Edel Harris, Chief Executive of the
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
charity Mencap, said:
"It’s an insult to support workers that the Government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax people should pay and how things like the National Health Service (NHS) should work. claims to value their work yet thinks minimum wage
A wage is the money you get for doing a paid job. is fair pay.
"The Government shouldn’t suggest that there is little they can do about it when it is their responsibility to set national policy and funding levels.
"Support workers have been doing extraordinary work supporting the most vulnerable in our society in challenging circumstances throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Some have sadly lost their lives and yet the social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it. sector has had to fight every step of the way for parity with NHS colleagues, including when it comes to access to testing and PPE.
"Beyond gestures, such as the care badge and clapping for carers, support workers have seen little recognition for their incredible work on the frontline during this crisis.
"It’s the Government’s responsibility to legislate and properly fund support worker pay – they must be valued and paid on par with healthcare workers.”
-Ends–
For further information or to arrange interviews with a Mencap
spokesperson
A spokesperson is someone who speaks up about something. They usually speak up on behalf of a group or
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
.
, contact Mencap’s media team on:
- media@mencap.org.uk
- 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
Notes to editors
About Mencap
There are 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
,
employment
Employment means having a job.
and
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap’s freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (8am-6pm, Monday-Friday) or email helpline@mencap.org.uk.
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life
- Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’ - People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.