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Hello, and welcome to our new website. We wanted to create a website that helps people to understand more about: What we do. What Easy Read is. How Easy Read information enables people to do more for themselves. On the website you’ll see lots of our Easy Read illustrations. These were first developed with a group of people with learning disabilities from Mencap in Liverpool. Every illustration has been drawn by our in-house illustrator Danni. Some of the illustrations she has created were commissioned by the United Nations - because their Easy Read documents required representation of cultures and nationalities from around the world. What’s new The new website is completely new in its design and layout. New features include: A new quote form - this asks clients to answer a few quick questions about their requirements and upload the document(s) they want us to transform into Easy Read. FAQs - a page dedicated to questions that we get asked regularly, so that people can see them at a glance. Intros to our team - at the bottom of the ‘About us’ page you’ll find an illustration of each of the Easy Read team and what each of us likes to get up to. What’s next We’re continuing to develop our website. If you have any feedback, please send us an email to enquiries@easy-read-online.co.uk We’re intending to write some blogs about the work we do, including tips for Easy Read, the importance of making information accessible and other matters along the way. We’re also intending to start a monthly newsletter for 2023 which will keep subscribers up to date on the work we’ve done + any other good Easy Read information that is available publicly. You can subscribe at the bottom of our new ‘Homepage’.

Hello from the Easy Read Online team and welcome to this month’s update! Spotlight projects Unlimited We recently worked with Unlimited, an arts organisation that supports Disabled artists in producing work. They have recently announced their UK and International Partner Awards for Disabled Artists . We were pleased to support Unlimited with their Easy Read documents for each Partner Award. We hope this supports more Disabled people to understand each award and how they can apply. If you know anyone who would like to apply for one of the awards, the application process is open until Monday 30 September. Crown Prosecution Service It was a pleasure to work with the Crown Prosecution Service to produce Easy Read versions of their Victims’ Guides which they launched this month.  This important project should help to ensure that the criminal justice process is as accessible as possible and victims of crime get the support they need. The CPS have run a social media campaign to promote the Easy Read guides. It’s great when organisations produce Easy Read versions of their information; and it’s even better when those organisations promote the Easy Read materials so that more people can access them! You can find out more and see the Easy Read guides on the CPS website here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/information-and-support-victims-witnesses/easy-read Extra services we provide Did you know about the extra services we can provide as part of our Easy Read service? We can… Apply web-accessible functions to your document so it is fully compliant with web accessibility standards. Have your document checked by end users. This means we send your document to a focus group at Mencap Liverpool and Sefton who review it with experts with lived experience. This can provide invaluable feedback from end users about your document. Apply print production - this means we provide a high-resolution quality document with print bleed marks for professional printing. Provide interactive PDFs - we can apply interactivity to your document if you require the end user to fill in a form on a device, such as for surveys or questionnaires. Create your document in different languages - we work with a translation company to create Easy Read in any language you require. Easy Read training Are you a small-scale producer of Easy Read or someone who makes ad hoc Easy Read documents? We would like to hear about any training needs you may have to improve the Easy Reads you create. What kinds of training would you benefit from? We would love to hear from you! Please email us your comments about training to enquiries@easy-read-online.co.uk One Big Walk challenge The One Big Walk challenge is an awareness-raising campaign set up by Mencap to let people know that there are 1.5 million people in the UK who have a learning disability. The challenge is to walk every day of September, with different goals, like 1.5 miles a day up to 150 miles over the course of September! Some of our team are participating in the challenge and they are raising money for Mencap Liverpool and Sefton. If you are able, we would greatly appreciate any donations. You can donate through Just Giving here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/easy-read-online-one-big-walk Thank you That’s all from us for this month. Thank you to all of the clients we have worked with. It’s been a pleasure to support your work in creating accessible information. As ever, if you need to request a quote for information in Easy Read, you can use our online form. Best wishes, The Easy Read Online team

