Housing for adults with a learning disability: 'I want to choose, but they don't listen'

The White Paper Valuing People (DoH, 2003) promises to increase choice and control for adults with a learning disability, housing being one area specifically highlighted in this respect. However, lack of knowledge about the preferences of adults with a learning disability makes it very difficult for services to be planned effectively and based on the views of the very group who will use them. This paper discusses the findings of a project which aimed to involve adults with a learning disability in service planning, by asking them to identify their own needs and preferences in relation to housing. The project clearly emphasises that adults with a learning disability are often very well able to articulate their own needs about housing, and should thus be the focus of all decisions