Page Last updated 07-08-2009
What are Learning Disabilities?
There is no single accepted definition of learning disability. It does not include learning difficulties such as dyslexia, although some people use the terms interchangeably. The agencies who are involved in developing and delivering services for people with learning disabilities in Newcastle work with the definition of learning disabilities taken from the White Paper, ‘Valuing People’ (2001).
“A person is considered to have a learning disability if he or she has a significantly reduced ability to understand new or complex information or to learn new skills, together with a reduced ability to cope independently. These problems will have started before adulthood and have had a lasting effect on the person’s development.”
A person’s learning disabilities may be severe or profound, or mild/moderate. Those with profound and multiple learning disabilities need assistance with many aspects of their day to day lives such as eating, drinking, washing and dressing (www.learningdisabilitycoalition.org.uk/)