Citizenship became a mandatory part of the curriculum for schools in England and Wales in 2002. The aim of this project was to explore the issues around citizenship for young people with special educational needs and produce a resource to help school staff to address these issues in Nottingham schools.
The young people said:
"Citizenship means being in charge of your own life and knowing that you are important. We need help and we can help others. Citizenship is about rights. We need to know our rights. Schools and colleges should tell us about our rights and responsibilities. Sometimes people aren't being respected.
We are a group of young people from schools, colleges and at work. We live in Nottingham. We have special educational needs.
We have been meeting since 2002. We have been working in small groups to produce a booklet to help other people. We have had fun. We have worked in a friendly environment. This has allowed us to meet new friends.
Young people with special educational needs are important. We can be strong; we are not stupid. With the right support and opportunities we too can be citizens."
(Listen to Us! - introduction)
In a presentation lead by the young people, we would like to share the background to our project and some of our 'real life stories'.
Themes: Individuals, autobiographies by people with learning difficulties.
If you woud like to get in touch with the Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) Research Group, please contact:
Liz Tilley
Chair of the Social History of Learning Disability (SHLD) Research Group
School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care
Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA
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