In 2010, the Department of Health published Raising our Sights, Professor Jim Mansell’s report into services and supports for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

The Government’s response was to broadly welcome the report’s recommendations and “its central message that the major obstacles to wider implementation of policy for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities are prejudice, discrimination and low expectations.”

This month sees the launch of new materials from Mencap and the PMLD Network in the form of how-to guides and films to help local areas meet the needs of people, aimed at families, commissioners and others who are responsible for supporting or developing services.

There are 10 ‘how to’ guides covering

1. Advocacy
2. Clinical procedures
3. Communication
4. Health
5. Housing
6. Personalisation
7. Support for families
8. Training the workforce
9. What people do in the day
10. Wheelchairs

Each guide has a section to help families and others to challenge and campaign where people are not getting the right support.

In addition to the ten guides for families and supporters there is a overarching guide which for commissioners on how to make to improve commissioning strategies and develop local services which includes checklists for commissioners on each of the topics.

As well as the paper guides, there are also six films which illustrate the impact that getting the right support can have on the lives of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities and their families.

You can download the guides here

You can view and download the films here