Learning Disability Week 2024: Do you see me?

For Learning Disability Week 2024, we reflected on what it means to be seen, heard and valued — and why having a home in the community matters.

Learning Disability Week 2024

Organised by the UK charity Mencap, Learning Disability Week ran from 17 to 23 June 2024 and was about raising awareness of the experiences of those with learning disabilities. The 2024 theme was “Do you see me?”, which focused on respecting, acknowledging, and valuing the voices of these individuals. At Zetetick, this theme is particularly close to our hearts, as empowering people with learning disabilities to live as visible and integral members within society, through the means of quality community and housing, is one of our BEDROCK values. We are thrilled to be sharing a tenant’s wonderful story at the end of this post, so keep reading!

“Do you see me?”: People with learning disabilities are entitled to quality housing too

People with learning disabilities can face barriers to finding a suitable home, including a shortage of appropriate housing and delays in arranging care and support. Housing and care teams need to work together so that a lack of suitable accommodation does not prevent a planned move into the community.

The original article cited NHS Digital figures for January 2020. These recorded that 1,260 people — 58% of the inpatients with a learning disability and/or autism in the Assuring Transformation dataset — had a total hospital stay of more than two years. This was a historical figure about that inpatient group, not about all people with learning disabilities.

How we support people beyond Learning Disability Week

At Zetetick, we believe hospitals should not become long-term substitutes for a suitable home. We provide housing and tenancy support, working with the person, their representatives, commissioners and care providers to find arrangements that meet their needs. Care is provided separately by care partners. The aim is a stable home where a person can exercise choice, stay connected to people who matter to them and take part in community life.

Tenant spotlight: Rosie’s learning disability story

The following account was shared for Learning Disability Week 2024. Rosie’s name has been changed to protect her identity.

Rosie’s story shows how difficult it can be to find a home of your own when you have complex needs. She has a learning disability and challenging behaviour and spent years in a semi-secure mental health unit far from her family, often locked in a tiny room for most of the day with no contact with the outside world. Life in a locked ward was no life at all.

However, thanks to Zetetick and the support of the local authority and care providers, Rosie was able to move to a room in a house in London that Zetetick rented from a private landlord. There she was able to receive all the care she needed and lead the sort of ordinary life in a local community that most of us take for granted. She was nearer her family too, so she could see them much more often.

The account described the change in Rosie’s life more than ten years after her move. The care package and the skilled staff working closely with Rosie were essential. But without the home provided by Zetetick and the private landlord, the transformation in Rosie’s life would have been impossible.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming one of our tenants, you can make a referral.

Further information

• Zetetick | What We Do
• Mencap | Learning Disability Week 
• Mencap | Widespread Loneliness