This week is Learning Disability Week, a time to amplify the voices of people with learning disabilities and shine a light on their experiences. The theme for 2025, “Do You See Me?”, calls on all of us to truly see, hear, and value people with learning disabilities, while breaking down the barriers they continue to face in daily life.
A learning disability is a lifelong condition that affects how a person understands information and communicates. It can make everyday tasks more challenging, but with the right support, many people with learning disabilities in the UK live full, independent lives. It’s not about what someone can’t do, it’s about recognising their potential and ensuring the right systems are in place to support it.
To explore what true inclusion looks like in practice, we spoke with Melanie Close, Chief Executive of Disability Equality North West, about the vital work her organisation is doing and why visibility and representation matter more than ever.
Who is Disability Equality NW and what do you do?
We are a user-led disabled people’s organisation covering the North West (predominantly Lancashire) of England. We provide several user-led services for disabled people to help them live independently and be active in their local communities.
Why is Learning Disability Week important to Disability Equality NW?
As an organisation covering all impairments, we see daily the negative impact that societal barriers have on disabled people, in particular, those with learning difficulties and often other people’s attitudes stop them from living full and active lives – it’s important that people with learning difficulties, and all disabled people are celebrated for what they can do rather than focusing on what they can’t do.
This year’s theme is “Do you see me?”, why do you think it is so important that we raise awareness of this initiative?
People with learning disabilities are a part of all communities, workplaces, and educational establishments and they should be seen and valued as part of those communities by others.
We live in a diverse world where everyone has something to contribute and as such we should celebrate that diversity!
Why did you want to provide assistive tools on your website and why did you choose Recite Me to help with this?
We want to ensure our website, and the information on it, is accessible to all. We looked at other options but Recite Me seemed to have the most experience and the best choice of accessibility options.
Our 40-page Digital Accessibility & Inclusion Toolkit helps businesses break down online barriers and make a real impact. It offers practical advice on all aspects of digital accessibility, from writing an accessibility statement to accessible website tips and inclusive hiring.
