1. Learning Disability Awareness and Communication
Taster Session
<Presenter needs to introduce the session and cover health & safety and the ground rules>
Presenter – Welcome to the Learning Disability Awareness & Communication taster session’. I’m <Insert name> and this is <Insert name>. We are your presenters for today. We are just going to go over some general information before we start. We do not have any scheduled fire alarm tests today, so if the alarm goes off – it’s real!
File name: LDA Presentation, Date created: 18/05/16, Date for revision:18/05/17

2. Ground Rules Mobiles off! Participation Confidentialit y
Before we move on, let’s sort out some ground rules I have a couple on the PowerPoint already. <Read this out>
Mobile phones switched off or on silent please.
This session is for you, so don’t be afraid to ask any questions.
We want an open discussion today as the session works best when that happens. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
We also need to be confidential. Any personal details that we discuss should not be shared outside this room.
Does anyone have any other ground rules they would like to add and I will write them up on the flipchart?
<Add further ground rules if group come up with any more>

3. Aims for the session The main aim of this taster session:
Is to raise awareness of learning disability and demonstrate the various aspects of communication and its importance in creating an inclusive environment.
By the end of the session you should be able to explain what learning disability is, what it is not and the causes.
We will spend some time thinking about communication and you will be able to demonstrate how to communicate well with people with a learning disability.
<Read out the aims and objectives>
Presenter – Now, I am just going to give a very quick outline of what we will be covering.
The main aim of this taster session is ‘To raise awareness of learning disability and demonstrate the various aspects of communication and its importance in creating an inclusive environment’.
By the end of the session you should be able to explain what learning disability is, what it is not and the causes.
We will spend some time thinking about communication and you will be able to demonstrate how to communicate well with people with a learning disability.
We will be giving out handouts at the end of the session. So you do not need to take notes but feel free to do so if you want to.

4. What does a learning disability mean to you
Activity
In your groups can you discuss and come up
with a definition of what a learning disability
means to you.
Presenter – I am now going to do an activity, I want to break the group into <you will need to decide depending on numbers how many group you might have> In your groups can you discuss and come up with a definition of what a learning disability means to you. You will have about 5 minutes to do this. <Give groups flip chart paper and pens>
<After 5mins ask groups for feedback on their definitions>
Presenter – Okay times up, can each group feedback what you have put. Starting with group (1, 2, 3…..) <max 1 minute each>
Presenter – Thank you for those definitions <follow up with reading out Mencap’s definition, which will be on the slide and handout, also handout the world definition>
Presenter - <Sum up by saying> Mencap’s definition is purposefully non specific and that it wants people to be viewed as people first and everyone being different’.
Presenter – I am going to show you a quick video that was create for the Hear My Voice campaign, where people say what a learning disability means to them. <Click link in PowerPoint, Note: Video is around 2mins long and can be found on YouTube>

5. What is a learning disability?
Activity
In groups decide which of the statements are True or False?
Presenter – We are now going to do an activity, I want you stay in your groups <you will need to decide depending on numbers how many group you might have> you are all going to be given some statements, I want each group to sort out the statements into true or false.
<After 5mins ask groups for feedback on their statements>
Presenter – Okay times up, let’s have a look at the statements.
<Presenter needs to read out each statement and ask each group (1,2,3) what they have put>
Presenter – Let’s look at the first one.
‘Learning disability is lifelong’. <Ask each table what answers they got> Well done if you said true. A learning disability affects someone for their whole life. It does not go away.
Ok, next one. ‘Learning disability is an illness’. <Ask each table what answers they got> This is false. Learning disability is not an illness. As you know it is a lifelong condition. People with learning disability are not ill or sick, although they can often have health problems as well as a learning disability.
Next we have ‘learning disability can be cured’. <Ask each table what answers they got> Well done to those who said false. A learning disability cannot be cured as it is not an illness.
Now we have ‘Learning disability is a mental health condition’. <Ask each table what answers they got> Well done if you said it was false. Any person could have a mental health problem at some point in their life. These problems are not lifelong and can often be helped by medication or talking to a professional.
The next one is ‘learning disability always happens around birth or in early childhood’. <Ask each table what answers they got> This is true. The fact that learning disability always happens at this stage of life is part of the definition of a learning disability. Brain injuries that happen later in a person’s life are not classed as learning disability.
Next one is ‘learning disability affects how a person interacts and communicates’. <Ask each table what answers they got> This is also true, but again the effects are different for each individual.
Well done if you got them all right.
Presenter - <Sum up section and make the following points>:
We all learn at different speeds and need different levels of support
Everyone with a learning disability is their own person
A learning disability lasts all your life. It is not an illness or disease that can be cured
Fundamentally we are all different and like to be seen that way – people with learning disabilities are no different
<Hand out Mencap and the World definitions>

