Two people with megaphones beside the June page from a calendar which has the third week of the month circled in red pen.

What is Learning Disability Week?

Each year, the third week of June is Learning Disability Week.

It is when we make sure the world hears what life is like if you have a learning disability.

Pages from a calendar showing 15 June to 21 June 2026

In 2026, Learning Disability Week runs from Monday 15 June to Sunday 21 June.

A group of people with different conditions

We want to celebrate what people with a learning disability bring to society.

Why is Learning Disability Week important?

Watch this video about Learning Disability Week where Alexander Dragonetti provides a powerful reminder of why this week matters so much!

How can I get involved in Learning Disability Week?

If you would like to get involved with Learning Disability Week you can:

  • Talk about and celebrate the amazing things that people with a learning disability are doing in your community .
  • Spread awareness of Learning Disability Week.
  • Download and share our Learning Disability Week resources.
  • Campaign with Mencap to challenge the barriers that people with a learning disability face.
  • Donate to Mencap to help us continue to campaign for people with a learning disability to live life to the full.
  • Visit a Mencap charity shop.

Get involved by taking part in One Big Walk

This Learning Disability Week we are asking you to help us walk 1.5 million steps to help raise funds and awareness for the 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability.

Register for our One Big Walk
White space

Join our FREE Learning Disability Week Lunch and Learn!

Learn more about Mencap; who we are, what we do, and the services we provide for people with a learning disability in this session co-hosted by our fundraising team and William Kettle who has a learning disability.

When? 12pm Tuesday 16 June 2026.

Where? Online via Microsoft Teams.

Alexander Dragonetti in a Mencap t-shirt sitting at a desk in the Mencap offices playing with Mencap branded balloons

“I have a learning disability. Of course I can.”

Ciara, our amazing Engagement Lead, is challenging assumptions and sharing what she loves doing but everyone is different and has a different experience of living with a learning disability.
 

Find out about Learning Disability Week 2026

DO YOU SEE ME stamp with icon NEW
DO YOU SEE ME stamp with icon NEW

The theme for Learning Disability Week 2026 is "Do you see me?"

A person with their arms in the air, smiling.

"Do you see me?" is about making sure that people with a learning disability are are seen, heard, included, and valued in all aspects of life.

People with a learning disability want to be seen, heard and valued

That's why we're calling for a change to improve statistics like these:

Only 26.7%

of adults with a learning disability are employed yet 86% of unemployed people with a learning disability want a paid job.

1 in 3

people with a learning disability spend less than 1 hour outside their home on a typical Saturday.

 

Over 2,000

people with a learning disability and/ or autistic people are currently locked away in mental health hospitals.

Information taken from our 2024 Mencap Manifesto

Learning Disability Week Easy Read

We created an Easy Read guide about Learning Disability Week in 2026. 

Easy Read
  • Learning Disability Week 2026 resources
  • Social media resources

Being seen

Ellie achieved her lifelong dream and smashed boundaries as the first British Vogue cover model with Down's Syndrome. 

She wanted to make sure people with a learning disability were seen in society.

Watch the video

Questions and answers about Learning Disability Week

Learning Disability Week is all about making sure the world hears what life is like if you, or someone you know, has a learning disability.

Learning Disability Week takes place every year, during the third week of June.

The theme for Learning Disability Week 2026 is "Do you see me?"

It's all about being seen, heard and valued - a positive message that was been created by people with a learning disability to build a movement of change.

If you would like to get involved with Learning Disability Week you can:

  • Talk about and challenge the barriers that people with a learning disability face.
  • Spread awareness of Learning Disability Week on social media.
  • Donate to Mencap to help us continue to campaign for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthy lives.

Donate to Mencap

£7

could answer a call from someone in crisis who reaches out to our Learning Disability Helpline for support.

£25

could help a trained caseworker stop a parent’s loved one from being wrongfully locked away in a mental health hospital.

£50

could help pay for urgent legal support for a family in desperate need of advice to prevent their loved one being admitted to an in-patient unit.