic minority communities the same as to everyone else with a learning disability.
What Valuing people says about diversity
- There are good things happening for people from black and ethnic minority communities across the country, but in lots of places things aren't good enough.
- Services and support for people with learning disabilitites often do not meet their needs.
- Services have to do what the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 says. This means they have to make sure their services are giving people from black and ethnic minority communities good support. Speak to them in their own language.Understand and respect their culture.
- There should be representation from people from black and minority ethnic communities on Partnership Boards.
Valuing People came with an extra book about the extra problems for people from black and ethnic minority communities. It was called 'Learning Difficulties and Ethnicity'. You can order a copy from Bridget Fisher ARC ARC House Marsden Street Chesterfield S40 1JY
Email: (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Tel: 01246 555043
There is a website especially for yuong people from black and ethnic minority communitites with a learning disability and their supporters and families.It has lots of pictures.You can see it at www.movingonup.info
In Southampton we
Have set up a working group of people from different communities. There are people from Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, Somali, Polish and African Caribbean backgrounds.
We have thought about how different communities think about learning disabilities.
The main things we learnt were
- Lots of people do not understand what a learning disability is.
- People with learning disabilities and their families are not always welcomes or included in their own community
- Services are not set up to meet people’s needs and so are not used.
- People with learning disabilities and their families want to be accepted.
The main things we have done are
- We had a stall at some community events and people came to find out more.
- We have done some training for the group members thinking about what a learning disability is.
- We have translated some important information into community languages and you can click on the link below to find the one that is right for you.
- We have visited differnet communities and tlkaed to them about learning disabilities.
- We have helped some carers to get a better service.
- We have paid for interpreters who speak community languages to help people understand what's happening and to tell services what they want
The main things we want to do next
- Help more people to get a better service
- Make some posters to show how words used in some languages hurt people with learning disabilitites.
- Have a conference
- Work with services to provide information that is helpful in the right language and with good pictures.
- Work with services to think about changing what they do.
- Link with other groups in the country to find out what good things are happening
- Contact all the people with learning disabilities from ethnic minorities in Southampton.
- Put together some training information for people to use
To join us please call Steph Smith on 023 80832032
We have thought about how different communities think about learning disabilities
Here is the presentation we have put together about diversity.