November has come to an end, and it was a busy and exciting month here at Easy Read Online! Here we will reflect on some highlights from the past month as we look ahead to the festive season. Spotlight project We are working on translating the UN's guide for implementing the Jakarta Declaration into an Easy Read format. This guide is designed to help people understand how countries should follow the principles outlined in the Jakarta Declaration. The Jakarta Declaration emphasises the importance of creating equal communities that include marginalised groups, like disabled people. It calls on countries to ensure disabled people have access to health services, empower disabled people, and create policies that promote participation and equality in all aspects of life. By creating an Easy Read version of this implementation guide, we aim to simplify these important concepts and provide clear, accessible information on how countries can take meaningful action. We are proud to contribute to making global initiatives more inclusive so that more disabled people can engage with the important work of the UN. Watch this space for updates on when this guide will be available! You can find the full guide on the UN website. Free Easy Read Winter Guide At Easy Read Online, we’re committed to creating resources that make a difference. That’s why last month we developed and shared a free Easy Read guide to getting ready for winter. The guide includes accessible information on: Staying warm in cold weather, with practical advice and tips. Getting help with paying bills, including where to find support. Staying healthy, focusing on getting the relevant vaccines and staying active during winter months. If you work with or support anyone who may find the information helpful, we invite you to download and share the free Easy Read Winter Guide . Involving people with learning disabilities Involving people with learning disabilities is a hugely important part of our process. This month we’ve been making arrangements with a new group of people with learning disabilities from CASBA, who will regularly review our Easy Read documents. This will be in addition to the other independent groups of people we work with, including our local Mencap group in Liverpool. End user feedback is invaluable and we’re excited to get some fresh perspective and input to improve the quality of all our Easy Read work. Our founder’s retirement Last month we also bid farewell and a happy retirement to our founder, Martin Dobson, who is retiring after 15 years of extraordinary leadership and dedication. Martin built Easy Read from the ground up, setting out to ensure disabled people can have inclusive and accessible information. Martin’s passion and determination have left a substantial mark, and he has inspired all of us with his kindness, innovative thinking and commitment to our Easy Read values. While we will miss Martin’s presence in our working day, we are determined to continue building on the strong foundation he created. On behalf of the entire Easy Read Online team, we extend our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to Martin as he enjoys a well-earned retirement. Christmas closing hours As Christmas approaches, we’d like to let you know about our Christmas closing hours. We will be closed from Monday the 23rd of December, and we will re-open on Thursday the 2nd of January. Please note that, while we usually operate a 4-day working week, we’ll be working Friday 20th December to ensure that all important tasks are completed before the break. Thank You Our next newsletter will be shared at the end of January - we look forward to connecting with you again in the New Year!

Happy Halloween from the Easy Read Online team! This October, we dedicated ourselves to productivity by exploring new, efficient working methods and discovering what best suits our individual styles. Read on to find out what we’ve been working on! Spotlight Projects In October, our team translated a range of impactful documents covering a variety of sectors - from criminal justice and healthcare to the arts and international development. Here are two standout documents that our writers have recently translated into Easy Read. The Department of Justice in Northern Ireland The Department of Justice (DOJ) in Northern Ireland commissioned us to translate their Victim and Witness Strategy 2025-2030 Call for Views  into Easy Read. In their new strategy, the DOJ emphasises the importance of supporting victims and witnesses of crime, keeping them informed and cared for throughout their entire journey in the criminal justice system. Victims and witnesses have diverse needs, and this is especially true for disabled people, who may require information or support delivered in different ways than non-disabled people. It is particularly important for the DOJ to consider the needs of disabled victims, as disabled adults experience higher rates of crime. Providing this strategy in Easy Read is an important step toward fulfilling the commitment to support all  victims and witnesses. Check out the Easy Read version here . International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) IDEA is an intergovernmental organisation working to strengthen democratic institutions and electoral processes around the world. In October, IDEA asked us to translate their Local Democracy Primer. The Local Democracy Primer presented the challenge of translating complex political concepts into clear, concise Easy Read without losing the original meaning. Non-disabled people often assume that intricate ideas are too difficult to include in Easy Read formats. This can unintentionally disempower disabled people who rely on Easy Read, denying them access to the same information as others, which is vital for making informed decisions and forming personal opinions. Instead of avoiding complex information, we should focus on making it accessible. Our team produced a well-articulated document that clearly and accessibly explains democracy, constitutions, and human rights. Check out IDEA’s Local Democracy Primer here . The Easy Read version will be published in due course 4 Day Working Week From Monday 4th of November, we will begin trialling a 4 day working week as part of the national 4 day week pilot scheme. What does this mean for our clients? In short, not much! Our turnaround times and quality of service will remain consistent, and we will continue to be as productive as we usually are. To find out more check out our blog post . Client Testimonials We are fortunate to collaborate with some great clients who consistently share their appreciation for our Easy Read services. Here are some of our favourite testimonials from the past month: ‘Thanks so much for your help and support on this and for your speedy responses, it’s really been helpful! It was so nice to work on this with you and we look forward to working with you again in the near future.’ From Surrey County Council ‘Thank you so much - it is really a great start, and I never underestimate how hard it is to pull these documents together from your POV, given the breadth of subject matters you must have to do!’ From the Office of the Patient Safety Commissioner ‘Thank you so much for your detailed response - this is really helpful… had nothing but praise for the team.’ From Diabetes UK

Hello from the Easy Read Online team. We hope you’re having a great summer so far! Here are some of the things we’ve been up to this month. Spotlight Projects The recent General Election has affected some of our regular UK work over the past months. However, we have been busy supporting some of our international clients with their Easy Read projects. United Nations This month we’ve worked on an Easy Read version of a report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples . We also produced an Easy Read booklet about Beijing +30  - an international meeting reflecting on what has been done to improve life for women around the world since UN Women’s plans were outlined 30 years ago. We’re currently working on another United Nations document about the involvement of disabled people in the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . AI We have started to take a closer look into the world of generative AI tools to explore how they might assist us in our work. You can read our recent blog post to find out more: www.easy-read-online.co.uk/post/exploring-the-future-easy-read-online-and-ai I Need Easy Read Pledge The I Need Easy Read campaign is a collaborative venture with Mencap Liverpool and Sefton that aims to raise awareness amongst people with learning disabilities about their legal right to accessible information. In the build-up to the recent General Election we contacted all of the electoral candidates and asked them to sign our pledge to support the campaign. Over 350 candidates pledged their support and a number of those were elected as MPs, so we will be asking them to continue their support in parliament. You can find out more on the campaign website: www.ineedeasyread.org/pledge Consultation Engagement It’s important that everyone can have a say on issues that affect them. We work on lots of public consultations and produce Easy Read versions of consultation surveys that enable more people to take part. Generally, we’ve found that Easy Read surveys capture around 10% of the total engagement in consultations. This demonstrates the number of people who are excluded when services fail to provide accessible consultation materials. We were delighted to learn that a recent Easy Read survey we produced for Cheshire West & Chester Council captured around 65% of the total engagement! Another recent Easy Read consultation survey we produced for Essex County Council received over 1600 responses! If your organisation needs support with Easy Read consultation materials, or you use a service that is running a consultation that is not accessible, we’d be happy to help. Please visit our website  for more information. Thank You That’s all from us for this month. Thank you to all of the clients we have worked with. It’s been a pleasure to support your work in creating accessible information. As ever, if you need to request a quote for information in Easy Read, you can use our online form: Best wishes, The Easy Read Online team.

From Monday 4 November, Easy Read Online will be taking part in a 6-month trial of a 4 day working week, as part of the 4 day week campaign's  2024 pilot. The concept of a 4 day week is that employees work for 80% of their contracted time, while continuing to be 100% as productive and keeping 100% of their pay. Evidence from previous trials suggests that a 4 day week can both improve productivity and the wellbeing of employees. It has been shown to be a positive move for business  in several ways, including retention of staff, reduction of sickness days, and an increase in innovation. We already have a strong culture of support and communication and have great retention rates. For Easy Read Online, the 4 day week is an opportunity to further uplift our staff and increase happiness and fulfilment. We have been working together as a team over the past couple of months to think about how we can make this change at Easy Read Online while maintaining the full and consistent service that our clients are used to. We believe we have strategies and new ways of working in place to make sure we can do this. We also believe a more well-rested and happy workforce will be able to create even higher standards of Easy Read content for our clients! We will be closely monitoring the impact of the 4 day working week throughout the trial to make sure our teams and clients are happy. We’re also working with researchers at the University of Sussex who will conduct various tests and provide us with detailed reports about the impact of the 4 day week. This will all help us to make a long-term decision at the end of the trial. Will there be an impact on turnaround time for clients? The short answer is no. The aim of a 4 day week is to be as productive in 4 working days as 5. That means Easy Read Online will continue to be as productive, with our current turnaround times remaining consistent for clients.

