Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Research unpacked: damage limitation
- Authors:
- HESLOP Pauline, MACAULAY Fiona
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(1), January 2010, pp.16-18.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This article describes a study which looked at how people with learning disabilities who self-injure make sense of their self-injury and what they say would help most. Twenty-five people with learning disabilities and personal experience of self-injury took part in 1 to 4 research interviews between 2006 and 2008. All the participants were able to describe examples of circumstances leading up to their self-injury. These included external factors over which the participant had little control such as not being listened to, interpersonal factors such as being bullied, and internal factors caused for example by particular thoughts or memories. The participants identified the feelings they experienced before self-injuring, the most common being angry, sad, depressed, low, frustrated, or wound up. Over three-quarters of the participants considered that having someone to talk to who would listen to them would help, and also wanted someone to help look after their injuries. Being encouraged not to self-injure was considered helpful by some and unhelpful by others. The article concludes that the results challenge existing practice which considers that nothing can be done, and indicate the need to work with each person individually to help them use coping strategies. Creating conditions where people with learning disabilities have choice and control over their lives is also important.
Getting good support: report of a survey
- Authors:
- PONTING Lisa, et al
- Publisher:
- Norah Fry Research Centre
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 9p.
- Place of publication:
- Bristol
This is an easy-read summary of a report of a survey of people with learning disabilities who get one to one support from a personal assistant. The survey was completed and return by 59 people, most of whom had a direct payment.
A host of opportunities: second NHSN survey of family based short break schemes for children and adults with intellectual and other disabilities in the Republic of Ireland
- Author:
- HANRAHAN Des
- Publisher:
- National Home-sharing and Short Breaks Network
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 70p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Mullingar
The National Home-Sharing and Short Breaks Network is an association which supports the use, promotion and provision of host family based services for Irish citizens with intellectual disability, physical disability and autism. While the majority of respite services are centre based, the family-based model of providing short breaks to people with disabilities involves recruiting approved individuals, couples and families who agree to provide personalised breaks in their own homes as an alternative to traditional residential respite. In this report the terms short breaks with volunteer host families or paid contract families, and home sharing provided by host families are used in place of respite care and residential care respectively. The report describes the methodology for the questionnaire based survey of 30 schemes, run by 12 separate organisations, that provided overnight breaks with host families. It presents information from the survey about the hosts, the guests, and other issues. It concludes with a discussion of the findings, and makes recommendations for policy makers, managers and further research.
People with learning disabilities participating in research as members of a steering group: a research report
- Author:
- BOLLARD Martin
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 7(2), Autumn 2010, pp.174-183.
- Publisher:
- South West Yorkshire Mental Health NHS Trust and University of Huddersfield
This paper reports on a 14 month project in which people with learning disabilities participated in research as steering group members and interview informants. The main aim of the research was to explore the viewpoints of people with learning disabilities regarding team-working and how this user experience could inform health and social care students’ understanding of team-working. Four individuals, two men and two women formed the steering group and two additional individuals took part in interviews. All the volunteers in the steering group had a mild learning disability and were able to recall their own experiences and relate them to the purpose of the study. The participants helped oversee the research and also contributed as informants. Their ideas on team-working helped develop a questionnaire tool on team-working used at a later stage of research with students. The key themes that emerged from the steering group meetings and interviews are reported. The participants felt strongly that students needed to know about team-working and have ideas about what it is like having a learning disability. They were able to recognise that students at different stages of their training needed to learn different things. The perspectives on team working from participants such as working together, listening and being respectful, highlighted the benefits of team working.
A preliminary investigation of factors affecting employment motivation in people with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- ANDREWS Abbye, ROSE John L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 7(4), December 2010, pp.239-244.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Relatively small numbers of people with intellectual disabilities are engaging in paid employment and those who are tend to be working only part-time. This study aimed to address the question of what factors motivate people with intellectual disabilities to work. The issue was investigated in a sample of 10 young work-age adults attending supported learning courses at a further education college in England. The participants were asked directly about their feelings through 2 focus groups, each comprising 5 people. A set of questions with additional prompts was used to elicit responses, and cards and scales were used as visual aids. Participants were asked about what factors motivated them to work and what factors deterred them from working. Thematic analysis of the transcribed tapes revealed three major themes that affected participants' motivation to work: monetary gain, social aspects, and perceived competence. More detailed research is needed in order to validate these findings with a larger, more representative sample.
