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Learning from the experts: people with learning difficulties training and learning from each other *
Author(s) -
Weeks Louise,
Shane Chris,
MacDonald Fiona,
Hart Craig,
Smith Roger
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
british journal of learning disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1468-3156
pISSN - 1354-4187
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3156.2005.00353.x
Subject(s) - training (meteorology) , set (abstract data type) , social care , psychology , medical education , health care , public relations , pedagogy , nursing , medicine , political science , computer science , physics , meteorology , law , programming language
Summary This article is about a training project run by Central England People First (CEPF). CEPF has been doing workshops, conferences and other training for over 10 years. It seemed like a good idea to help other people with learning difficulties to learn how to be trainers. This would help them to speak out about their lives and the services they want. CEPF asked the Department of Health for some money to design a ‘training for trainers’ programme, and try it out. The Department of Health agreed, and CEPF set up the National User Training Development Project. The training team designed a 2‐day programme, and asked people in different parts of the country to try it out. Eight organizations agreed, including a care village, another People First group and two social services departments. Eighty people with learning difficulties and support people took part. The project team told them about what training is for, and how to organize it. They also had the chance to try out their own ideas. They practiced ‘role plays’, ‘speaking up’, doing quizzes and using video recorders. At the end, the people who took part filled in evaluation sheets, so that the team could find out if the training was useful. Most people said that they had enjoyed it, and that they had learned something. At the end of this project, we think we have learnt two things: 1. People with learning difficulties can be good trainers, because they are experts about services and the things that are important in their lives. 2. Using training can be a good way of helping people with learning difficulties to speak out about how they want to be treated.