Jackie O'Sullivan, Executive Director of Communication,
Advocacy
Advocacy is when you get support to have your say.
&
Activism
Activism is taking action to make change. Going to a campaign event with others, writing letters and speaking up are all ways to take action.
at
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:
“We know that people with a learning disability face a range of online harms such as repeated targeting, financial Financial means anything that is to do with money. It is used to describe how people, businesses, or governments get money and how they use it scamming, harassment and even threats of violence, often heightening the stigma and discrimination
Discrimination is when someone is treated differently (usually in a bad way) because of things like their disability or their religion. they already face every day.
“So we welcome the Joint Committee’s recommendations, which if accepted, will strengthen the Online Safety Bill and put in place a stronger strategy
A strategy is a plan to show what an organisation, or a person, wants to do and how they are going to do it. to help tackle the online bullying of people with a learning disability.
“We hope that the Government The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much tax people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work. will accept these recommendations and we look forward to continuing to engage with the Bill during its passage through Parliament Parliament is a group of people who make laws and check what the government is doing. .”
The report can be found here: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/534/draft-online-safety-bill-joint-committee/publications/
-ENDS-
For further information or to arrange an
interview
An interview is a meeting where you talk to someone or a group of people about something. When you have an interview for a job, you have to answer questions and say why you would be good at the job. The person who gives the best answers is offered the job.
with a Mencap
spokesperson
A spokesperson is someone who speaks up about something. They usually speak up on behalf of a group or organisation.
or
case study
A case study is a piece of writing that tells people more information about someone's experience.
, please contact Mencap’s media team on: [email protected] or 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
Notes to editors:
About Mencap
There are approximately 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: www.mencap.org.uk
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap’s Freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (10am-3pm, Monday-Friday) or email [email protected].
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which means that people might need support 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.