Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Skills for support: personal assistants and people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(1), March 2010, pp.59-67.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
For people with learning disabilities to have control over their lives, the quality of their support staff matters. This paper reports on an inclusive research study, which used video analysis to study the communication skills of personal assistants (PAs) who worked with people with learning disabilities. The findings reveal some of the fine detail in the strategies these PAs used, to show respect, support choices, and give advice. They were able to step back, to listen and observe the person with learning disabilities, and to use good, open body language. They also gave people time, built up a close relationship based on shared interests and activities, and they talked with people in a friendly, adult way. It is difficult to support people to manage their lives, and team work is important. People with learning disabilities also have to play their role in the relationship. This research produced training materials that will help people with learning disabilities to train and support their own PAs.
'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.
What good support is all about
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, November 2009, pp.36-39.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
'Skills for Support' was a research study conducted between 2005 and 2007 to find out what people with learning disabilities want from their personal assistants or other one-to-one supporters. The research methods used included surveys, individual and group interviews and video sessions of people with learning disabilities interacting with their personal assistants. This article focuses on the final video stage of the project and its practical findings. Five of the key outcomes identified were showing respect, giving choices, being friendly, giving good advice and supporting people to speak up. A resource pack was produced which includes a DVD of extracts from the videos to illustrate the five key themes.
The blurred edges of intellectual disability
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, SWIFT Paul, MASON Victoria
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 30(5), 2015, pp.704-716.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The label of ‘intellectual disability’ can be a very blurred concept, because for those on the borders their label often arises from the interaction of the individual with their environment, from their socio-economic status, and from the social role which they choose to undertake. This paper explores the contested notion of intellectual disability in the context of two people who have been in trouble with the law in England. It contrasts the situation of people who have been protected by best interests decisions under the Mental Capacity Act (England and Wales), with people who are on the ‘borderline’ of having an intellectual disability. Drawing on the notions of ‘interactional’ disability theory, the authors reflect on the shifting, relative nature of intellectual disability, and the need for the law to focus on support needs, rather than on impairment. (Edited publisher abstract)
'It is time to stop talking and start doing': the views of people with learning disabilities on future research
- Authors:
- MARRIOTT Anna, WILLIAMS Val, TOWNSLEY Ruth
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 7(2), Autumn 2010, pp.132-147.
- Publisher:
- South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust and University of Huddersfield
A scoping exercise to determine the research priorities for the field of learning disabilities for the next 10 years is described. Specific focus of this paper is on the role of people with learning disabilities in setting this research agenda. A detailed description of the methodology used is given. The first stage included a series of regional workshops involving people with learning disabilities, held in Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and London which aimed to identify the main issues and problems in the lives of people with learning disabilities. Data from these identified six priority themes: access to health care; getting good support; the right to relationships; housing options; work and personal finance; and inclusion in the community. The literature was then reviewed for published research in these areas and then further workshops were held in all four geographical areas to identify research gaps. A focus group was then held with nine researchers in the field. A summary of the findings in the six priority areas is presented. It is commented that the findings show that it is possible to involve people with learning disabilities in setting a research agenda. Their inclusion provided a perspective that could not be adequately represented by other stakeholder groups. People with learning disabilities were concerned that research has a meaningful impact and can lead to demonstrable improvements in care. In order for this to happen there is a need for widespread dissemination of accessible outputs that reach the relevant stakeholders.
What are friends for
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, WILLIAMS Val, HOADLEY Sally
- Journal article citation:
- Young Minds Magazine, 77, July 2005, pp.16-17.
- Publisher:
- YoungMinds
Young people with both mental health problems and learning disabilities are commonly regarded as doubly disadvantaged. This article reports on a project called Mind the Gap aimed at improving the emotional resilience and mental health support for young people who fall into this category. The project, a collaborative venture at the Norah Fry Research Centre at the University of Bristol carried out from 2002 to 2004, led to the development of the course The Strongest Link. The Strongest Link is run by and for young people with learning disabilities in Somerset. It is directed to prepare the participants for adulthood by encouraging open emotional expression and by getting them to think of ways that they could get help for themselves.
More researching together: the role of nondisabled researchers in working with People First members
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, SIMONS Ken
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33(1), March 2005, pp.6-14.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The author described the process by which a team of People First researchers and myself worked together on a small-scale project in Bristol. The project was started by self advocates, and followed their own ideas, although they had support. Walmsley refers to it as a 'team approach, rather than one where the people with learning disabilities are in charge', admitting that the title 'Researching Together' led her to this conclusion. My basic aim in writing this sequel, then, is to consider the notion of 'together'. Is the equation of togetherness about equal roles, or does it automatically imply that one partner is more powerful than the others? This is a practice paper, which offers some analysis of our own experiences in a large-scale, funded research project, in which the self advocates had paid employment as researchers. All members of the team can contribute to this kind of reflexivity. The article concludes that inclusive research is something new, with its own hallmarks and styles. The research supporter has to remain aware of the potential power in her own role, and to be prepared to divest herself of that power and to step back, so that People First members take control of the process of research.
Carers of people with learning disabilities, and their experience of the 1995 Carers Act
- Authors:
- ROBINSON Carol, WILLIAMS Val
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 32(2), March 2002, pp.169-183.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This paper seeks to highlight the impact of the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act of 1995 on carers of people with learning disabilities. It draws on research conducted in the south west between 1997 and 1999, which examined the views and experiences of carers who had an assessment of their needs, together with those of the person they care for and the professional conducting the assessment. It concludes that the Carers Act is not widely used, or understood, by this group of carers. Recommendations for improving practice include changes to the current terminology, new triggers for a carer's needs assessment, and a greater input from other agencies, especially health services. Although the current paper focuses on the views and experiences of carers, an exploration of the Carers Act, and its effect on potential conflicts of interest with the person with learning disabilities, is available elsewhere.
Give us paid work and stop labelling us
- Author:
- WILLIAMS Val
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 25.2.99, 1999, pp.4-5.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The author interviews member of the Bristol Self-Advocacy Research Group to find out what they felt about services.
Enabling good emotional support for and with people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- MASON Victoria, WILLIAMS Val
- Journal article citation:
- Tizard Learning Disability Review, 22(3), 2017, pp.144-147.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: Picking up from Cotter et al.’s article on the transferential process, the purpose of this paper is to set out some arguments about the ways of meeting the emotional needs of people with learning disabilities. Design/methodology/approach: The commentary draws on two studies: one is about understanding and changing disabling practices, and the other is about bereavement support for people with learning disabilities. Both use qualitative approaches, and in both studies, people with learning disabilities are active agents or co-researchers, who have assisted in shaping the ideas and values of the research. Findings: Professional practices, including those within the therapeutic context, can act as institutional barriers which create people with learning disabilities as passive or incompetent. However, this paper sets out some preliminary findings showing that not only can people with learning disabilities support each other, but also that face-to-face support workers can support people with learning disabilities to understand and cope with their emotions. Practical implications: Frontline support workers should be seen as professionals, with their own range of resources to provide good emotional support. Further, people with learning disabilities can come together in groups to develop peer support about difficult and sensitive topics. Originality/value: Talking about therapies for people with learning disabilities has long been overlooked. As their value is now recognised, it is important that the views and wishes of people with learning disabilities themselves are heard, so that they can contribute to the processes which support them. (Publisher abstract)