Latest news with #learningdisability
BBC News
15 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Events held in Jersey for people with learning disabilities
A service has hosted a week of events in Jersey to show the support available for adults with a learning disability. Health and Care Jersey's Adult Learning Disability Service partnered with Mencap, Haute Vallée School and other organisations to host events from 16 to 20 June. There are approximately 280 islanders with a learning disability, the Adult Learning Disability Service week included an art class, zumba and drop-in sessions to help raise awareness. Alex Wiles, from Jersey Mencap, said: "I think often people misunderstand what a learning disability is and the types of challenges people have."This is an opportunity to raise a bit of awareness of that and to showcase some of the amazing opportunities that are on the island."Shelia Morels, whose daughter Elizabeth Morels is a Jersey Mencap user, said: "the Mencap social club is brilliant because it gives them a social life that they wouldn't normally have and experiences." Her daughter said Jersey Mencap helped her with life and "helps me to get out the house for a while." Libby Paisley, practice development practitioner for Jersey Learning Disability Service, said: "Our services are important in the sense that we look at the health of people with learning disabilities ... and support them to access mainstream services.""Please approach us, please come forward and let us see how we can help you."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Some people with learning disabilities struggling to access banking
Some adults with learning disabilities could be raising their risk of financial harm due to struggles to access banking services, a report has warned. Informal workarounds are being used to help some people with a learning disability to get by financially, including handing over Pins to others and allowing family members to impersonate them on the phone. The research was published by Project Nemo – a not-for-profit campaign for disability inclusion in banking and financial technology – and sponsored by Nationwide Building Society. Around a third (32%) of adults with a learning disability who took part in the research did not have their own bank account. Some of those who took part in the research said they struggle with passwords or logins, or find it difficult to talk to bank staff, or find security checks hard to complete. The report also argued that the general shift away from payments made using coins and banknotes may have left vulnerable people behind. The report recommended that financial technology developers and financial services providers should include clear and simple language in banking features, with visual explanations where possible. The ability to intercept 'risky' purchases could also help to bolster people's independence, the report said. Features for products should include savings pots, a calm mode to reduce overwhelm, and wearable alternatives to payment cards, researchers suggested. Researchers carried out in-depth interviews as well as a survey of more than 1,600 people who identified as having a characteristic of vulnerability. Kris Foster, co-founder of Project Nemo, urged banks to 'break down the existing barriers'. Kathryn Townsend, Nationwide's head of customer vulnerability and accessibility, said: 'Everyone deserves to manage their money with confidence, dignity and independence.' Jon Sparkes, chief executive of charity Mencap, said: 'People with a learning disability tell us that they can struggle to make payments safely because of complex banking systems, inaccessible payment options and a lack of 'easy read' information. 'Because of these barriers, many worry about being more vulnerable to financial abuse and not being able to spend their money in the way they want to. Project Nemo's work is a hugely important step towards ensuring the 1.5 million people with a learning disability across the UK can make their financial choices safely and independently.' A spokesperson for trade body UK Finance said: 'The banking and finance industry is committed to helping all customers. Firms offer a range of services to help support customers with learning disabilities, and we encourage people to contact their bank to discuss the options available. The industry also works with various third sector organisations to help them understand challenges customers face and improve accessibility. 'To ensure cash access is still available for all, customers are able to withdraw and deposit money in banking hubs and post offices across the UK.' UK Finance also released a report on Thursday into progress made by banks following the introduction of the Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship (DFCE) in December 2024, which aims to improve the entrepreneurial landscape for people with disabilities. The code sets out commitments to further widen opportunities for disabled entrepreneurs, including providing people with accessible and practical support, such as mentoring and networking events. The report said banks' initiatives include establishing specific teams dedicated to disability inclusion, with a focus on tracking and supporting people who identify as having a disability.
