by DAN PARTON (EDITOR)
on JULY 3, 2012 in NEWS
www.ldtonline.co.uk
A journal has been published that contains articles edited and peer reviewed by people with learning disabilities – said to be a first for academia anywhere in the world.
A University of Manchester team of academics and people with learning disabilities worked together on the new issue of the Journal of Learning Disabilities.
The journal include a piece on the Canadian education system, an insight into the complexities of communication for people with Asperger’s syndrome, breaking bad news and the low take-up of annual health checks in Oxfordshire.
Team member Dr Rohhss Chapman, lecturer in learning disability studies at the University of Manchester – and also editor of the ‘research unpacked’ section of Learning Disability Today – said the project shows it is possible to make research into learning disability much more inclusive.
The work also sparked a debate among the team into how inclusive much research involving people with learning disabilities really is, she added. It also raised questions about the language learning disability researchers should use to make their work more accessible.
“As an inclusive group of researchers at The University of Manchester, we are pleased whenever we see research with and by people with learning disabilities rather than on people with learning disabilities,” she said.
“Learning disabled researchers find it difficult to gain a rightful place in discussion within academia – even though they have a great deal of insight and knowledge.
“This is despite government departments, research councils and the larger charities demanding greater inclusivity.”
Chapman added that the team did encounter some difficulties in the process of publishing this edition: “Some of the papers, for example, involved sensitive topics which upset some of our team, sparking a discussion about if learning disabled people should be shielded from difficult issues or not. The considered opinion of the team was generally not, providing effective support was in place.”
The journal’s editor, Professor Duncan Mitchell, who is based at Manchester Metropolitan University, added: “This special edition of the journal is significant because it explores ways in which people with learning disabilities can engage in research and ensure that papers that are about them are written and reviewed by them.”
Lou Townson, one of 5 members of The University of Manchester team who has learning disabilities, added: “From my own experience as someone with learning difficulties, I feel that there is nothing we can’t do, we just might need a bit more support.
“In terms of working with researchers, it’s isn’t usually the information which is difficult to understand but the way it is presented. We learned a lot by working in this on this journal.
“People with learning difficulties do have a valuable contribution to make to academic research into learning difficulty and I hope our work helps to make the case.”
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About Dan Parton (Editor)
I’ve been a journalist for more than a decade now, writing about a range of topics in that time. I started editing Learning Disability Today and Mental Health Today last year, having spent several years previously writing about social care. I’m passionate about social care, learning disabilities and mental health. Social care is such a vast and interesting field with great human stories at every turn. Trying to tell these stories, as well as getting to the heart of big issues, such as personalisation and the ramifications of the current spending cuts, is what motivates me. There are so many people doing good things out there and these stories need to be shouted from the rooftops. Outside of the magazines, I’m happily married with a baby son, who takes up pretty much all of my free time now. When I do have time for hobbies, I’m an Aston Villa fan, love indie/rock music and a font of knowledge about kids TV from the 1980s. You can find me on Twitter @socialcaredan