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a entn as a u an i

is e e ustce o a en s wi

lea nin isa ilites

One of the basic rights for most adult citzens is to be a parent, which is a common
life experience for many people. However, this is stll not the case for many people
with learning disabilites. va na ov explores this complex issue.

ile e e a e ci cu s ances of people with learning disabilites, will not work. And, importantly, supporters
W suc as a e son s i level o their limited access to educaton, need to realise that everybody needs to
su o nee s a can a ec e a ili employment, and independent living, learn, that everyone makes mistakes in the
o eo le wi lea nin isa ilites o as well as a long history of sterilisaton of learning process, and that learning skills
ave c il en esea c s ows e many women, undoubtedly contributed takes tme.
can e oo a en s a tcula l i to the misunderstanding in mainstream
su o s a e in lace. n o una el society that they cannot be good parents.
an o ese a en s ave ei 1 Gabrielle Hindmarsh, Gwynnyth
c il en e ove o ei ca e . There are also systemic issues. Case over- Llewellyn, and Eric Emerson (2015),
load can prevent social workers and child ‘Mothers with intellectual impairment and
Do you think this only happens when a welfare workers giving the tme required their 9-month-old infants’, Journal of
parent with learning disabilites neglects to families. While in most western Intellectual Disability Research 59: 541-550.
or abuses their child? Wrong! countries there are numerous services
Research shows these parents have their available to parents and their children (5), 2 David McConnell, and Gwynnyth
child removed even if claims of neglect many are online, or too expensive for Llewellyn (2000), ‘Disability and
are unsubstantated (2). Furthermore, parents with learning disabilites (1). discriminaton in statutory child
child welfare workers, social workers and protecton proceedings’,
judges ofen assume that people with Disability & Society 15(6): 883-895.
learning disabilites cannot be good Last, but not the least, characteristcs
parents, a presumpton that can related to learning disabilites, such as a 3 Iva Strnadová, Susan Collings,
potentally infuence their slower rate of acquiring new skills, and Julie Loblinzk (2017), ‘Parents with
professional judgement. contribute to the under-estmaton of their intellectual disabilites: Efectve models of
natural parentng skills. In saying that, peer support’. Research grant by School of
In a recent Australian study my colleagues no person is born with all the knowledge Educaton, University of New South Wales
and I conducted about efectve models and skills necessary to be a good parent. Sydney, Australia.
of peer supports for parents with These need to be learnt. The diference is
learning disabilites, narratves of such that people without learning disabilites 4 Maurice Feldman, David McConnell,
injustce were far too common (3). are judged far less on the mistakes they and Marjorie Aunos (2012), ‘Parental
A mother whose frst child was removed make in the process of parentng, and their cognitve impairment, mental health,
because of her postnatal depression (she mistakes have less far-reaching and and child outcomes in a child protecton
was allowed to keep her second child detrimental results, than those made by populaton’ Journal of Mental Health
as she was free of postnatal-depression people labelled as having learning Research in Intellectual Disabilites 5(1):
at that stage); a mother in a domestc disabilites. As a man, a friend with 66-90.
violence situaton, which was resolved by learning disabilites who brought up three
authorites removing children from their children, said: “Having children is a good 5 Berit Höglund (2012), ‘Pregnancy,
mother’s care (leaving the mother in the way to learn, because they teach you too, childbirth and midwifery care among
same violent environment). and you learn by mistakes. You make women with ID in Sweden:
mistakes, you learn by it.” Epidemiological and descriptve studies’,
Would the narratves be the same if these Acta Universitats Upsaliensis.
mothers did not have the label of learning What can be done to give parents with
disabilites? I would greatly doubt that, learning disabilites a beter chance of Readers interested in fnding out
a view supported by research showing bringing up their children? Like other more about this issue can go to:
that parents with learning disabilites parents, they need support structures. ‘The experiences of women with learning
have diferental government assessment They need somebody to show them disabilites on contracepton choice’
outcomes compared to other parents in diverse parentng skills, such as preparing by Jan Walmsley, Liz Tilley et al htp://
similar circumstances (4). formula, or bathing a child. They can journals.rcni.com/doi/abs/10.7748/
beneft from tailored supports, such as phc.2016.e1139
Why is it that discriminaton contnues parentng programmes, and from access
against parents based on their label of to suitable social networks. Providers of Iva Strnadová is an Associate Professor
learning disabilites? The history of such support need to be aware that of Special Educaton at the University of
learning disabilites gives us some insight parents with learning disabilites are ofen New South Wales Sydney, School of
into this queston. The insttutonalisaton poor, so expensive programs and resources Educaton, Australia.

www.cl-initatves.co.uk Community Living Vol 31 No 2 | Winter 2017 9