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Independence and learning disabilities: why we must also recognise vulnerability
- Author:
- FYSON Rachel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Integrated Care, 17(1), February 2009, pp.3-8.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Services for adults with learning disabilities are currently based on the promotion of four key principles: rights, independence, choice and social inclusion. This paper will argue that, while these principles are welcome, they need to be balanced against a fifth principle - that vulnerable adults must be protected adequately against the risk of abuse. It will draw both on recent high-profile cases of violence and abuse against people with learning disabilities and on research evidence to explore whether current plans to transform adult social care through the use of self-directed support and individual budgets offer a safe future.
Independence or protection – does it have to be a choice? Reflections on the abuse of people with learning disabilities in Cornwall
- Authors:
- FYSON Rachel, KITSON Deborah
- Journal article citation:
- Critical Social Policy, 27(3), August 2007, pp.426-436.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This commentary uses recent events in Cornwall to highlight the ongoing abuse of adults with learning disabilities in England. It critically explores how two parallel policy agendas - the promotion of choice and independence for adults with learning disabilities and the development of adult protection policies - have failed to connect, thus allowing abuse to continue to flourish. It is argued that the abuse of people with learning disabilities can only be minimized by policies that reflect an understanding that choice and independence must necessarily be mediated by effective adult protection measures. Such protection needs to include not only an appropriate regulatory framework, access to justice and well-qualified staff, but also a more critical and reflective approach to the current orthodoxy that promotes choice and independence as the only acceptable goals for any person with a learning disability.
Supported living through Supporting People: the experiences of people with learning disabilities
- Authors:
- FYSON Rachel, TARLETON Beth, WARD Linda
- Journal article citation:
- Housing Care and Support, 10(3), December 2007, pp.35-40.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article reports the findings of research which examined the impact that the Supporting People programme has had on housing and support for adults with learning disabilities. The issue was explored from the perspectives of local Supporting People teams, commissioners and providers of specialist learning disability social care services, and people with learning disabilities themselves.