About the Observatory
We are a research collective focused on understanding the causes of poor health and health inequalities experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and developing, trialing and implementing evidence-informed interventions to address these challenges. Alongside this we deliver a programme of world class, post-graduate teaching.
What does the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory do?
The Observatory delivers rigorous, inclusive and impactful research and teaching that aims to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our mission
We will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities via:
- multidisciplinary research to understand the causes and identify and develop solutions to the health inequalities experienced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- meaningful and inclusive collaborations with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families, third sector organisations and the health and social care sector
- supporting postgraduate students and professionals through high quality research degrees and research-led teaching programmes
Our objectives
- To address inequalities experienced by people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- To empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to contribute to social and scientific innovation
- To provide cutting-edge knowledge and skills for researchers and health and social care practitioners
- To influence policy and improve practice in relation to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
For more detailed information about this work, please take a look at our research page.
The Observatory Team
Our team of researchers are drawn from diverse backgrounds including medicine, social sciences, psychology, public health and health informatics.
Policy and legislation
As a strategic delivery partner of the Scottish Government's learning disabilities policy team the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory will work collaboratively with people with learning disabilities and people with autism, as well as families, carers and other policy teams to help deliver the goals of health improvement and equality outlined in national policy.