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Changing selves: a grounded theory account of belonging to a self-advocacy group for people with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- BART Suzie, HARDY Gilian, BUCHAN Linda
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 17(1), June 2004, pp.91-100.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The aim was to explore the experience of belonging to a self-advocacy group for people with intellectual disabilities, and how membership of such a group impacts on individual members. Eight people with intellectual disabilities, who belonged to a self-advocacy group for at least 6 months, were interviewed about their experiences of membership. A grounded theory approach was used to generate and analyse the interview data. A model of the impact of belonging to a self-advocacy group for people with intellectual disabilities on individual members' self-concept is developed. The model proposes that participants' self-concept changes as a result of group membership and that this process of change involves six key categories: joining the group; learning about and doing self-advocacy; becoming aware of group aims and identity; experiencing a positive social environment; identifying positive change in self-concept and seeing the future of self and group as interlinked. Membership of a self-advocacy group for people with intellectual disabilities changes the self-concept of participants. The processes surrounding these changes have important implications for self-advocacy groups both, in recruitment and in supporting group members.