Taking Control of My Health

Taking Control of My Health is a training manual and CD-rom that will equip a wide range of facilitators with the guidance and tools required to deliver a programme for people with learning disabilities, that will enable them to express emotions, network with their peers and create opportunities to promote self-understanding. The piloting of this material showed that understanding of complex health conditions in itself is too complex for a number of people with learning disabilities, but focusing on the effects of the health condition and how people react has increased confidence and self-esteem. The course is designed for people who have mild to moderate learning disabilities and are able to communicate verbally, and is based around the use of the Kolb (1984) experiential learning cycle. This enables people with learning disabilities to gain a better understanding of their health through learning from interactive and participatory sessions. It provides the framework that will guide the facilitator by creating opportunities such as role play, active participation, exercises, games, homework and action plans, which are all forms of experiential learning. The course is organised into six weekly sessions.