The thing is, we all have stories don’t we?

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to reflect on “Finding the sparkle: storytelling in the lives of people with learning disabilities”, Nicola Grove's paper highlighting the power of the story as one approach to empower people with intellectual disability. Design/methodology/approach – This commentary reflects on the power of personal story sharing as a way to empower people with intellectual disability, value their experience and promote inclusion. Findings – Personal stories are important because they help both ourselves and others understand who we are. Stories are not static and stories can be told from different perspectives. Telling stories can be protective and healing. Originality/value – Communication that develops social closeness is important and can be undervalued. There needs to be a greater focus on ensuring people without words can tell their stories and on services recognising the importance of this.