Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
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Working for a change?
- Authors:
- JAHODA Andrew, BANKS Pauline, DAGNAN Dave
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 10(8), October 2010, pp.35-37.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Supported employment is a common route to work for people with learning disabilities. In theory, it involves careful job assessment to match individual’s strengths and wishes to potential jobs. This article provides an overview of a study which examined the impact of moving into supported employment on the quality of life and emotional well-being of people with learning disabilities. The 49 participants were recruited from 24 supported employment schemes in Scotland. They worked between 3 and 38 hours a week, with an average of 16 hours. Their jobs were mainly entry level posts in retail, catering, office/administration, factory and domestic work. A number of self-report measures were completed to examine whether there were any changes to the participants’ mental health, social lives, and quality of life when they started work. In addition, the participants took part in 2 semi-structured interviews; the first when they started supported employment and the second 9 months later. The results of the self-report measures showed no changes of note at follow-up. However, the semi-structured interviews provided insight into the participants’ perceptions of work and how their views about employment changed. The article concludes that there was little evidence of people with learning disabilities in work experiencing increased social interaction either within or outside of the work setting. Struggles with work can also raise people’s awareness of the limits of their abilities.
The loneliness of being someone with learning difficulties
- Author:
- HOLMAN Andrew
- Journal article citation:
- Community Living, 22(1), 2008, pp.12-13.
- Publisher:
- Hexagon Publishing
Making friendships are vital for people to lead full lives. The author considers why there are so few opportunities for people with learning disabilities to meet, despite the government acknowledging the importance of friendship in the Valuing People strategy. The organisation Stars in the Sky, a dating agency for people with learning disabilities, is also briefly described.
Connecting people: experiences from Grapevine
- Author:
- WIGHTMAN Clare
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 8(1), February 2008, pp.28-33.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Grapevine is a charity run in partnership with people with learning disabilities. This article describes how they work to engage ordinary people to care about, respect and enjoy knowing someone with a learning disability.
Enhancing social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review of original empirical studies
- Authors:
- LOUW Julia S., KIRKPATRICK Bernadette, LEADER Geraldine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(5), 2020, pp.793-807.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Social inclusion is regarded as an important determinant of health, particularly for young adults with intellectual disabilities. However, only a limited number of reviews report on the findings of original empirical studies on social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. This review provides a succinct synopsis of original empirical studies on social inclusion among young adults with intellectual disabilities for the period between January 2013 and January 2019. Methods: Studies were drawn from three electronic databases: ScienceDirect, PubMed and PsycINFO. In addition, hand searches were carried out in several international journals focusing on intellectual disability research. The review included both qualitative and quantitative studies. In all, 24 key studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The Methodological Quality Checklist developed by Downs and Black (Journal of Epidemiology Community Health, 1998, 52, 377) was used to independently assess study quality, and the Cochrane Collaboration Intervention Clinical Appraisal Form was used to extract data and outcome measures for each study. Results: Among the key findings, structured and organized social inclusion interventions were reported to create better opportunities to engage in social interactions and improve social skills. Moreover, evaluating outcomes on the two core quality‐of‐life domains, that of interpersonal relationships and community participation, were reported to facilitate positive outcomes for social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. Conclusion: There is a need to do an in‐depth exploration of the potential impact of facilitators that promote social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities, by conducting rigorous empirical investigations. (Edited publisher abstract)
Inclusion for people with developmental disabilities: measuring an elusive construct
- Authors:
- NEELY-BARNES Susan Louise, ELSWICK Susan E.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 15(2), 2016, pp.134-149.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The philosophy of inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) has evolved over the last 50 years. Over time, inclusion research has shifted from a focus on deinstitutionalisation to understanding the extent to which individuals with IDD are meaningfully involved in the community and social relationships. Yet, there has been no agreed on way to measure inclusion. Many different measurement and data collection techniques have been used in the literature. This study proposes a brief measure of inclusion that can be used with family members and on survey instruments. The measure of inclusion was designed for the research study based on a review of literature and was tested using a survey of 136 parents and caregivers. (Edited publisher abstract)
Ready and able
- Author:
- GORMAN Ruth
