d.goodley@sheffield.ac.uk & k.runswick-cole@mmu.ac.uk Big Society? Disabled People with Learning Disabilities and Civil Society This research project is a collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University; The University of Sheffield; The University of Bristol and Northumbria University as well as SpeakUp; Mencap; Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities; Pathways Associates; Manchester Learning Disability Partnership and Independent Living Advisors Pete Crane, Wendy Crane, Max Neill & Helen Smith We ask: how are people with learning disabilities faring in a time of Big Society? For more details, please visit: bigsocietydis@wordpress.com Follow: @bigsocietydis Briefing Card 5: The promises made to people with learning disabilities Big Society? Disabled People with Learning Disabilities & Civil Society d.goodley@sheffield.ac.uk & k.runswick-cole@mmu.ac.uk

Disability, Austerity and Cruel Optimism We found that: ‘Cruel optimism’ is the situation people find themselves in when promises are made but not delivered; In Big Society, disabled people have been promised: good housing; community participation; jobs and a good life, but these promises have not been delivered for all; We found that people are coming together to demand that the promises made to disabled people are delivered; we call this coming together the ‘disability commons.’ We suggest that: It is time to deliver on the promises made to disabled people at home, at work and in their local communities; This can be done through supporting self-advocacy groups; employment routes for disabled people with learning disabilities and through the use of circles of support. Runswick-Cole, K. and Goodley, D. (in press) Disability, austerity and cruel optimism in Big Society: resistance and ‘the disability commons’ Canadian Journal of Disability Studies .