Achieving Positive Change in People's Lives Through the National Learning Disabilities Strategy: Lessons from an American Experience

In 1999, a team from England, comprising self‐advocates, family members, leading professionals and policy‐makers, participated in the annual ‘Collaborative Academy’ of the US President's Committee on Mental Retardation. Fundamental to the Academy method is the commitment to work inclusively across different interests and engage directly with experiences. This paper identifies 41 lessons drawn by the team from US experience, including research‐ and practice‐based perspectives relevant to maximising progress in the context of the forthcoming national learning disability strategy in England. Focusing on the four main themes of learning from good stories, strengthening effective leadership, establishing inclusive policies and building better partnerships in policy‐making, action points are identified at local, regional and national levels. The paper also promotes the value of the Academy method itself as a vehicle for promoting strategy implementation, describing an enhanced role for selected universities in supporting informed change.