Activities Toolkit

In this part of the website we present the Activities Toolkit, packed with practical and meaningful activities for people with learning disabilities to do individually, with their peers, and with people and organisations who support them.

The activities draw directly from our research findings and from activities we saw participants doing within disability groups and organisations.

The activities relate to each of our Building Blocks for people with learning disabilities and their supporters. Our building blocks are helpful for providing a guide to build a meaningful life in the community. These are grouped into three parts: planning the essentials, managing the day to day responsibilities and finding meaningful things to do. You can find out more about these in our Resources

Modular Design

The Toolkit is modular in design, with activities and resources that can used together and interchangeably. For example, members of a group may do a planning and reviewing activity individually (with support, if they choose). This activity may provide ideas and prompts for a group discussion, which in turn may provide information and ideas for a group project.

We also want the Toolkit to inspire groups and organisations to design and create their own activities and resources, which may be added and used alongside the ones we have designed.

Navigating the Activities Toolkit

You can search the activities by clicking on each of the following Building Blocks:

Planning the essentials

Planning and finding support

Finding out information

Getting your voice heard

Managing the day to day responsibilities

Managing benefits and money

Running a home

Getting around

Keeping and feeling safe in the community

Finding meaningful things to do

Spending time with friends and family

Getting involved in disability groups

Doing leisure activities

Volunteering and Working

We indicate the type of each activity (discussion, project etc.), who it is for, and where applicable, how long it may take (these are approximate and do not include any optional breaks). We also suggest additional resources (not included) that you may need to do each activity, from pens and post-it notes to cameras and computers.

Many of the activities are supported by Resource Sheets which can be viewed and downloaded via the links provided. These include guides, information and ideas sheets, templates, and links to other resources.

All the activities presented in this toolkit incorporate opportunities for learning. Key skills and knowledge which might be gained or demonstrated through participating are indicated for each activity.

The Activities Toolkit was co-designed with members of People First Dorset who also helped test the activities and resources.