What Happens When People with Learning Disabilities Need Advice About the Law?

Dr Paul Swift, et al.

Mencap, 2013

Access to legal services is an important aspect of both citizenship and the right to justice. Existing evidence suggests that people with learning disabilities face barriers to accessing legal services. This report presents the findings of a short research study commissioned jointly by the Legal Services Board (LSB), the Legal Services Consumer Panel (LSCP) and Mencap designed to explore the experiences of people with learning disabilities when seeking legal assistance. The study aimed to:

• Identify barriers and positive experiences of people with learning disabilities and their families or carers who have used legal services
• Identify barriers which may have prevented people with learning disabilities and their families or carers who needed but did not use legal services
• Identify good and bad practices in working with people with learning disabilities by services which provide legal advice.

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