Accessible summary The COVID‐19 pandemic has forced everyone to live at a social distance from other people. This has changed the way people live and are included socially. This paper focuses on the unexpected ways schools have altered and deepened social inclusion for children with learning disabilities during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We interviewed six people: two people who work for a Local Authority, one Headteacher of a special school, one Special Educational Needs and Disability Consultant, one young person with a learning disability and her mother. The findings and conclusions show the “new normal” caused by COVID‐19 can help to deepen social inclusion for children with learning disabilities. For example, it can help children communicate in alternative ways with their teachers and friends. It can help families to understand more about their son/daughter's educational abilities; this means they can advocate better for them. It can help professionals to meet the needs of children with learning disabilities more quickly. We do not enjoy living at a social distance from everyone else, but we do want to make sure that lessons can be learnt from this moment in time. Abstract Background To slow the spread of COVID‐19, on 20 March 2020, nurseries, schools and colleges across England were closed to all learners, apart from those who were children of key workers or were considered “vulnerable.” As young people with learning disabilities, families, professionals and schools become acquainted with the Erfahrung of the new horizon brought about by COVID‐19, the negativity of altered social inclusion is becoming the “new normal.” Capturing this transitory moment in time, this paper reflexively analyses the curiously productive variables of altered ecological pathways to social inclusion for people with learning disabilities. Methods Taking a hermeneutic stance, this paper draws on Gadamer's construction of the nature of new experiences. Focussed on the experience of social inclusion during the COVID‐19 pandemic, semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six key stakeholders. As the phenomenon in question was new, an inductive approach to thematic analysis was applied. Findings The critical tenet of this paper is that the Erfahrung of COVID‐19 has created the conditions for a “new normal” which have afforded children with learning disabilities altered opportunities for social inclusion, whether that be through increased power/agency for them and their families and/or new modes of connectedness leading to enhanced relationships. Conclusion Whilst the impact of COVID‐19 has been a negative one for many aspects of society, application of Simplican and Gadamer's theories on social inclusion and the nature of new experiences has permitted the surfacing of new possibilities for the soci...

A supported internship is a work placement for people with disabilities that includes spending some time at work and some time at school or college. It usually lasts for a year and people get extra support in the work placement.• We wanted to find out how supported internships for people with learning disabilities helped them to feel like they belong in workplaces and society.• We found that the supported internships we studied did help people with learning disabilities to feel like they belong. The interns developed self-confidence, they were able to talk to people more easily, and they learned that they were good at things. This was because the people they worked with saw them as individuals who were able to do helpful things. It was also because of the feedback they got at work and how they worked in different departments.• We think there should be more supported internships because they help people with learning disabilities to take the next step in life more confidently.Researchers need to find out more about how supported internships can help people to be socially included. A bs tr ac tBackground: Obtaining employment for young people with learning disabilities remains challenging, and people may not be able to experience work that offers them the opportunity for broader and deeper social inclusion. Supported internships (SIs) offer a possible solution to this problem, providing a bespoke, structured study programme designed for students with disabilities.Methods: This paper explores, through an ecological systems approach, the experiences of three graduates, six interns, two job coaches and three colleagues, from a long running SI in a large private-sector organisation that delivers utilities in the midlands in the UK. The organisation has many different departments and interns work in several of these, including the mailroom, reprographics, catering, health and safety, reception, and customer services. The researchers conducted small focus groups and interviews with the participants described above.Findings: Thematic analysis identified three core phenomena of relevance to understanding the relationship between the SI programme and interns' experience of deepened and broadened social inclusion. The first theme illustrated positive changes

No abstract

Accessible summary The social inclusion of people with learning disabilities is an important topic because we all have a right to participate in society. Articles in this special issue talk about how education can help to make social inclusion better so that people with learning disabilities can join in and belong, just like everyone else. The articles talk about how changes in the way people think about learning disabilities can help make education better at making social inclusion happen. They also talk about how this can happen by supporting transitions to adulthood (e.g., into paid work), learning in universities and getting people with learning disabilities involved in writing courses about health.

No abstract