Learning disability and social inclusion : a review of current policy and practice

Over the last five years in Scotland and across the UK, people with learning disabilities have been the target of considerable legislative and policy changes.

A key theme relates to the inclusion of people with learning disabilities in the community - in education, in training and employment, and in relation to accessing health, housing, and leisure services.

This is perhaps best exemplified by the review of learning disability services, The Same as You?, published by the Scottish Executive in 2000, and the parallel document in England, Valuing People, which was published in 2001.

As a result of these initiatives, people with learning disabilities, their families, service providers, policy makers, and other professionals working alongside them have to navigate their way through a very complex array of regulations and provisions.

Author Gillian McIntyre acknowledges and addresses this complexity by mapping and critically reviewing these relevant policy developments in Scotland and across the UK.

Drawing on the available research evidence, the author adopts a life cycle approach, tracing the journey taken by young adults with learning disabilities upon leaving school and making the transition to adulthood and beyond.

Focusing on the major areas identified in The Same As You?, McIntyre identifies key messages in the fields of education, training, employment, health, and social work.

The book thus contributes an inter-professional perspective to the field of learning disability and provides essential reading for professionals working within the field, as well as for students of social policy, disability studies, and other related disciplines.