October is upon us, and September flew by at Easy Read Online, filled with many projects and events that kept us busy throughout the month! Spotlight project This month, we were once again commissioned to translate the United Nations (UN) annual Disability Inclusion Strategy Progress Report . Launched in 2019, the UN's Disability Inclusion Strategy outlines key policies and action plans aimed at making the organisation fully inclusive of disabled people —both within its own operations and across its global programs. The annual progress reports track the strategy’s implementation, identifying successes and areas for improvement. Publishing these reports in Easy Read is important, as it ensures that disabled people can access and understand a strategy that directly impacts their lives. By sharing these reports in Easy Read, the UN embodies the essence of the strategy - inclusion. Additionally, we are translating the Easy Read version into five languages—French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic—showing a commitment to inclusivity on a global scale. Easy Read standards We are also excited to announce our participation in a new working group, which has been set up to establish official Easy Read standards for the UK. Disability Equality Scotland facilitates the group’s meetings and brings together a range of leading Easy Read specialists from around the UK. The first meeting provided a platform for members to discuss current issues in the absence of recognised standards and to begin developing clearer requirements for Easy Read production, ensuring that all  materials are fit for purpose. Document checking service Do you create your own Easy Read materials? At Easy Read Online, we offer a quality assurance service to check your work meets Easy Read guidelines and principles. This month, we've provided this service to several clients, offering detailed feedback to help them refine the accessibility of their documents. Our quality assurance service not only ensures that their materials are fit for purpose but also improves the overall quality of their future Easy Read documents. If you are interested in our quality assurance service, please get in touch via our website: www.easy-read-online.co.uk I Need Easy Read campaign The I Need Easy Read campaign continues to gain momentum. On September 25th, we held another campaign meeting, which featured a surprise visit from Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Mencap Society. During the meeting, we discussed upcoming events and next steps, with a focus on perfecting the I Need Easy Read materials for businesses and services that provide information in Easy Read. One key resource we looked at is a poster that businesses can display on their premises or share on social media, saying “We offer Easy Read”. This not only encourages disabled people to request Easy Read materials but also raises awareness among those who may not yet be familiar with it.

At Easy Read Online, we're always thinking about how to improve our services, to better support our clients with making their information more accessible. In the face of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) boom, we want to take a closer look into the world of generative AI tools to explore how they might assist us in our work. Why AI? We know that there are fast-growing AI developments related to some aspects of our Easy Read service, like text & image generation. We’re interested to learn more about how AI tools might help us to streamline our processes so that we can: Improve efficiency. Reduce cost & turnaround times for our clients. Increase our capacity to deliver more Easy Read documents. Our Commitment to Quality and End-Users While we look into the potential of AI, our core focus remains unchanged: the quality of our Easy Read documents and the value they provide to end-users. We understand the importance of ensuring that our documents are accessible, accurate, ethical and truly beneficial to those who rely on them. Human input is key in upholding these standards and our expert team will always be integral in our Easy Read production and quality assurance. Involving People with Learning Disabilities An essential part of our service value is involving people with learning disabilities to check the quality of our work. Their input ensures that our Easy Read documents are truly accessible and meet the needs of the people who use them. Even as we explore AI, we'll continue to prioritise end-user involvement to maintain the integrity of our service. Data Security We understand the importance of safeguarding information. Security and privacy will be key considerations when we look into the potential of any AI tools, to ensure that data remains secure. Moving Forward Together We're excited about exploring the possibilities for Easy Read Online and AI. We'll be open and transparent with our clients if we ever begin to utilise AI tools in our work. Whatever the future brings, we’re confident that we can continue to support our clients to deliver outstanding Easy Read documents that make a meaningful difference in the lives of people who use them. Watch out for more updates on our journey with AI!

It is important for people with learning disabilities to take part in all aspects of society, and to have their voices heard. We want to encourage people with learning disabilities to be interested in politics, and especially to vote in the upcoming General Election, which will be held on 4th July. We have been scouring the internet to find resources about elections in Easy Read, and here is some of what we’ve found. We’ve created a free resource about elections, with a summary of the links in this blog. You can find it on our website here. My Vote My Voice The My Vote My Voice campaign is on a mission to encourage people with learning disabilities and autistic people to vote in the 2024 General Election. Because your voice matters. They have produced an online Easy Read quick guide to voting, with information about why and how to vote. They also have Easy Read information about how politics works. You can fill out a short form on their website to get a free badge, to say that you’ve registered to vote. My Vote My Voice say: ‘It’s really important that everyone who can vote, does vote. This is the best way for most people to have a say in the way the country is run.’ They also have pages for carers or support workers, organisations, and elected representatives, with resources to inspire someone with a learning disability and/or autism to use their legal right to vote. Mencap Mencap have a page about elections, with information about how to get more involved in politics. They have joined with My Voice My Vote and worked with them on their Easy Read information. The Government There is also Easy Read information on the Government website about how to register to vote, and different ways to vote: And about the voter registration certificate, which you need if you do not have any photo ID. And a guide they wrote with Mencap, about voting and registering to vote. The Electoral Commission The Electoral Commission have guides on how to register to vote in England, Scotland and Wales: The Electoral Commission have also written a report called Elections for everyone, about registering to vote and voting from the view of someone with a disability. You can read the report on their website: What you can do You can sign the I Need Easy Read petition, asking people to support Easy Read in the UK. Petition - http://change.org/i-need-easy-read And you can ask the candidates in your constituency to sign the pledge to support Easy Read, and display their support on social media. You can direct them to this link to pledge: https://www.ineedeasyread.org/pledge You could also ask the election candidates in your constituency for campaign materials in Easy Read!

