You are here

  1. Home
  2. Resources and publications
  3. Publications

Publications

Research Group members have written a diverse range of social history of learning disability articles, which can be divided into:

Please refer to individual Research Group member profiles for more publications, as well as projects.

As well as articles and publications, the Research Group has also produced a number of books.

Books

A reproduction of the Exploring Experiences of Advocacy by People with Learning Disabilities book cover

Exploring Experiences of Advocacy by People with Learning Disabilities: Testimonies of Resistance

Mitchell, D., Traustadóttir, R., Chapman, R., Townson, L., Ingham, N. and Ledger, S. (Eds) (2006) Exploring Experiences of Advocacy by People with Learning Disabilities: Testimonies of Resistance, London, Jessica Kingsley.

Exploring Experiences of Advocacy by People with Learning Disabilities charts the course through which people with learning disabilities have become increasingly able to direct their own lives as fully active members of their communities.

Accounts from the UK, Australia, Canada and Iceland consider both the individual pioneers of self-advocacy and the local and national groups that have been set up to work actively towards improved services for people with learning disabilities. The book also examines what self-advocacy means for these people and provides an overview of how opportunities and services have changed for them over the decades.

Many of the personal accounts, photographs and songs included in this book are accessible and encouraging to people with learning disabilities and inspiring reading for professionals who work with them, family members and community and government service providers.


A reproduction of the Witnesses to Change book cover

Witnesses to change: Families, learning difficulties and history

Atkinson, D., Nind, M., Rolph, S. and Welshman, J. (2005) Witnesses to change: Families, learning difficulties and history, Kidderminster, BILD Publications

The stories in Witnesses to change show how learning disabilities impacted on family life and relationships in the twentieth century, how challenges were approached and how families acted as advocates. It illustrates diversity and variety in family life, aiming to be inclusive and to challenge stereotypes. It highlights past mistakes as well as successes in managing learning disability services. And above all, it celebrates the lives of families who have contributed their stories.

Great strides have been made in the past decade in uncovering the history of learning disability using oral sources. The focus has been on recovering the voice of people with learning difficulties in order to correct a tendency towards the 'official' sources. But until now, families have not been seen as key contributors to this movement. This book seeks to alter that.


A reproduction of the Community Care in Perspective book cover

Community Care in Perspective: Care, Control, and Citizenship

Welshman, J. and Walmsley, J. (Eds) (2006) Community Care in Perspective: Care, Control and Citizenship, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.

Edited by John Welshman and Jan Walmsley, with chapters by Dorothy Atkinson, Rohhss Chapman, Kelley Johnson, Sue Ledger, Duncan Mitchell, Katherine Owen, Sheena Rolph, Tim Stainton, Liz Tilley, Jan Tøssebro and James W. Trent

This book tells the story of community care for people with learning difficulties between 1948 and 2001. It explores how policy changed from controlling people in institutions to promoting their rights to be equal citizens. Part 1 examines how ideas changed. Part 2 examines how policy and practice changed in the United Kingdom. Part 3 examines changes in the USA, Norway and Sweden, Canada and Australia and Part 4 tells people's own stories, showing how policy changes affected people's lives. It includes staff, voluntary organisations and families as well as people with learning difficulties.


A reproduction of the Good Times, Bad Times book cover

Good Times, Bad Times: Women with Learning Difficulties Telling their Stories

Atkinson, D., McCarthy, M., Walmsley, J. et al (2000) Good Times, Bad Times: Women with Learning Difficulties Telling their Stories, Kidderminster, BILD Publications

Women with a learning disability give voice to their thoughts and feelings on the topics that matter to them: work, relationships, children; what it means to be a woman with a learning disability. The book also provides a detailed account of the process by which women with and without a learning disability worked to support each other to make their voices heard.


A reproduction of the Crossing Boundaries book cover

Crossing Boundaries: Change and Continuity in the History of Learning Disability

Brigham, L., Atkinson, D., Jackson, M., Rolph, S. and Walmsley, J. (2000) Crossing Boundaries: Change and Continuity in the History of Learning Disability, Kidderminster, BILD Publications

This book explores the history of learning disabilities through lively analysis and discussion from leading researchers and self-advocates.


A reproduction of the Forgotten lives book cover

Forgotten lives: Exploring the History of Learning Disability

Atkinson, D., Jackson, M. and Walmsley, J. (1997) Forgotten lives: Exploring the History of Learning Disability, Kidderminster, BILD Publications

This book explores learning disability history from a variety of different perspectives - first hand accounts from people with a learning disability, documentary evidence, photographs and archive sources. The book also includes many practical suggestions as to how to go about researching learning disability history.

Contact us

About the Group

If you woud like to get in touch with the Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) Research Group, please contact:

Liz Tilley 
Chair of the Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) Research Group
School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

About the website

If you have any feedback or would like to report a problem with the website, please contact WELS-Research-Admin@open.ac.uk.