LEARNING DISABILITY PRACTICEApril 2009 | Volume 12 | Number 34
News
In brief
Mencap has released a `stay up
late' green card to go with the
punk-rock band Heavy Load's
campaign to
enable service
users to stay till
the end of their
gigs. The green cards, which
can be filled out and given to
care providers, are designed to
encourage staff to change their
rotas to fit in with individuals'
lifestyles. For information go
to: www.mencap.org.uk/case.
asp?id=8599 See page 18.
The Open University's open
educational resources are now
free to download on iTunes.
The software is available for
Macintosh and Windows and
creates a new mode of access
to study and a new learning
space www.open.ac.uk/itunes
The university's freely accessible
repository of more than 8,300
research publications, Open
Research Online, is also available
at:http://oro.open.ac.uk
Nursing researchers at the
University of Ulster have won
a grant from the charity Breast
Cancer Campaign to investigate
why so many women with
learning disabilities fail to attend
for breast cancer screening.
Women with learning disabilities
are now living to the age where
they are at a much greater risk
of developing breast cancer. The
research is one of 26 projects
sharing more than �2.3 million
from the charity.
The winner of the iPod in
December's reader survey
competition was Mary Mallett of
Perranporth. The two runners-
up, who each receive a �50
voucher, were Bianca Postelmans
of High Wycombe and Sue Stone
of Basingstoke. Thank you to all
who entered.
If you want to express your opinion about any of the issues in the journal, write to the editor Colin Parish,
The Heights, 59-65 Lowlands Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex HA1 3AW or email colin.parish@
rcnpublishing.co.uk
What's your view?
Mother supported over
decision to seek sexual
partner for son on web
Learning disabiLity charities have backed a
mother who is helping her 21-year-old son Otto,
who has down syndrome, to use the internet to
appeal for a woman to have sex with him.
Lucy baxter (pictured with Otto right) told
Learning Disability Practice that she had brought
up her son to believe that he can have the same
experiences as his contemporaries. `Otto is
successful at making friends, but while his friends
have found sexual partners, he has not,' she said.
she said Otto, who spoke about the issue in
a bbC three documentary last month, had tried
a `special' dating agency but it had not worked
because the carers of a girl he went out with
prevented the relationship developing.
`i brought Otto up to be confident about his
needs. He is a delightful, charming, outgoing and
honest person, and he is lapping up the attention
he is receiving over this.'
she told the bbC: `the trouble is, when he
goes out on the town to nightclubs and pubs
these days his friends get lucky. Otto manages
to get off with someone, a snog or two, but then
they don't want any more than that. and that's
where it's very difficult for him.'
she said Otto is caught between two different
cultures � one where adults are treated as
children, which is dying out, and the other where
he can expect equality.
down's syndrome association chief executive
Carol boys said: `Otto's experience highlights
the different challenges that people with down's
syndrome have to face because they have a
visible disability.'
Mencap chief executive Mark goldring said:
`People with a learning disability should have the
opportunity to live a full and equal life, and be
given the right support so they can make their
own decisions and choices. to do this, people
with a learning disability should have access
to education about relationships, sexuality and
sexual health services.'
Solo
stereotype
challenged by
art exhibition
an eXHibitiOn of photographs
that aims to challenge attitudes
and prejudices about down
syndrome is on display in
scotland for the first time.
the shifting Perceptives
show, which explores
photographs of people with
down syndrome, can be seen
at the Filmhouse, edinburgh,
until april 4. it was launched
on March 19, just ahead of
World down's syndrome day on
March 21. the Filmhouse was
also due to show Heavy Load,
the film about a punk band
that has members with learning
disabilities (see page 18).
Pandora summerfield,
down's syndrome scotland
director, said: `the stereotype
is that everyone with down's
syndrome looks the same, but
this exhibition demonstrates
that this isn't the case.'

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