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THE LEGISLATION

المؤلف:  MALCOLM McIVER

المصدر:  Caring for People with Learning Disabilities

الجزء والصفحة:  P138-C9

2025-10-25

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THE LEGISLATION

People with learning disabilities are, for the most part, subject to the same laws as every other member of society. There are, however, several pieces of legislation that are of particular interest to people with learning disabilities and their carers. Four key pieces of legislation that reflect society’s current perceptions of people with learning disabilities will be explored. This exploration will, by necessity, be quite brief; an in-depth exploration of the legislation cannot be accommodated in a single chapter. However, the salient points will be discussed.

At first sight, the study of learning disability legislation may appear daunting to those embarking upon it for the first time. The Mental Health Act 1983 alone contains 10 parts and 149 sections, but do not despair. Unless you are intending to pursue a legal career, most readers will not require an in-depth knowledge of every part of every section of every act. Therefore, to ease your introduction into the world of legislation, only those that are immediately relevant to people with learning disabilities and their carers will be discussed. That is not to say that those are not discussed here are irrelevant, but rather that they can and should be explored at a later date. The order in which they are discussed is not intended to be a reflection of any judgement upon them, but simply reflects the chronological order in which these acts became law.