A CONSUMER SURVEY OF ADULTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES CURRENTLY DOING WORK EXPERIENCE: THEIR SATISFACTION WITH WORK AND WISHES FOR THE FUTURE

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Abstract
The introduction of a local Social Services policy on day services for adults with learning disabilities reflects a nationwide trend towards getting more people out of day‐centres and into open employment. With service providers' history of failing to consult the people they serve, it was considered vital to find out the views of men and women currently on a work experience programme. Eighteen people were asked about their satisfaction with work and the day centre they attend, as well as their preference for full or part‐time work. Results indicated that they all valued some aspects of their work highly, but half expressed a desire to exercise the option of coming to the day centre for some of the time. Everyone in the study emphasised the importance of friends, whether at work or at the Centre. The research design incorporated a combination of open‐ended, yes/no and either/or questions in order to reduce the problems of acquiescence and inconsistency often found when interviewing people with learning disabilities.