LDAN in Focus for Down's Syndrome Awareness Week

The proposed Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill covers lots of areas where change is needed, this week for Down’s Syndrome Awareness Week we are going to focus on the four key areas that people with Down’s syndrome have told us could make a huge difference their lives – these are the four big dreams we talk about:

Health and wellbeing

Employment

Transitions – from school into adulthood

Living well in the community

The LDAN consultation offers up proposals in all these areas, which we will be highlighting throughout the week. So keep your eyes peeled for updates and we encourage you, if you haven’t already, to look at the LDAN consultation and consider putting in a response. This is our chance to make great things happen for people with Down’s syndrome living in Scotland.

Health and Wellbeing

We already know that people with learning disabilities experience poorer health outcomes than the general population. People with Down’s syndrome have some of the poorest health of any group in Scotland and die on average 28 years earlier than the rest of the population. Here are the LDAN’s proposals on how this could be addressed.

Employment

It is estimated that the employment rate for people with learning disabilities is as low as 7%. People with Down’s syndrome are not routinely part of Scotland’s workforce.  The LDAN Bill has the opportunity to change that.

Living Well in the Community

We know that appropriate housing allows people with learning disabilities to live safe and independent lives. Unfortunately, many people with a learning disability find it difficult to find suitable housing. Here are the proposals laid out by the LDAN consultation on how this could be improved.

You can find out more about the LDAN consultation and how to submit your response at our website here.