Reciprocity and Mutuality: People with Learning Disabilities as Carers

Like other binary divides, the division between care giver and care receiver tends to render invisible the realities of caring relationships. Those traditionally seen as vulnerable and in need of care can be subjected to paternalistic and oppressive practices whilst at the same time, the care needs of the person seen as the ‘carer giver’ can become obscured. People with learning disabilities have traditionally been seen as care receivers, whilst their parents and other family members have been seen as their care givers. Utilising and developing the concepts of mutuality and reciprocity, this chapter draws on examples from research with people with learning disabilities who are carers and uses a critical ethic of care as a framework to explore these experiences