Evaluation comments from seminar participants

One thing that you remember most about the seminars

For Jeremy, Dr Dora Bjarnason had a tremendous effect. He loved learning about Dora’s son Benedikt and how is life has developed through adversity.

Hearing directly about the experience of people with learning disabilities.

I remember the presentation on conservation. I liked the idea that people with disability were presenting.

Good range of speakers and topics.

The challenge of presenting and defending complex ideas to a very mixed group.

Meeting people from different areas and organisations.

The challenge of the mixed audience- a salutary lesson for me.

Brilliant.

What didn’t you like about the seminars.

Nothing.

There was no part of the seminars that wasn’t stimulating, informative and enjoyable. It was a tremendous success.

The possible assumption that using symbols, pictures or even simpler sentences makes abstract ideas accessible to everyone.

Sometimes, the compromises involved in working with such a mixed group meant ideas were less fully developed, exemplified or explored from an academic perspective.

I only came to one seminar because it was too far and expensive to travel.

Anxieties in early seminars about real participation by people with learning difficulties (rather than tokenism)- but was later persuaded that this was effective.

What did you like best about the seminars

Meeting with professionals and listening to their stories. Also meeting with other people with learning disabilities and sharing life stories, problems and ideas.

Hearing different ideas. Being challenged to think.

The acting out (hate crime role play)

Contact with other researchers with similar interests.

All given chance to contribute. Good mix. It was good to hear from people who receive the services and not just the professionals who deliver them. I thought it was an innovative set of seminars and found them interesting and valuable. I hope they go somewhere.

That was not only for local and national, that we had international speakers to talk about access as well. I enjoyed the seminars I was able to attend and was able to have a better understanding of what access is. Being able to discuss and share ideas about what is understood by access, and only this way, by counting all sectors we will be closer to addressing access.

The wide range of ideas about the concept and nature of access. Chance to meet other professionals. Thanks for inviting me!

Everyone had a lot to say and there were many valuable contributions.