Hello from the Easy Read Online team and welcome to this month’s update! I Need Easy Read campaign launched! We were really pleased to support the I Need Easy Read campaign launch at the start of the month at Mencap Cottage House in Crosby. We have been working on this campaign with members of Mencap Liverpool for the past year and it was brilliant to see the launch go so well. You can find out more on the campaign website here: You can keep up to date with the campaign by following the social media channels: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ineedeasyread Twitter: https://twitter.com/ineedeasyread Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ineedeasyread Easy Read and Digital Accessibility We recently published a blog about digital accessibility and how organisations can ensure their digital publications can be read by everyone. It’s important that online documents fully adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) so they can be read by screen readers, which support people with visual impairments. This is a service we offer as part of creating your Easy Read document. You can find out more on the blog page of our website here: Feedback on our Easy Reads from people with learning disabilities An important part of our process of creating Easy Read information is receiving feedback from end users to check how useful (and easy!) the texts really are. We have a cross-section of our documents checked regularly to ensure we are maintaining a high standard of Easy Read that benefits the end user. Our clients can request this service specifically for their document if they would like it to be checked by a group of people with learning disabilities. Last week three of our staff members observed a checking session with a user group, which they found very useful. Petition - Tell more people about Easy Read! As we draw closer to the next general election, the I Need Easy Read campaign has set up a petition asking the new government to ensure that Easy Read is more widely promoted and that organisations follow their legal duty to provide information in accessible formats. Please support the campaign and sign the petition here! Thank you That’s all from us for this month. Thank you to all of the clients we have worked with. It’s been a pleasure to support your work in creating accessible information. As ever, if you need to request a quote for information in Easy Read, you can use our online form: Best wishes, The Easy Read Online team.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a group of people with learning disabilities in the United Kingdom collaborated to make it easier for them to read and understand important information. The group recognised that many documents and pieces of information were written in a way that was difficult for them to understand, and hard to access, and they wanted to change that. Their efforts resulted in the creation of Easy Read information. Easy Read is a method of presenting key information in a simplified format that is easier-to-understand. It uses simple language, clear layout, and pictures to help convey information and support the meaning of the words. This method has been used to create Easy Read versions of a wide variety of documents, such as health leaflets, letters, reports, consultation surveys, contracts, policies and even information on websites. Throughout the 2000s Easy Read information started to become more commonplace. As part of the continued drive to support disabled people to be more independent, living in local communities, Easy Read was recognised as a way to make information more accessible to enable people to do more for themselves. The Equality Act in 2010 introduced a ruling for all organisations to provide information in an accessible way. The Act refers to reasonable adjustments - these are small changes that organisations should make to enable disabled people to take part like everyone else. Easy Read constitutes a reasonable adjustment, it makes information accessible so that people with learning disabilities can understand the things they need to know, or want to find out about. Following the Equality Act 2010, the Accessible Information Standard was introduced. The Standard requires all health and care services to provide accessible communications for service users. This includes providing Easy Read versions of health and care documents so that people with learning disabilities can access important information. The use of Easy Read information in health and care services can help to reduce health inequalities, which is good for everyone. Other legislation includes the United Nations work to make the whole world more inclusive for disabled people. Countries that are part of the United Nations, including the United Kingdom, have made a promise to reduce the barriers that stop disabled people from taking part. This commitment includes making information more accessible for disabled people, like providing Easy Read documents for people with learning disabilities. Easy Read is used in other countries outside the UK. Elsewhere it is called Easy-to-read. Some countries have variations on Easy Read, like Easy English - this uses more simplified text, in sentences of up to 5 or 6 words. In Germany they have a format called ‘Leichte Sprache’ which translates to easy language . It’s generally text-only (without pictures) and doesn’t go as far as Easy Read to breakdown information, but provides a more accessible alternative for people with low literacy. Easy Read is continuing to become more widely produced as a way to communicate information. Some research has questioned how effective Easy Read is, and it’s true that Easy Read does not guarantee comprehension - some people will still need support to understand Easy Read documents, or need alternative formats like video or audio. But for those who have experience of good quality Easy Read information, it is clear how directly it enables people to take part, have more freedom of choice, discover new opportunities and make the most of their lives. The impact of Easy Read in the future will further reduce inequalities so that no one is left behind.

