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Students with disabilities participating in mainstream schools: policies that promote and limit teacher and therapist cooperation
- Authors:
- HEMMINGSSON Helena, GUSTAVSSON Anders, TOWNSEND Elizabeth
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 22(4), June 2007, pp.383-398.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper examines participatory arrangements for students with physical disabilities in mainstream education, cooperation between teachers and therapists to ensure that these arrangements are efficient and the organizational prerequisites for such cooperation. The study comprises data obtained from 14 'groups' in Sweden, with each group consisting of a student with physical disabilities aged 9-19 years, their main teacher and the relevant therapists from the local habilitation centre. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field observations and a review of relevant documents, including legislation. The results reveal a lack of cooperation between teacher and therapist which results in students with disabilities receiving suboptimal participatory arrangements in school. Differences in the perspectives of the teachers and therapists and in the way they act and perceive their responsibilities were anchored in institutional and societal documents and the distribution of resources. The implications for students with disabilities are discussed.
What are the care needs for people with motor neurone disease and how can occupational therapists respond to meet these needs?
- Author:
- FOLEY Geraldine
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(1), January 2007, pp.32-34.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Motor neurone disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder and from disease onset health care intervention is palliative in nature. Numerous studies on wellbeing in motor neurone disease are consistent with the palliative care literature, where the values assigned to non-physical life domains increase with disease progression. Occupational therapists should consider all components of wellbeing for people with motor neurone disease and not physical disability alone. It is argued that a better understanding of motor neurone disease and an awareness of the service needs important to this client group are necessary to improve the quality of care and to assist occupational therapists in meeting care needs.