Learning Disability - Past & Future
The Centre works closely with people with learning disabilities, their families and their allies in order to safeguard and promote the citizenship of people with learning disabilities. In particular the Centre aims to ensure that the dark history of abuse, exploitation and segregation which has been imposed on people with learning disabilities is not forgotten.
Key publications on this topic include:
The Unmaking of Man explores eugenics, institutionalisation and the Holocaust as it was experienced by disabled people. This book also describes how many of the same underlying problems that led to eugenics are still in existence today and have not yet been confronted.
No Going Back describes the experiences of disabled people and staff at Prudhoe Hospital.
Who Cares? describes the development of policies for people with learning disabilities during the era of 'community care' and questions whether academics and advocacy groups have really organised themselves effectively to defend people's rights.
Re-Thinking Community Care - The Camphill Village Model explores the lessons we can learn from an approach to intentional community and share living which has been rather forgotten.
Deinstitutionalisation and Community Living offers an overview of the progress and challenges to deinstitutionalisation across Europe.
Surviving Cogworld explores the challenges faced by community-based services for people with learning disabilities when the larger system begins to try and control lives through bureaucracy.
21st Century Vision offers an analysis of the journey towards citizenship taken by people with learning disabilities and their families and proposes framework fro future developments.