ITV News has exposed alleged neglect and abuse of people with learning disabilities in care homes and across the NHS.
People with a learning disability are often ignored, dismissed, undervalued and underestimated.
But what is day-to-day life like for people with a learning disability today, and what should the government be doing to improve their lives?
Seven individuals with a learning disability, from across the country, spoke to ITV News about work, life, their biggest challenges and their worries for the future.
People with learning disabilities face stark healthcare inequalities. In October, ITV News revealed that the NHS had missed its targets for rolling out specialist training for medical staff in treating people with learning disabilities and autism.
29-year-old Rahima has cerebral palsy and a learning disability, uses a wheelchair to move and a computer to communicate.
She knows better than most about the challenges of receiving the healthcare she needs. Rahima told us she finds the constant need to demand respect from medical professionals ‘draining’.
“One time a doctor was speaking to my sister and I was awake. He told her that she should contemplate letting me go because of my quality of life,” she told us.
“I was right there. It felt like they had just given up on me and I was invisible.
“The fact he didn’t respect me enough to speak to me or involve me, felt like I was not a person, but a thing.”
Adrian, who is 57 and from London, is also a wheelchair user and has learning disabilities. He says Rahima’s experience is not unique.
“You’ll find that’s not just happening in hospitals. The stigma against people who have learning disabilities, you’ll find it happening everywhere,” he says.
“We can talk about this all day, really,” Adrian adds, to a smattering of knowing laughter across the room.
Gregory, who is non-verbal, has two jobs and is learning to drive. He says he is often underestimated because of his disability.
"I have been bullied, teased and made fun of… People see me and think I can’t do something, but I am very capable and I will get my words across if you give me time."
Heidi Crowter from Coventry has Down syndrome, and says that people often make assumptions about her personality based on her disability.
“A popular myth is that people with Down syndrome are always happy and lively, and we are not,” she says.
“You should see me when Liverpool lose, or when things change, because I don’t like change."
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