‘Learning by doing together’ is a community / university participatory research pilot project to employ peer support workers with learning disabilities in community supported accommodation.

The project partners are CHANGE, the Brandon Trust, Keyring Living Support Networks Ltd, Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, Centre for Employment Relations Innovation and Change (CERIC) – Leeds University Business School and NHS Employers.

The employment rate of people with learning disabilities is 6% (Hatton, 2015).  Learning by doing together will address the employment gap by piloting the creation of a role for people with learning disabilities.

The project will:

• translate the peer support model of employment into learning disability services, and specifically supported accommodation
• create opportunities for people with learning disabilities to be employed and contribute their talents to shaping learning disability services
• provide new solution(s) to providing practical assistance that will better support people using learning disability services to make choices