Invitation to screening
How to read the stories

Invitation to screening

People with learning disabilities should have access to health screening on the same basis as everyone else. Health screening can be general, like an annual health check, or for a particular disease, like bowel, breast or cervical screening.

All women aged between 50 and 70 years who are registered with a GP are invited for breast screening every three years. Older women are entitled to screening every three years at their own request. All women between 25 and 64 years old are invited to have a smear test every three to five years. Women get letters through the post inviting them to go for breast and cervical screening. All men and women between 60 and 74 years old are invited to do a bowel cancer screening test at home. They get sent the home test kit every two years through the post.

How to read the stories

There is no right or wrong way to read the stories.

Some people are not used to reading stories. Start at the beginning and read the story in each picture. Encourage the reader to move through the pages at their own pace.
Encourage the person to tell the story in their own words. You will discover what they think is happening, what they already know, and how they feel. If you are using the pictures to help explain a procedure to someone, you may need to describe or clarify the actions being shown in each picture to help them understand. Try not to challenge the reader(s) or suggest their ideas are wrong.
Some pictures may be more difficult to understand. It can help to prompt the people you are supporting, for example:
•   Who do you think that is?
•   What is happening?
•   How is he or she feeling?
•   Do you feel like that? Has it happened to you/ your friend/ your family?
Allow people enough time to follow the pictures at their own pace. Allow time for discussion of each picture.
Some people may benefit from reading the larger story from which the extract has been taken. This will allow them to explore their feelings and experiences in more depth. To buy the complete book, follow the link to the bookshop that appears at the end of the story.