Having been trained to carry out smear tests, and with the help of her trusty rag doll, Julie Wilkins now helps women with learning disabilities to take advantage of health screening programmes

In June 2000 I wrote an article for this journal titled ‘Pioneering spirit’ (LDP 2000, 3, 1, 4-8). I was inspired by reading an article by Pearson et al (1998), which found that only a quarter of eligible women in the Exeter area had undergone cervical screening in the previous five years, compared with 82 per cent of the rest of the eligible population. With an interest in health promotion I decided to try to raise the profile of learning disabled women and help them become more involved in the cervical screening process.