6. Can you shout out what you think causes a learning disability?
What are the causes?
Activity
Can you shout out what you think causes a learning disability?
Presenter – We are now going to look at what causes a learning disability’. Can you shout out what you think causes a learning disability? And I will write them up on the flip chart.
<If the group don’t say Unknown, then say the following sentence>
Presenter – I just want to add one more if that’s ok, that is it’s unknown. The truth is that there are many different causes of learning disability. Often it is not possible to say why someone has a learning disability. But most cases of learning disability are caused by the way the brain develops.
<After suggestions have been made>
Presenter – Thanks for those ideas.
<Read out Mencap’s description of the cause and sum up section>
Presenter – We don’t always know the exact cause of a learning disability
All learning disabilities are caused by the way the brain develops before,
during or shortly after birth, or until the brain is fully developed. This may
be between the ages of 14 & 18
This can be because of an accident or illness during pregnancy; damage
to the baby’s brain and spinal cord; a baby being born prematurely or
because the baby doesn’t receive enough oxygen during birth.
An early childhood illness can also cause a learning disability
Inherited learning disability occurs if a certain gene is passed on from a
Parent
Acquired brain injury is NOT a learning disability unless is occurs before the brain is fully developed.

7. So what can we do about this?
Communication
Here is a quote from a person with a learning disability:
“Sometimes I've got the words in my mind, and I'm trying to explain it in the best possible way, but it doesn't always come out.”
Presenter - In this section we are going to look at what makes good communication with people with a learning disability.
Presenter - Communication is very important to all of us and it is one of the things that people with a learning disability can often find difficult.
Here is a quote from a person with a learning disability:
“Sometimes I've got the words in my mind, and I'm trying to explain it in the best possible way, but it doesn't always come out.”
So what can we do about this?
Presenter - To illustrate this, you have a statement on a piece of paper each. You have one minute each to communicate that statement without talking.
First person go (stop them after 60 seconds)
Second person – you are not allowed to talk, write or play charades (stop after 60 seconds).
It is important to remember that everyone can communicate, even if they cannot speak or write. It doesn’t matter what level of learning disability a person has, they will still be able to communicate in some way.
People with profound and multiple learning disability may communicate in very different ways than we are used to. There is some useful information about communicating with people with profound and multiple disabilities on the Mencap website.
There are lots of different ways of communicating and as many different communication needs. We all communicate in our own individual way.
So what can we do about this?

8. Communication Difficulties
Activity
Can write down what communication difficulties do think people with a learning disability might experience?
Presenter –In your groups can you write down what communication difficulties do think people with a learning disability might experience?
I will give you about 5mins for this activity
<Give groups flip chart paper and pens>
<After 5mins ask groups for feedback what they have written down>
Presenter – Okay times up, let’s have a look at what you have written, starting with group (1, 2, 3…..) <max 1 minute each>
<After each group has feedback>
Presenter – Thanks for that.
So as you can hear there can be many kinds of communication difficulties that people with a learning disability might experience.
<Read out the following>
Here is our list, there my maybe some that are the same as what you have written down: <This list was complied from asking a number of people with a learning disability what they think>
Not being able to find the words you want to say.
Words coming out jumbled up.
Not getting the sounds right.
Words getting stuck, someone jumping in and saying words for you.
People guessing what you want, without checking with you.
Not hearing the questions being asked.
Not being able to see or understand the signs and symbols around you.
Not understanding the words or expressions being used.
Not being able to read
Not being able to write down your ideas.
Being unable to join a conversation.
People ignoring what you are trying to say.
People feeling embarrassed
People not waiting long enough for you to respond and thinking you have nothing to say.
<Sum up section>
Presenter - These are just a few examples. It’s wrong that people with a learning disability can feel like this. It is up to everybody to try and communicate better.

9. 10 Top Tips for Communication
Find a good place to communicate in.
Check with the person that you understand each other.
Watch the person.
Do not rush or hurry someone’s answer.
Learn from experience – it takes time to get it right.
Ask open questions.
Use drawings, photos, and objects to describe things.
Many people will only understand key words.
Break down complicated instructions.
Give extra help in busy situations.
Top Tips
Presenter – Now we know some of the difficulties that someone with a learning disability might face with communication
We would now like to give you our 10 top tips on how to help communicate with someone with a learning disability
<Hand out top tips>
Presenter – As well as these top tips it is also important to know to be a successful communicator that you need to be prepared to use all ways of communicating, use accessible language and avoid jargon or long words that might be hard to understand and think about your tone of voice and your body language.

10. Evaluation and Further Information
Please take the time to fill in the evaluation form
For more information you can visit Mencap’s website on .
Thank you for your time and interest
Presenter – Now we know some of the difficulties that someone with a learning disability might face with communication
We would now like to give you our 10 top tips on how to help communicate with someone with a learning disability
<Hand out top tips>
Presenter – As well as these top tips it is also important to know to be a successful communicator that you need to be prepared to use all ways of communicating, use accessible language and avoid jargon or long words that might be hard to understand and think about your tone of voice and your body language.