Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 162
Vulnerability and protection talk: systemic therapy process with people with intellectual disability
- Authors:
- POTE Helen, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 36(2), June 2011, pp.105-117.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
There is significant clinical and theoretical interest in the concepts of vulnerability and protection for people with intellectual disabilities (ID) and the authors believe that it is important that these issues are addressed in therapy. This study explores the processes by which these concepts were discussed in systemic family therapy sessions. Four videotapes of systemic therapy sessions were evaluated using a qualitative design, incorporating thematic and conversation analysis. The videotapes were drawn from systemic therapy sessions with 3 families with an adult with ID. Vulnerability and protection themes were identified within the therapeutic conversations, including: protection from the disability and its consequences; protection from peers, siblings, and the world at large; and protection from emotionally sensitive topics. Protective strategies were used by all system members throughout the therapy process; key strategies were topic switch and reversals. The authors conclude that clinical practice could be enhanced if therapists reflect on the strategies they employ in addressing protection effectively.
Very accommodating
- Author:
- HOPKINS Graham
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 16.06.05, 2005, pp.40-41.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Reports on how a small team in Hounslow, west London, is able to provide a highly related Supporting People programme.
Concerns regarding the use of the vulnerability concept in research on people with intellectual disability
- Author:
- SNIPSTAD Oyvind Ibrahim Maroy
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(1), 2022, pp.107-114.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: People with intellectual disability are often defined as a vulnerable group. The feminist philosopher Jackie Scully argues that vulnerability is often associated with qualities such as immaturity, helplessness, victimhood, passivity and so forth. As research is a social activity, the qualities associated with vulnerability affect researchers' decisions about who to include and exclude from their research project as well as influencing their interpretations of the research participants' answers, behaviour and actions. This may result in excluding people with intellectual disability from research or that their ways of being becomes interpreted as mere symptoms of their diagnosis rather than subjective opinions and experiences. Conclusion: By addressing these issues through the work of Norwegian philosopher Hans Skjervheim, this paper contests traditional interpretations of vulnerability and instead argues that vulnerability should be related more specifically to each individual research project and prompt questions such as: How do we protect these particular participants from harm? (Edited publisher abstract)
‘People with learning disabilities need a commissioner and a legal charter of rights’ – no they do not!
- Author:
- RICHARDS Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 31(3), 2016, pp.426-430.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Since the UK Winterbourne View scandal, there have been a number of reports and responses recommending what should be done to ensure a similar scandal does not happen again. Two ideas have emerged which suggest that people with learning disabilities need a legal charter of rights and a commissioner to make a difference in their lives. This article, however, argues that although it is right that issues affecting people with learning disabilities are at the heart of discussion and debate, this does not take into account the complex, flexible and multiple identities of people with learning disabilities, and their knowledge, experiences and skills. This would be more beneficial in understanding the lives of people with the label of learning disabilities than a commissioner or a charter. (Original abstract)
Crash: what went wrong at Winterbourne View?
- Author:
- OAKES Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual Disabilities, 16(3), September 2012, pp.155-162.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Place of publication:
- London
In 2011 a ‘Panorama’ television documentary raised the profile of unacceptable practice and indeed criminal abuse following the undercover filming of outrageous acts of cruelty in an independent hospital called Winterbourne View. This editorial represents a year of reflection on these events and the consistent failure to maintain minimum standards in services and supports for people with learning disabilities. It focuses on the events at Winterbourne View and sees them as a crash at the end of a journey that was strangely inevitable. It considers how people with intellectual disabilities become powerless and vulnerable to abuse. A small number of people got caught up in the horrifying events at Winterbourne View but it could have been any service for people who find themselves marginalised and disempowered. The article concludes by calling on everyone to reflect on what they need to do to prevent events like this from happening.
Paid advocacy pays!
- Author:
- LANE Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Llais, 100, Autumn 2011, pp.41-42.