BBC News
13-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Dyslexia: 'My diagnosis was a lightbulb moment'
Two women who found out they had dyslexia in their 40s have described how the diagnosis came as a "huge relief" and was "a lightbulb moment".Sue Flohr, who runs the Adult Dyslexia Centre in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and one of the service's users, Alice Nugent, said growing up with the learning difficulty damaged their pair are now encouraging adults who think they might have the condition - which primarily impacts reading and writing skills - to get a diagnosis to better understand statistics show that 6.3 million people in the UK have dyslexia, while one in six adults have the reading level of an 11-year-old. Ms Flohr said she was described as a "slow developer" at school and sought a diagnosis after her children were found to have the disability. She said: "Some [people] can grow up with poor self-esteem and a lack of confidence and never achieve their potential - and I think that's what we're there for. "It's really unfortunate that we had to open a centre for adults some 20 years ago for all those people that were missed in school and are still being missed." She continued: "It knocks your self-esteem, it knocks your confidence. "It means that generally everything takes you longer than other people. It can be infuriating."Ms Nugent said her diagnosis as an adult was "like a lightbulb moment"."Relief, like 'oh that's why I've been feeling this way, that's why I've been struggling so much but without realising what the problem was'."I knew there was something different about me but I couldn't pin it down."Now my confidence has gone up and I'm able to help other people as well."A dyslexia diagnosis is not available via the NHS. It is recognised as a specific learning difficulty and this means it is an educational assessment. A diagnosis can only be made by an educational psychologist who is registered with the Health and Care Professions Council or a specialist teacher with a valid registration. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Fox News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
My son's old school board owes me an apology
On May 28, my son did something I didn't think possible just a few years ago. He graduated from high school with honors, and as a member of the school board, I handed him his diploma as he walked across the stage. If you'd told me this would happen five years ago, I would have laughed and then cried. My son, who has a learning disability, had been shut out of school during the pandemic. His grade point average fell from a 3.5 to a 1.5. For the better part of two years, I didn't see how he could get back on track. But while my son is now on a better path, I'm still dealing with the fallout of the school's treatment of him – and me. On June 12, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in a case I brought. I'm asking that school board to apologize for violating my constitutional right to free speech. I exercised that right in defense of my special-needs son, only for my elected officials to try to get me fired and even investigated by the federal government. I've been fighting this battle since the summer of 2020, when the Chippewa Valley School Board announced that classes would stay virtual for the 2020-21 school year. By then, my son had already spent three months in virtual learning, and every day was worse than the one before. My son's learning disability means that he needs one-on-one time with teachers. I worried that if he didn't get that for a full year, his education and life would be permanently harmed. The school board held public meetings that summer and fall, and out of concern for my son, I showed up to all of them. But the board members showed zero willingness to listen, much less show leadership by reopening school. I got frustrated, no question. But I didn't act inappropriately. I've been a police officer for 27 years, so I know how to handle myself in public. But while I never crossed a line, the school board did. In December, the deputy chief at my police station called me into his office and read an email he'd received from a school board member. It accused me of "veiled racism," and when that kind of language is leveled at a police officer, the meaning is obvious. I should be fired – simply for speaking in defense of my son. How I wish that were the end of it. I kept going to school board meetings, and I kept my cool despite being targeted. The following October, however, the school board president submitted a formal complaint to the Department of Justice. He accused me of "threatening comments," and once again, the subtext was clear. The day before, Attorney General Merrick Garland had written his memo ordering the FBI to go after parents who criticize educators and school board members. The memo was an obvious invitation to those who wanted to silence parents like me, of which there were countless during the pandemic. My son's school board jumped at the chance. I have no idea if the Justice Department took action. But I do know the school board—an elected government body – tried to punish me for daring to use my right to free speech. I also know that while the school board was targeting me, my son's situation deteriorated further. In 2021, I moved him into a school in a neighboring district, and I also ran for an open seat on the board. But I refused to let the old school board get away with its actions. Which brings me to the Sixth Circuit. I got here after a district court ruled that while I was targeted, I didn't suffer any harm. That's true – the school board didn't succeed in getting me fired or otherwise punished. But that's irrelevant. Government officials shouldn't be let off the hook simply because their targeting failed. If the federal courts let that argument stand, government officials across America will go after their opponents like never before. They'll be free to frighten anyone who dares question them, silencing citizens who try to hold them accountable. I refused to be silent, then or now. I'm asking the court to recognize that my constitutional rights were violated. And I want the court to order the school board to give me an apology. I'm astounded that none of the elected officials who targeted me have said those simple words – I'm sorry. Thank God that despite their best efforts, I'm still employed, and my son finished his education with flying colors.
BBC News
07-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Learning disabled gardeners 'devastated' over centre closure plan
Learning disabled volunteers and their families say they are "devastated" a west London community garden centre is set to be closed than 4,500 have signed a petition urging the Hillingdon Council to keep the Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC) in Colham open.A group of learning disabled adults help maintain the garden centre, and some have attended for decades and see it as a critical part of their routine, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Council says the centre is making an annual loss of £137,000 a year which is being subsidised by local taxpayers and and volunteers will be offered alternative "learning and developmental opportunities". Terry, who has been volunteering at the garden centre for several years, said he had "stopped leaving the house" before he began working to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said: "My mum got ill with dementia and I had to look after her, when she died I was suggested to come here, it's now the only place I come to."If this place closes I won't be doing anything again, it makes me upset." 'We need this place' Wayne, a volunteer of over 30 years at the RAGC, says he loves the work and the people he works with. His father Stuart says it is the "one thing that gives them a purpose in life". Without it, he says, many volunteers would be "stuck at home"."All of these people will be devastated," he added. "We all need this place, what it does for people, and the community it brings. We need it."Hillingdon Council says it will continue supporting volunteers by offering horticultural placements in gardens and public areas around the borough's Civic Centre in local authority says this will provide "enriched learning and developmental opportunities" and "a wider range of activities than they currently experience at the garden centre". The report on the future of the Rural Activities Garden Centre is due to be will be considered by the council's Cabinet on 26 Council said: "We are committed to ensuring all volunteers with assessed social care needs receive enriched learning and developmental opportunities. "Unfortunately, the RAGC's retail operations are not economically viable and we cannot expect residents to subsidise a loss-making garden centre."
