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'A Story to Tell': learning from the life-stories of older people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland
- Authors:
- HAMILTON Carol, ATKINSON Dorothy
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(4), December 2009, pp.316-322.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article, drawing on life-stories told by older people with intellectual disabilities for a research study in the Republic of Ireland, interviewed 15 research participants over the age of 60 who recalled, in an hour long life-story collecting meeting, their experiences of confinement, coercion and exclusion that resulted from their being labelled as having intellectual disabilities. The participants also recalled the positive interactions with workers and family members that sustained them during those difficult times. Extracts from these narratives show how past medical and social processes interlinked to classify members of this group as 'deficient' or 'lacking' in some way. Life-stories collected in this project illustrate the value of a narrative approach to exploring how services might begin to enhance the quality of support currently available to older people with intellectual disabilities. The authors’ state, however, life-story work in a service setting is far from straightforward, and further support is needed for staff involved in this process.