Emeritus professor of development disabilities Roy McConkey learns more from examining success than investigating failure

Why did you embark on a career in learning disability?

Growing up in North Belfast, two boys with learning disabilities were part of our Boys’ Brigade company. When studying psychology, I started to understand their difficulties better and did my undergraduate research project with pupils who had mild learning difficulties. A summer spent as a counsellor at a US camp for people with disabilities further confirmed a decision to undertake research into what was then called ‘mental handicap’.