ABSTRACT
There is a growing body of knowledge which shows that people with learning difficulties have much to contribute to research into the discourse of disability and special educational needs. They have a great deal to tell about their lives and their autobiographical accounts provide compelling insights into their experiences and opinions. Goodley (2000), writing in association with researchers with learning difficulties, comments that the common belief that people with learning difficulties are unable to talk about their experiences has now been discredited, and their narrative inquiries allow us to understand the histories of people whose voices have been ‘lost’ in the past. Through a greater understanding of the ideas and views which they choose to present it is likely that there will be sharper insights into the meaning of disability. Although adults with learning difficulties are beginning to find a voice it is taking children much longer to learn that their ideas are important and that they too can become empowered agents of social change’ (Mittler 1996).