- Publisher:
- Learning Disability Wales
The foundation of Advocacy Matters (Wales) (AMW) began in 1989 as a result of the closure of Ely hospital in Cardiff. AMW provided a Citizen Advocacy partnership to patients which involved preparing and training local volunteers to form a long-term partnership to help their ‘partner’ speak up about their rights and communicate what they wanted. This article discusses the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme, a part of AMW which was introduced to give significantly greater protection and support to adults from abuse and inappropriate care. Three case studies are presented which detail the need for paid advocacy in people’s lives, each highlighting the positives that a paid advocate can bring to vulnerable adults living in care.
What does vulnerability mean?
- Author:
- PARLEY Fiona F.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(4), December 2011, pp.266-276.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The protection of vulnerable adults has, over the last decade, received increasing attention. This paper investigated the views of 20 Scottish care staff relating to vulnerability and abuse of adults with learning disability. Using semi-structured interview informants perspectives were explored. Whilst the precise definition of vulnerability was hard to determine, the results revealed that most informants felt that people with learning disabilities were all vulnerable and that this definition gave staff the authority to take protective measures to ensure their safety. This desire to introduce protective measures however may result in people with learning disabilities being denied the right to self-determination, thereby limiting their enjoyment of some life experiences and lessening the excitement of life that others take for granted. The article concludes that a more consistent definition of vulnerability, across policy and practice would be beneficial.
The first critical steps through the criminal justice system for persons with intellectual disabilities
- Authors:
- MERCIER Céline, CROCKER Anne G.
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39(2), June 2011, pp.130-138.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This paper discusses the initial steps of the judicial process for persons with intellectual disabilities who are suspected of a minor offense in the context of the Canadian criminal justice system (CJS). During this stage, plaintiffs, police officers, and crown attorneys make a series of decisions that will have a significant impact on the course of the judicial process. The main objective of this study was to document the criteria that influence dispositions by police officers and crown attorneys about persons with intellectual disabilities in the CJS. A secondary objective was to report suggested improvements to better support them throughout the judicial process. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants from the CJS and from service and community organisations. The informants identified a series of implicit criteria that influence the decisions made and dispositions taken in the case of a suspected offence. Suggestions for improvement include early screening for intellectual disability, educating police officers and crown attorneys about intellectual disabilities, a preference for the use of summons to appear over other types of procedures, and drafting memorandums of understanding between various organisations and police services regarding persons with intellectual disabilities. The findings emphasise the need for more effective screening and diversion procedures for persons with intellectual disabilities within the CJS.
Adult protection of people with intellectual disabilities: incidence, nature and responses
- Authors:
- BEADLE-BROWN Julie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 23(6), November 2010, pp.573-584.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This paper presents findings from the analysis of the 1,926 referrals relating to people with intellectual disabilities included description of the nature of abuse and the responses to the referrals. Findings indicated that about one-third of all adult protection referrals related to people with intellectual disability, remaining consistent over time. However, the number of referrals increased significantly. The majority of people lived in residential care or supported living and this was reflected in the nature of the referrals – people were more likely to have been abused in the care home and by staff or service users than those without an intellectual disability. The most common type of abuse was physical abuse. Sexual abuse was more prevalent in the intellectual disability sample. People with intellectual disability were more likely to have experienced follow-up action, usually through more monitoring. There was a different pattern of abuse seen in those placed out-of-area. The authors conclude that there is some indication that residential situation and in particular being placed in a residential placement out-of-area may be an important factor in predicting adult protection referrals.
Including adults with intellectual disabilities in research: scientists' perceptions of risks and protection
- Authors:
- McDONALD Katherine E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 6(4), December 2009, pp.244-252.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The authors surveyed 199 Institutional Review Board members and intellectual disability researchers in the United States to identify their perceptions of specific risks and necessary protections in (hypothetical) research studies. The research studies varied as to whether they included adults with ID in the research sample and the level of harm to which research participants were exposed. Results suggest that identification of psychological, social and legal risks and necessary protections varied by the disability status of the sample, the level of risk and the role of the person reviewing the study. For example, participants identified more psychological, information control, legal and social risks in higher harm research studies. Participants reported a need for more protections in high-harm studies as well as studies that included adults with ID. In some instances the nature of identified risks and protections and respondents' characterisation of these risks and necessary protections suggested concerns related specifically to adults with ID. Implications for practice, policy, and future research related to access to research participation are discussed.