British Institute of Learning Disabilities (Bild)

Bild was set up by Professor Gerry Simon in 1971, as he was convinced there could be better support in the community for people with disabilities. We have been championing the human rights of people with learning disabilities ever since.

We work to develop the skills and culture necessary to understand people’s needs and improve their quality of life. Our approach applies a rigorous evidence base, broad expertise and long-standing experience to find and enable both short and long-term solutions that bring about lasting change.

What we do

We help those supporting people with learning disabilities – including our members, universities, government departments, local authorities, NHS trusts, service providers and mainstream organisations - to champion rights, ensure excellent support and continually improve practice. We offer:

• Workforce development, qualifications and training
• Organisational development and consultancy
• Grant-funded projects to support government initiatives
• Communities of Practice, guidance publications and conferences

Working in partnership

Bild works as part of a partnership of four independent charities committed to a society where everyone can enjoy the same rights and opportunities.  

Bild, the Restraint Reduction Network, Bild Association of Certified Training and Respond are separate charities, with their own governance arrangements, who share a common set of values and vision for our society.   

Where possible and appropriate the charities share resources, including communications, finance, IT and human resources support, enabling them to have greater collective impact.  These are hosted by Bild, with service level agreements in place for each charity. 

Our values

Our values guide us in everything we do. They are the foundation for the relationships we build with our staff, our communities, and our partners.

We champion rights
Championing human rights is at the heart of all of our work. We enable, support and empower people to live the life they choose.

We build positive impact together
We measure our success by the positive impact we have on people’s lives. By sharing skills and knowledge, tackling difficult issues and building effective and trusting relationships.

We find and enable solutions
We work to understand people’s needs and priorities to get the best outcomes for them. We work across systems to bring about lasting change.

We balance evidence, expertise and experience
Our approach is underpinned by a rigorous evidence base and expertise. We use our long-standing experience to translate policy into practice.