On July 4th 2013, Connor Sparrowhawk, also known as Laughing Boy or LB, was found in dead in a specialist NHS unit. Connor, who had autism
and epilepsy, had a seizure while in the bath and no member of staff was on hand to stop him from drowning. An entirely preventable death.
Connor's mother Sara Ryan tells the touching story of her remarkable son's early life, then premature death. She articulates the harrowing experience of not only losing a child, but then having to fight to discover the truth about the circumstances of his death. Following Connor's death, Sara and others start the dynamic #JusticeforLB campaign to highlight the injustice of Connor's death. It quickly gains momentum and becomes a rallying cry not only for Connor, but for the many other injustices learning disabled adults experience, leading to high-profile inquiries which uncover shocking rates of premature death among this group.
Justice for Laughing Boy tells a very uncomfortable truth about the experiences of people with learning disabilities in inpatient settings today. It serves as a wake-up call to all of us and asks: can we really claim that we respect the life and dignity of learning disabled people?