Microenterprise options for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: an outcome evaluation
- Authors:
- CONROY James W., FERRIS Charles S., IRVINE Ron
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 7(4), December 2010, pp.269-277.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Opportunities for community employment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are limited, and have not improved over the past 25 years. This report provides the findings from an outcome study evaluating individual owner-operated business enterprises (microenterprises) as a vocational option for people with disabilities. In 2004, Network180 began to explore microenterprises for individuals with intellectual and developmental disability in Kent County, Michigan. Twenty-seven people chose to engage in microenterprise and became the basis of this study. The study measured changes in the qualities and quantities of work life for the participants and the support workers, as well as the time spent engaged, and changes in income. The participants reported enhanced quality of work life in most of the 17 areas. Their overall ‘scale score’ significantly increased by 26 points on a 100-point scale. The support workers' data revealed significantly enhanced quality of work life in 5 of 14 areas, and their overall scale increase of 6 points approached statistical significance. The preliminary findings are regarded as encouraging. Microenterprise offers an alternative that promises to be satisfying, meaningful, enjoyable, and may cost significantly less to implement than traditional sheltered workshops and adult day activity centres.
Supporting parents: development of a tool to measure self-efficacy of parents with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- BLOOMFIELD Linda, KENDALL Sally, FORTUNA Sandra
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(4), December 2010, pp.303-309.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The development of a tool to measure the self-efficacy of parents with learning disabilities is described. The tool can be used to help to evaluate parenting initiatives specifically aimed at this parent group. A tool to measure parenting self-efficacy (TOPSE) was adapted to be accessible to parents with learning disabilities. Eighteen parents with mild to moderate learning disabilities and with a child under the age of 10 took part in this study to complete and comment on the tool with the help of a researcher from the community learning disabilities team. The outcome of the study is a revised parenting questionnaire consisting of 45 self-efficacy statements for use with parents with learning disabilities. This tool now needs to be tested on a larger sample of parents with learning disabilities.
How adults with learning disabilities view living independently
- Authors:
- BOND Rebecca J., HURST Jenni
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 38(4), December 2010, pp.286-292.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
It is seen as increasingly important for people with learning disabilities to be supported to live independently and manage their own self care, productivity and leisure activities. The aim of this study was to research the views of people with learning disabilities about the reality of living independently and to hear their stories. Semi-structured interviews were held with nine adults with mild learning disabilities who lived alone with minimal or no formal support at home. Their narratives were analysed using thematic analysis and seven themes emerged. These were: feelings on living alone; practical issues; support issues; choice and control; vulnerability; health issues; and the impact of having a learning disability. The participants related that they often have difficulties in their everyday lives, and they can sometimes struggle to manage their health, safety and to undertake practical tasks associated with independent living. However, they were very clear in their desire to remain living independently. The participants talked about service providers needing to be aware of their vulnerability and wanted people to respect their right to make their own choices. The issues raised reflect the need for support to enable increased social inclusion for people, and getting the level of support right.
Exploring advocacy for people with learning disabilities
- Author:
- TILLEY Liz
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(10), December 2010, pp.30-33.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Advocacy plays an important role in supporting people with learning disabilities to ‘have a voice’. It can also facilitate individuals to participate more fully in decisions affecting their own lives, and to support individuals to work together to improve the situation and collective experience of people with learning disabilities. This article describes research focusing on 2 advocacy organisations in the southeast of England. The main aim of the research was to explore the practice of advocacy for people with learning disabilities. The research included interviews with members of the 2 groups and observation of internal and external meetings. The results provide a sense of how different stakeholders talk about and view the practice of advocacy, demonstrating that: advocacy means different things to different people; support workers had a tendency to under-represent their roles; self-advocates were happy with their support workers; the groups operated in different way to People First; and the commissioning and funding of organisations was problematic. The article also discusses how the commissioning process is increasingly tied to monitoring the impact of advocacy, and the issues this raises around power and control for advocacy organisations. It concludes by arguing that these funding practices place pressure on advocacy groups, making it ever more difficult for them to articulate some of the real and important complexities involved in their practice.
Preparation of social workers to support people with developmental disabilities
- Authors:
- LAWS Jason, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Teaching in Social Work, 30(3), July 2010, pp.317-333.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Within the United States, schools of social work and social welfare colleges and universities are the primary trainers of students who devote their carers to serving, supporting and advocating for society’s most oppressed populations. This study, based on the websites of 50 U.S. schools of social work, examined how well the schools prepare students to work with people with developmental disabilities (DD). The study investigated the curricula to determine the number and nature of disability studies courses. It examined tenure-line faculty to identify potential for current staff to expand DD courses, and provided evidence of growing demand for DD services. Results showed minimal opportunities exist for students to obtain a concentration or certification in disability studies. Also, a large percentage of tenure-line faculties have research backgrounds in the DD field which are not reflected in current course offerings. The authors conclude with a discussion for the implications for social work education, and recommendations are presented for future research.