Monday 18th-Sunday 24th May 2020 marked Scotland’s Learning Disability Week. Scottish PEN supported the week by highlighting writers with learning disabilities and accessible tools to support multi-sensory storytelling. View them below.

People with learning disabilities are under-represented in many sections of society, and the arts is no different. For Scotland’s Learning Disability Week, we were keen to highlight the talents of writers with learning disabilities, and to share accessible resources to encourage others to express themselves creatively. It’s important that access to the arts is available to all, and that diverse life experiences are given a platform in the Scottish literary scene. The videos and resources below offer a snapshot of the creative talent in Scotland – we’d be happy to add to this page (please get in touch at info@scottishpen.org) and will continue to promote the work of people with learning disabilities wherever we can.

Andrew Moodie: Short story writer and movie reviewer

Andrew’s movie reviews can be read at Reviewsphere:

• Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) – 24th February 2020
• The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) – 11th February 2020
• The Gentlemen (2019) – 3rd February 2020
• The Reboot situation in Hollywood
• A short history of watching films at home
• The problem with Universal’s VOD streaming service

Leeanne Clark: Memoirist

Abigail Brydon: Actor and playwright

You can find out more about Downs with Love, the play Abigail performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, here.

Resources

• PAMIS Multi-sensory storytelling
• The Kippford Mermaid Storytelling Resource
• The Calling – A Poem and Video Resource

Find out more about Scotland’s Learning Disability Week at the Scottish Commission for Learning Disability website.