Article for ‘housing, Care & Support’

The White Paper ‘Valuing People’ (Department of Health, 2003) promises to increase choice and control for adults with a learning disability, with housing being one area specifically highlighted for this. However, a lack of knowledge about the preferences of adults with a learning disability means that it is very difficult for services to be planned effectively based on the views of the very group who will use them. This paper discusses the findings of a project which aimed to involve adults with a learning disability in service-planning, through asking them to identify their own needs and preferences in relation to housing. The project clearly emphasises that adults with a learning disability are often very well able to articulate their own needs about housing, and should thus remain the focus of all decisions.