Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 1 of 1
'I do like the subtle touch': interactions between people with learning difficulties and their personal assistants
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, PONTING Lisa, FORD Kerrie
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 24(7), December 2009, pp.815-828.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Direct payments promise to deliver autonomy for disabled people but much would seem to depend on the way the disabled person (the employer) and their support staff (the employees) handle their interactions. There is currently only limited information about how this relationship is played out in real situations. These matters are particularly important for people with learning difficulties, who have routinely been restricted and controlled by their support staff. The authors present an analysis, based on 620 minutes of video material, of the interactions between 14 pairs of people with learning difficulties and their personal assistants in the West of England. The filming covered home-based domestic and social activities and excursions outside the home. The paper examines how difficult tasks, such as giving advice, can be accomplished in ways that people with learning difficulties find acceptable. It is concluded that successful interactions are built on sensitivity to the wishes of the person, on a moment by moment basis. It is necessary that both parties coordinate their body language, humour and timing to demonstrate a close and friendly relationship, but equally one that is both professional and on the terms of the direct payments employer.