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Empowerment training and direct support professionals’ attitudes about individuals with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- FLATT-FULTZ Elizabeth, PHILLIPS Lindsay A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 16(2), June 2012, pp.119-125.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
This study investigated whether viewing a training video on empowerment of individuals with an intellectual and developmental disability would change the attitudes of direct support professionals (DSPs). Participants were 43 DSPs from a human service provider in south-eastern Pennsylvania, United States, whose clients included individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A control group completed the Community Living Attitude Scale (CLAS–MR) without viewing a training video on empowerment until after CLAS–MR completion. The experimental group viewed the video on empowerment and then completed the CLAS–MR. Findings revealed that DSPs who viewed the video prior to CLAS–MR had more empowering attitudes towards individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities compared to the control group. The authors concluded that it was beneficial for professionals to be trained in empowerment skills. Implications for future research are discussed.
What does vulnerability mean?
- Author:
- PARLEY Fiona F.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(4), December 2011, pp.266-276.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The protection of vulnerable adults has, over the last decade, received increasing attention. This paper investigated the views of 20 Scottish care staff relating to vulnerability and abuse of adults with learning disability. Using semi-structured interview informants perspectives were explored. Whilst the precise definition of vulnerability was hard to determine, the results revealed that most informants felt that people with learning disabilities were all vulnerable and that this definition gave staff the authority to take protective measures to ensure their safety. This desire to introduce protective measures however may result in people with learning disabilities being denied the right to self-determination, thereby limiting their enjoyment of some life experiences and lessening the excitement of life that others take for granted. The article concludes that a more consistent definition of vulnerability, across policy and practice would be beneficial.
Duty of care and autonomy: how support workers managed the tension between protecting service users from risk and promoting their independence in a specialist group home
- Authors:
- HAWKINS R., REDLEY M., HOLLAND A. J.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(9), September 2011, pp.873-884.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In the UK those paid to support adults with intellectual disabilities have to manage two potentially conflicting duties that are described in policy documents as being vital to their role: protecting service users (their duty of care) and recognising service users' autonomy. This study examines these issues in the context of supporting people with the genetic condition, Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS). The authors believe that the behaviours associated with PWS clearly illustrates the tension between respect for autonomy and duty of care. This article explores how support workers in a residential group home managed their competing duties in practice. This was an ethnographic study, comprising of qualitative observations, semi-structured interviews (14 staff and 8 residents) and documentary analysis. Risk was central to care delivery and support workers often adhered to standardised risk management procedures. The organisation required support workers to promote service users' independence and many thought acknowledging service users' autonomy and promoting their independence was important. To manage tensions between their differing duties, some support workers deviated from standardised risk management procedures to allow service users a degree of independence. The authors suggest that further work is needed by both residential services and policy makers to facilitate the reconciliation of the duty of care with the duty to recognise service users' autonomy in practice.