Many people will have heard the terms learning difficulty and learning disability but it can be difficult to know what the difference between the two is. To the uninitiated, learning disability and difficulty may seem like interchangeable terms. However, they have different and specific meanings. Fundamentally the difference between the two terms is the effect of the condition on intellectual ability. Learning difficulties are experienced without any effect of intellectual ability. Learning disabilities have an impact on intellectual ability. Let’s take a closer look at what this means in reality for people who are affected by these conditions. Learning difficulties Learning difficulties is a broad term to describe conditions that will affect a person’s ability to learn in a traditional classroom setting. Learning difficulties are usually diagnosed in childhood, although children and adults can be diagnosed with learning difficulties at any time in their lives. Learning difficulties are usually lifelong conditions. Examples of learning difficulties include: Dyslexia - this is a difficulty with reading and writing fluently. Dyspraxia - this is a difficulty with movement and bodily coordination. This is also called Developmental Coordination Disorder. Dyscalculia - this is a difficulty with understanding numbers and mathematics. ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) - this is a difficulty with regulating behaviour and concentration. There are many other learning difficulties that can be experienced. It is possible for someone to have multiple different learning difficulties. Someone with a learning difficulty will need to learn and take in information in a specialised or adapted way. Their need for this should not be seen as having an intellectual challenge. Support and rights for people with learning difficulties Schools should have trained staff who can support children with learning difficulties so that the learning environment can be adapted to help them learn. Everyone with diagnosed learning difficulties has rights that are laid out in the Equality Act (2010). Under this Act, employers and services must make reasonable adjustments to support the person to fully participate and reach their potential. This includes making information accessible, like providing Easy Read materials. Or, for example, if someone with dyslexia could be given more time to complete a reading or writing task at work. This would be a reasonable adjustment to support them. Learning disabilities Learning disability affects every individual differently. It is often difficult to identify if someone has a learning disability. A learning disability is a lifelong condition that starts before adulthood. It can be defined as: A reduced ability to understand new or difficult information and to learn new skills. A reduced ability to cope and live independently. Having a lasting effect on development. Learning disabilities can be separated into four types: mild, moderate, severe or profound. Mencap is a charity that works to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities. They define learning disabilities as: A reduced intellectual ability and difficulty with everyday activities which affects someone for their whole lives. For example: household tasks, socialising or managing money. Someone with a learning disability may have difficulty with: Remembering basic information, for example their date of birth or address. Understanding and writing text, and filling in forms. Explaining emotional experiences. Understanding and processing new information. Understanding and telling the time, or a chronological order of events. Recognising risks. Recognising signs, numbers or money. Planning and organising activities for themselves. You can hear from people with learning disabilities talk about how they see learning disabilities in this video produced by Mencap. It’s important to remember that someone with a learning disability could also have a learning difficulty. Support and rights for people with learning disabilities People with learning disabilities will need support throughout their life. However, the level and type of support will differ from person to person. Someone with a mild learning disability may only need support with something like applying for a job. Someone with profound learning disabilities may need round the clock care and support with all aspects of their life. As with learning difficulties, learning disability is also covered by the Equality Act (2010). People with learning disabilities can expect the businesses and services they use to make reasonable adjustments to help them participate. For example, someone may need an Easy Read version of an appointment letter, health materials, an agreement or form, a report or information about a consultation so that they can provide feedback. These would be reasonable adjustments. Sources: Mencap: https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/what-learning-disability The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/learning-disability/current-projects/oliver-mcgowan-mandatory-training-learning-disability-autism NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/symptoms/ UK Government: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/reasonable-adjustments-for-people-with-a-learning-disability