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 14(1), January/February 2014, pp.28-29.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
New Reablement Journeys a short-term reablement pilot service for people with learning disabilities implemented by the charity Imagine, Act and Succeed (IAS) for Oldham Council. The service offers short-term, person-centred support to people for up to six weeks and helps to develop independence, social inclusion and encourages people with learning disabilities to use more community-based supports. Although the service can only support up to 10-12 people at one time, it has helped over 60 people to become more independent since its inception. This article describes how the service works and presents a short example of how the service has helped one person to live in their own flat with minimum support. (Original abstract)
Social integration of people with intellectual disability: insights from a social psychological research programme
- Authors:
- DIJKER A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55(9), September 2011, pp.885-894.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disability (ID) are being relocated from institutional care to neighbourhood housing. The authors suggest this is being done without detailed knowledge of the social psychological aspects of everyday interaction between neighbours with and without ID. They begin by examining the different ways in which societies respond to conditions and behaviours that may be seen as deviant. They go on to use the results of their own research in the Netherlands to answer questions about what makes neighbouring with people with ID special, in terms of perceptions, emotions and interactions during a pre-contact and contact phase. The theoretical analysis suggests neighbouring in modern Western society often takes the form of benevolent tolerance, rather than stigmatisation and prejudice. However, the empirical studies reveal that in the pre-contact phase prospective neighbours without ID experience a specific pattern of emotions (e.g. with respect to information supply or a caring relationship). These anticipatory reactions were dependent on the expected size of the group and on the severity of ID. It is concluded that interpersonal relationships between neighbours with and without ID should not be polarised as prejudiced/stigmatising versus entirely accepting. The picture appears to be more complex and ambivalent and this needs to be taken into account to make social integration a success.
The significance of neighbours; views and experiences of people with intellectual disability on neighbouring
- Authors:
- van ALPHEN L.M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(8), August 2009, pp.745-757.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
People with intellectual disability (ID) who live in regular neighbourhoods have experiences with their neighbours, which are important to understand when studying social integration. This study describes and analyses the opinions on, and experiences with, neighbour relationships of 39 people with ID living in neighbourhood housing facilities in the Netherlands. While the views of people with ID on 'good neighbouring' were consistent with 'neighbouring' described in sociological literature, their experiences may be influenced by an organisational context, the tendency to formalise relationships and apprehension towards meeting unfamiliar people. Understanding influential factors to neighbouring for people with ID may shed light on the processes involved in social integration of people with ID at a neighbourhood level. This paper contributes to understanding the opinions of people with ID on satisfactory neighbourhood relationships, and explores opportunities to improve them.
Part of the community
- Author:
- STEVENS Simon
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 9(4), June 2009, pp.20-21.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Second Life, the internet based virtual world, offers people with learning and physical disabilities a route to inclusion. This article describes the main features of Second Life and its advantages for disabled people. It is much easier for physically disabled people to get together virtually than it is in real life. For people with autistic spectrum disorders, Second Life may aid in the development of social skills. People can show emotions in a clear and deliberate way, making them easier to read and understand. Users have formed groups such as Wheelies, a virtual nightclub for people with physical disabilities, and the Autism Liberation Front. Safeguarding issues are a concern, as they are in real life. The author concludes that Second Life has the potential to bring further benefits for disabled people, such as virtual and real world learning and paid employment opportunities.
Citizenship: a guide for providers of support
- Authors:
- SLY Sam, TINDALL Bob
- Publisher:
- Centre for Welfare Reform
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 48
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
This guide outlines the 7 keys to citizenship and explains how they can be used by service providers to improve the lives of people with disabilities and their families and can also build quality into services. It believes that these 7 keys can help people to take action on three levels: personal change; local change in communities; and political change. Sections look at each of the seven principles in turn, and outline how they can provide a framework for improving the lives of people with disabilities. The 7 keys to citizenship are: purpose – having goals, hopes and dreams and a structure for life and a plan to achieve this; freedom – having control and the ability to be heard; money – having enough money to live a good life and control over how that money is spent; home – having a place that belongs to us; help – having good help that enhances our gifts, talents and skills; life – making an active contribution to our communities; Love – having loving relationships. (Edited publisher abstract)