Questions and answers

What is a learning disability?

There are lots of learning disabilities. Some people have a mild learning disability and some have a severe learning disability.

Having a learning disability can mean you learn more slowly than other people.

Learning disability is not an illness but some people might have an illness too.

Some people only need a little bit of support. Other people may need 24-hour support.

What does United Response do?

United Response work with adults with learning disabilities or mental health needs. We provide everything from 24 hour care to a few hours of support a week. United Response works in the community in England and in Wales.

We design our support around each person. We are good at Person-centred Active Support. This means that people have more control and say in their lives.

We support people to make more of their own decisions. We can help people to decide where they live or what job they want to do.

Why is United Response different from other charities?

We always want to make services we provide even better.

We have a team of people who make sure that the people we support are included.

We work with other people to make sure the support we give to people is the best possible.

We get lots of awards for our work.

Who does United Response support?

Most of the people we support have complex needs and need intensive support. Many people do not speak and have other impairments like disability or sight loss.

How did United Response start?

Su Sayer met a man called Erwin Klinge in 1972. Erwin was already working with charities. Su decided to work with him.

Su went to work in Brazil with disadvantaged people.

When she came back to England she met a woman called Susan Evershed. She had a son with learning disabilities.

At this time more than 50,000 people with learning disabilities were isolated in long-term institutions.

Mrs Evershed and Su thought people should be able to live in the community. Mrs Evershed had a house which they used to start the first United Response house.

So, United Response was started in 1973.