From 20 – 24 June, it’s Learning Disability Awareness Week and we have a jammed-packed week of activities planned, culminating in the Southampton Mayor planting a ceremonial rose to honour those with a learning disability, alongside those who care for them.
This year’s theme for the awareness week is ‘living life with a learning disability and those people working in and using Southern Health’s learning disability services are the perfect example of living life to the full! Here are just some of the activities planned…
A busy schedule of free online workshops and talks is open to all those living with a learning disability and their carers. Sign up for as many workshops as you like by emailing Helen.Fielding@southernhealth.nhs.uk. Workshops include:
- 1-2 pm Monday 20 June: A Makaton workshop (focused on helpful signs and sentences for visiting your GP, and talking about illness and health)
- 10 am and 1 pm Tuesday 21 June: two Annual Health Check workshops (exploring why it’s important to have a health check)
- 10 am, 1 pm and 4 pm Wednesday 22 June: three diet and exercise workshops (the first will be led by a dietitian on healthy eating, the second by an occupational therapist with some breathing exercises if you’re feeling anxious and how to create a plan to change bad habits. And the third will be led by a dance artist from Dance Syndrome to learn some dance routines!
- 10 am and 2 pm Thursday 23 June: two wellbeing workshops – one on how art therapy can support you and your carer and the other about how physiotherapy can help you (including 10 minutes’ gentle exercise)
- 11 am and 1 pm Friday 24 June: workshops about the Learning Disability Friendly GP Project (the morning session is for carers and the afternoon one is for people with a learning disability).
