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Definitions matter in understanding social inclusion
- Authors:
- MARTIN Lynn, COBIGO Virginie
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 8(4), December 2011, pp.276-282.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Social inclusion is an explicit goal for persons with intellectual disabilities in many countries. However, evidence outlining social inclusion is still limited, and reliant on how social inclusion is measured. This study evaluated the concept and indicators of social inclusion, for 1,341 adults with intellectual disabilities residing in institutional and community-based settings in Ontario, Canada. Objective and subjective items related to five domains of social inclusion: relationships; leisure; productive activities; accommodations; and informal support. The results highlighted the heterogeneity within domains, and by the nature of the indicator. Overall, percentages varied between 3% and 96% depending on the indicator. Good levels of internal consistency were reported for three of the five domains. The authors concluded that the results of this study demonstrated that without an understanding of what social inclusion means for both general and vulnerable populations, it is not clear what is being measured, or how it should be measured. A better definition of inclusion and is needed for decision-makers to define the nature of their responsibilities and assess their effectiveness in achieving inclusion. Implications for future research are discussed.
Researching together
- Authors:
- SORT OF FILMS, (Producer)
- Publisher:
- Sort of Films
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- (12.35 mins.)
This is a film looks at a research project which brought together people with different skills to explore the subjective wellbeing of people with a learning disability.
'Quality of life' assessment in critical context
- Author:
- AGER Alastair
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15(4), December 2002, pp.369-376.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This paper argues that shifts in the focus of human services - and, in particular, what counts as a successful outcome of such provision - reflect wider societal trends in values and concerns. The current ascendance of 'quality of life' (QoL) as a metric of service outcome is noted. The core functions of QoL assessments are identified and related to underlying qualities reflected in the majority of QoL assessments: comprehensiveness, context independence and the capability to reflect personal subjectivity. The attractiveness of these qualities is linked to current trends in philosophical thought, underpinning contemporary culture and social policy. It is proposed that the pre-eminence of QoL assessment as an approach to service planning and evaluation reflects the capacity of the QoL concept to serve as a basis for transparent resource allocation between competing priorities for restricted public spending.
The validity and utility of subjective quality of life: a reply
- Author:
- CUMMINGS Robert A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15(3), September 2002, pp.261-268.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article concentrates on two major themes. The first concerns the psychological reality and measurement of the quality of life (QOL) construct for people with an intellectual disability. A substantial weight of evidence supports the psychological reality of the construct, and that reliable and valid measurement of subjective life quality can be achieved for the majority of people. The second theme concerns the usefulness of subjective life quality measurement for service delivery. Such measurement can have major benefits for both respondents and service providers provided that the psychometric character of the data is understood.
Quality of life measurement and people with intellectual disabilities: a reply
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 15(3), September 2002, pp.254-260.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article addresses the continuing debate concerning three major issues: the utility of measuring subjective well-being in assessing service quality; the validity of quality of life as a construct; and the wider context within which quality of life assessment takes place. Evidence is presented to argue that subjective well-being should not be used to assess service quality, as it is a largely dispositional trait and measures of subjective well-being can only be reliably completed by a minority of people with intellectual disabilities. Some concerns are raised concerning the validity of current measures of quality of life, in terms of combining objective and subjective aspects of quality of life, summing quality of life domains, and the lack of investigation of the 'psychological reality' of quality of life as a construct. Finally, arguments concerning the potentially unfortunate consequences of adopting a quality of life approach within services are outlined.
Measuring the outcomes of care homes: final report
- Authors:
- NETTEN Ann, et al
- Publisher:
- Personal Social Services Research Unit
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 117p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Canterbury
The authors report on a project which developed and tested an approach to measuring and monitoring outcomes of the care and support provided to residents of care homes for older people and people with learning disabilities. The research was part of the ‘Measuring Outcomes for Public Service Users’ (MOPSU) project, which was funded by the Treasury under the Invest to Save budget and led by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The domains that comprise social care related quality of life (SCRQOL) formed the basis of the measures used in the study.
Residential supports for people with intellectual disabilities: questions and challenges from the UK
- Author:
- EMERSON Eric
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 24(4), December 1999, pp.309-319.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Uses recent developments in services in the UK as a case study to identify some of the challenges facing the provision of residential supports to people with intellectual disabilities. Three main areas are discussed: (1) responding to existing levels of unmet need and increasing levels of demand; (2) reducing inequalities in access to and the quality of services; and (3) obtaining and demonstrating "best value". In particular, discussion is focused on the relationships between needs, resources, process and outcomes in residential services for people with intellectual disabilities and the implications of these relationships for obtaining "best value".