Extra Costs Commission
Independent inquiry into extra costs for disabled people Launched in July 2014, The Extra Costs Commission has spent the last year exploring the extra costs faced by disabled people and their families.
11 Jul 2015
News
Ask Me, Not the Media, What It’s Like to Have Schizophrenia
My name is Rebecca. I have paranoid schizophrenia. I am married. I have a home. And I have never been a danger to anyone but myself.
11 Jul 2015
It is time to talk about postpartum psychosis
Psychosis. What sort of images come into your mind when you think about that word? My guess is that you didn't immediately think of a new mum with a tiny baby. Postpartum Psychosis happened to me, and happens to around 1400 new mums every year in the UK. When my first baby was just ten days old I needed to be admitted to psychiatric hospital. I had become very high and energetic after her birth, and by day ten I believed that the end of the world was coming.
11 Jul 2015
I had a heart attack, why didn’t I know?
A few years ago I had a mild heart attack, but because of the inaccessible information I was given by the doctors I didn't even know that I had until over a year later. For Learning Disability Week, I'm sharing my story about why I want hospitals to have more accessible information for people with a learning disability. My name is Leroy Binns, and I work in the Campaigns team at Mencap. Fifty-three years ago my mum was told by the doctors that she should not expect her son to live past 10 years old. But what do doctors know, I'm still here!
11 Jul 2015
What does a learning disability mean to you? #LDWeek15
For Learning Disability Week 2015 we are tackling the myths and misconceptions about learning disability and explaining what it really means! Our community have started to share what a learning disability means to them. Share what a learning disability means to you using #LDWeek15
8 Jul 2015
Reality check: the R word is the wrong word
For Learning Disability Week I want people to understand that terms like 'retard' are offensive and not okay to use to describe anyone. Learning disability isn't a problem, it's a condition. There's a word people love so much that when you ask them to stop saying it they'll defend it, and sometimes this leads to arguments. That word is "retard" and when people with a learning disability speak out about it, they got a whole lot of arguments in return.
6 Jul 2015