Being parents and professionals: an autobiographical account

Sue Dumbleton

In the mid 1980s we were in our thirties, had two young sons and were both working with people with learning disabilities. We decided that we would like to adopt a child, and were interested in adopting a child with a disability.

We were very committed to including people with learning disabilities in wider society. Sue worked for a housing association which provided supported housing to people with learning disabilities, most of whom were moving from living in a hospital to community living. Paul worked in a further education college, widening educational opportunities for people with disabilities. Students included many hospital residents and others, who had been deemed ineducable as children and had never been to school.