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Self-advocacy: where now?
- Author:
- DAVIES Ian
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, December 2012, pp.24-26.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This paper details findings from a Central England People First (CEPF) project into the state of self-advocacy today. CEPF has always had the philosophy that members run the organisation and paid staff are there to help, not lead. The research consisted of visits to eight self-advocacy organisations in England and Scotland in 2012, and was primarily concerned with how a management team can be run to make sure the members with learning disabilities remain in charge while being able to get quality advice when necessary. The best organisations used a board of trustees to oversee the staff. Managing paid staff was a crucial issue for self-advocacy organisations; this was an area where members really needed good support, and help from outside the organisation was vital.
Enabling self-advocacy: working hand-in-hand with people with learning disabilities
- Author:
- CALLUS Anne-Marie
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, June 2012, pp.22-24.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
The responses of people with learning disabilities clearly show how important it is to take their views into account. Yet, it is often the views of professionals that are listened to. This leads to a propensity for interactions with people with learning disabilities to be based primarily on a consideration of their impairments, rather than from a consideration of their wishes, aspirations or perceptions. This article suggests that to make self-advocacy truly enabling requires an understanding of how the term ‘learning disability’ is understood. It discusses the notion of ‘normal’, and how learning disabilities imply ‘not normal’ – which can have deleterious effects on the lives of those with learning disabilities, including social rejection, a lack of control over their own lives, and a lack of opportunity.
Having friends – they help you when you are stuck from Money, Friends and Making Ends Meet research group
- Authors:
- TILLY Liz, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(2), June 2012, pp.128-133.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article explores the experiences and friendships of a small group of people with a learning disability who live without support in one of the most deprived areas in the UK. The findings are from an inclusive research project, that was named Money, Friends and Making Ends Meet and the participants who researched their own lives become known as the Money, Friends and Making Ends Meet research group. The research took place from July 2010 to June 2011 and examined the issues that affected the groups’ day-to-day living. Themes that emerged included: day-to-day coping; being poor; friends and social networks; losing our children; and personal stories. The group all experienced poverty, had limited social networks, many of whom are other people with a learning disability but did value the support they had from friends and family and local organisations.
How we like to live when we have the chance
- Authors:
- DEGUARA Marthese, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(2), June 2012, pp.123-127.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article explores the views of people with learning disabilities on how they would like to live. It was written by a group called the Consultative Committee of Persons with Intellectual Disability, based in Malta, set up in 2007, to favour the rights of people with such disabilities. The article examines two aspects: ‘where we would like to live’ and ‘going out in the community’. It highlights the different opinions of people with intellectual disability about these subjects, and suggests that the fact that different people have different opinions illustrates why it is important that service providers ascertain the views of the group. The article concludes by noting that people with learning disabilities need help in their lives and more accessibility so that they can do what we would like to do.