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Social policy and people with intellectual disabilities in Poland: enhancing quality of life?
- Authors:
- OTREBSKI Wojciech, NORTHWAY Ruth, MANSELL Ian
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Learning Disabilities, 7(4), December 2003, pp.363-374.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The past decade has been a time of great political, social and economic change within Poland. Such changes have affected the lives of all citizens including those with an intellectual disability. However, within the English language literature there is little published concerning the impact of changes in social policy on this group of people and the extent to which their quality of life has been enhanced. This article thus considers the difficult relationship between quality of life and social policy, provides an overview of key policy developments within Poland (both general and disability specific), and outlines some ways in which they have impacted on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. It is suggested that further research is required before clear conclusions can be drawn. Areas for service development and research are thus proposed.
Life participation approaches to aphasia: international perspectives on communication rehabilitation
- Authors:
- BOLES Larry, LEWIS Mimi
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2(2/3), 2003, pp.47-64.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Discusses a recent development in aphasia treatment, termed the Life Participation Approach to Aphasia (LPAA). LPAA is a model of aphasia rehabilitation that is being practiced internationally in Canada, Australia, England, and the United States. This approach is consumer-driven, and emphasizes reengagement in life. LPAA views family members and the larger community as active contributors to the rehabilitation process. Rather than focusing on the hypothetical situations depicted in pictures, real-life social interactions comprise the therapy context with LPAA.
Quality of life and disability: an approach for community practitioners
- Authors:
- BROWN Ivan, BROWN Roy I.
- Publisher:
- Jessica Kingsley
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 270p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Quality of life, physical, psychological and environmental well-being, is a crucial consideration for professionals working with people with a disability. The authors of this book apply ideas about quality of life to the field of disability to assist front-line professionals, managers and policy-makers in effective service provision.They examine the historical context of the concept of quality of life, and discuss the application of quality of life in the daily lives of people who are disabled. Using recent studies to show how the development of quality of life models have led to changes in rehabilitation, and how an understanding of the issue can inform practice in assessment, intervention, management and policy, this book is addressed to practitioners and managers working with people with disabilities.
Reflections on living with illness, impairment and death
- Author:
- MURRAY Pippa
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 18(4), June 2003, pp.532-536.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This short article calls for new understanding of the experiences of living with illness, impairment and death. It shows clearly, and often painfully, the tensions and contradictions between theory and experience, offering unique insights that hold great potential to help shift the landscape of familiar preoccupations with life, impairment and death.
Cerebral palsy: what parents and doctors want to know
- Author:
- ROSENBAUM Peter
- Journal article citation:
- British Medical Journal, 05.05.03, 2003, pp.970-974.
- Publisher:
- British Medical Association
Provides a brief overview of the condition of cerebral palsy and its implications for child development. Looks at the role of the family and how doctors can help, highlights new developments in treatment, and lists a number of website resources for parents and doctors.
Quality of life for children and adolescents with developmental disabilities: review of conceptual and methodological issues relevant to public policy
- Authors:
- ZEKOVIC Buga, RENWICK Rebecca
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 18(1), January 2003, pp.19-34.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The construct of quality of life has great potential for guiding development and evaluation of policies for children with developmental disabilities. However, there are many different definitions and models of quality of life, and not all of them are equally appropriate for developing policies that would meaningfully address the needs of children with develop mental disabilities. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to review major approaches to quality of life and discuss three models specific to children with respect to their relevance to public policy for children with developmental disabilities. Review of these models includes a discussion of quality of life definitions and conceptual issues, as well as analysis of major measurement characteristics of the instrument(s) associated with each model. Potential of each model for guiding development and evaluation of policy is also considered.
Men, sport, spinal cord injury and narrative time
- Authors:
- SPARKES Andrew C., SMITH Brett
- Journal article citation:
- Qualitative Research, 3(3), December 2003, pp.295-320.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Based on life history data, this article explores how time is experienced by three men who have become disabled through playing sport. Comparisons are made between their experiences of time at the following periods in their lives: (a) pre-spinal cord injury (SCI) when they inhabited able bodied, sporting, disciplined and dominating bodies; (b) immediately following SCI during rehabilitation; and (c) as they live at the moment post-SCI. The ways in which three different narratives operate to shape the post-SCI experiences of time for these men are highlighted, and the implications of this process for their identity (re)construction as disabled men is discussed.
Grass roots promotion of community health and human rights for people with disabilities in post-communist Central Europe: a profile of the Slovak Republic
- Author:
- HOLLAND Daniel
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 18(2), March 2003, pp.133-143.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Individuals living with a disability or chronic illness in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe face significant challenges to quality of life. The government-supported health care infrastructures in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe remain highly centralised and institutional, which poses particular obstacles to people with disabilities who wish to live independently in their communities. A partial solution to this difficulty has been the development of innovative grass roots organisations that provide community-based support to individuals with disabilities or chronic illness. These disability organisations provide services and advocacy that allow individuals to receive needed support outside of the biomedical institutions, facilitating independent living in the community. They do so, however, in a political and economic environment of immense change, and one with varying degrees of support for non-governmental organisations and a Civil Society. The following article profiles this grass roots development in one particularly interesting post-communist Central European country, the Slovak Republic.