This special issue focuses on the teaching, education and training of a wide range of professionals working both in and outside the field of intellectual disabilities. The need for furthering our own development and in turn educating others on issues relating to the care of people with intellectual disabilities has become increasing apparent to us, not only since the exposure of systematic abuse and neglect in Winterbourne View (CIPOLD, 2013), but also through our day to day practice. Indeed the 2008 Department of Health report, Healthcare for All, recommended that intellectual disabilities be included as part of undergraduate and postgraduate training for all healthcare professionals. In this issue we aim to demonstrate how innovative teaching methods are being used in a variety of settings to help raise awareness of the problems faced by people with intellectual disabilities and how we can improve the quality of care we provide for them. We also explore the lessons we can learn from our service users and how people with intellectual disabilities can be an invaluable part of our own training and assessment.