MIND’s Campaigning for People with Learning Disabilities 1970-1983 (360G-Wellcome-200431_Z_15_Z)

Present government policy and professional practice for people with learning disabilities has its origins in the deinstitutionalisation processes, civil rights concerns and social integrationist philosophies of the 1970s and 80s. However, we know little about how these issues were mobilised. The MIND archive at the Wellcome Trust offers a unique resource for developing a rigorous historical account of this mobilisation. MIND prominently campaigned to change government policy and professional practice for learning disabled people during the 1970s and early 80s. However, academic commentaries on MIND’s activity during this time have focussed virtually solely on its mental illness campaigning (e.g. Crossley 2007, Jones 1997, Toms 2013). Drawing on published and unpublished material, this project will help correct this skewed representation. But, more importantly, it will enable the first detailed reconstruction of a leading organisation’s attempt to found the transformation of policy and practice for people with learning disabilities on citizenship rights and a philosophy of social integration. The project’s key goal will be to historically reconstruct how, why and with what consequences MIND developed this strategy. Results will be of relevance to multiple audiences: Outputs will be produced that are accessible for people with learning disabilities, academics, practitioners and policy makers.