Search results for ‘Subject term:"physical disabilities"’ Sort:
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Taking on choice and control in personal care and support: the experiences of physically disabled young adults
- Authors:
- MITCHELL Wendy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 17(4), 2017, pp.413-433.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This article reports physically disabled young adults’ experiences of self-directed care. The study carried conducted semi-structured interviews with young adults aged 19-29 years with a range of congenital and acquired impairments. The results found many aspects of interviewees’ experiences of self-directed care appeared to be influenced by their limited life experience, the fact they are still developing life-skills and are a minority group within adult social care. Interviewees identified their lack of life experience and self-confidence as making them cautious in assuming responsibility for their care arrangements and, typically, their desire for on-going parental support. They also believed their age and life stage contributed to difficulties managing carers and PAs. Preferences around characteristics of carers/PAs were influenced by their age and desire to integrate into mainstream activities. Information provided by statutory services did not (fully) acknowledge that some users were young adults. Compared to other physically disabled users of adult social care, young adults’ under-developed life-skills and lack of life experience influences their experiences as users, and the support they needed to assume control of their care arrangements. Tailored information and support for this ‘minority group’ is required. (Edited publisher abstract)
The impact of personalisation on people from Chinese backgrounds: qualitative accounts of social care experience
- Authors:
- IRVINE Fiona, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 25(3), 2017, pp.878-887.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The limited research that considers people from black and minority ethnic communities' experiences of personalisation tends to focus on personal budgets rather than personalisation per se. This article provides an opportunity to hear the voices of people from Chinese backgrounds and their experiences of personalisation. The study used individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups to collect data from physically disabled people from Chinese backgrounds who lived in England, were aged between 18 and 70, and received social care. Data were analysed using an iterative and thematic approach, with early analysis informing the subsequent analytical rounds. The findings reveal that personalisation has the potential to transform the lives of people from Chinese backgrounds, especially when tailored support is available for people to understand and access personal budgets and put them to creative use. However, the impact of personalisation is barely evident because few eligible individuals access personal budgets or participate in co-production. This is related to a lack of encouragement for service users to become genuine partners in understanding, designing, commissioning and accessing a diverse range of social care services to meet their cultural and social care needs. (Publisher abstract)
A vocational rehabilitation intervention for young adults with physical disabilities: participants' perception of beneficial attributes
- Author:
- BAL M.I.
- Journal article citation:
- Child: Care, Health and Development, 43(1), 2017, pp.114-125.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: This paper is about a program that supports work participation amongst young adults with chronic physical disabilities. The study aims to explore the barriers and facilitators they experienced in finding and maintaining employment after starting the program, the participant-perceived beneficial attributes of the program and participants' recommendations for additional intervention components. Methods: Semi-structured interviews (n = 19) were held with former intervention participants. Interviews were recorded and transcribed ad verbatim. Themes were derived using the phenomenological approach. Results: Physical functions and capacities, supervisor's attitude, self-esteem and self-efficacy and openness and assertiveness were experienced barriers and facilitators for finding and maintaining employment. Improvement of self-promoting skills and disclosure skills through job interview-training, increased self-esteem or self-efficacy through peer-support, a suitable job through job placement, improvement of work ability through arrangement of adjusted work conditions and change of supervisor's attitude through education provided to the supervisor were perceived as beneficial attributes of the intervention. Respondents recommended to incorporate assertiveness and openness skills training into future intervention programs. Conclusions: The findings suggest that programs supporting work participation should be designed to provide challenging, real-world experiential opportunities that provide young adults with physical disabilities with new insights, self-efficacy and life skills. Also, such programs should facilitate context centred learning. Former intervention participants evaluated job-interview training, sharing learning and social experiences with peers, job placement, arrangement of adjusted work conditions and education as beneficial attributes of the ‘At Work’ program. In addition, they recommended incorporating more training on assertiveness and disclosure. (Edited publisher abstract)