People with learning difficulties are often socially excluded, according to research published by the Department of Health today, writes Clare Jerrom.
The report found that people with learning difficulties supported under ‘Supporting People’ or in private households tended to live in poor and deprived areas.
Only one in six people with learning difficulties of working age were in employment, yet almost two out of three people with learning difficulties who were unemployed and able to work wanted a job.
One in 20 people surveyed had no friends and did not see anyone from their family.
The report also found that:-
• Almost half of those surveyed had been bullied at
school
• One third said they did not feel safe in their homes or
local areas
• One in 10 had been a victim of crime
• Fifteen per cent said their general health was “not
good”
The survey also revealed that one in 20 people had an unmet need for support and 10 per cent said they had wanted to complain about the support they received.
