Correlates of Voting Participation of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

ABSTRACT

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) vote less frequently than nondisabled people and people with other disabilities. This study explores what factors facilitate and hinder people with IDD’s voting participation. To do so, 1,341 people with IDD were surveyed using the Personal Outcome Measures®. Binary logistic regressions revealed significant relationships between voting participation, and support needs, residence types, guardianship statuses, and organizational supports. Along with the right supports, attention to barriers that might exist can ensure people with IDD are able to make use of their civil rights and participate in this crucial form of civic engagement.     

Carer Participation: Training for People With Intellectual Disabilities in a Chinese Society

People with intellectual disabilities require training to improve independence, and carers are important partners in the process. Studies show that carers are able to motivate family members with intellectual disabilities to participate in training. In addition, family members may serve as cotrainers. To increase carers' participation, it is necessary to empower them with training techniques and develop strategies to relieve their stress. This article aims to explore the effects of carer support to enhance training quality of daily living skills for their family member with intellectual disabilities, through the use of care case studies, in the context of families living in Hong Kong. A model of multiple case studies is adopted. Three cases are analyzed to illustrate various modes of carer participation.     

Involving People with Disabilities in Volunteer Roles

Abstract

According to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, 33.7 million non-institutionalized Americans have limitations in usual activities. A recent poll on community participation found that, overall, people with disabilities have lower rates of community participation compared to those without disabilities. An analysis of that same poll concluded that people with disabilities continue to be treated as second class citizens by being excluded from the mainstream of everyday life. Social role valorization theory proposes creating and supporting socially valued roles for people who are kept at a social distance. It is through these valued social roles that they gain equal access to other opportunities that society has to offer. One such socially valued role is that of a community volunteer. Volunteer activities can foster a social environment where people with disabilities are seen as credible coping individuals. This paper reports the results of a survey of twenty-six community agencies which regularly use volunteers. The purpose of the survey was to identify barriers to volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities and to explore openness to methods to remove the barriers through community collaborations.     

The Distribution of Returns to Education for People with Disabilities

This article takes a first look at the distribution of returns to education for people with disabilities, a particularly disadvantaged group whose labor market performances have not been well studied or documented. Using a nonparametric approach, we uncover significant heterogeneity in the returns to education for these workers, which is drastically masked by conventional parametric methods. Based on these estimates, we construct the Sharpe ratio of human capital investment (taking into account its substantial risk), and our results corroborate the claimed importance of human capital in improving these workers’ wages. Our stochastic dominance tests show that the returns to education for workers with disabilities, as a group, may have been affected more adversely in the most recent recession, relative to their non-disabled counterparts.     

Quality of Life for People with Learning Difficulties Moving to Community Homes

Research concerning people with learning difficulties who have left institutions has typically investigated how well people 'adapt' to life in the community, and has often ignored users' own perceptions of the changes in their quality of life resulting from the move. In this study, eight people with learning difficulties who moved from a hospital and seven people who moved from parental homes to live in staffed homes in the community were interviewed. Choice, privacy, social life and relationships with their parents and staff emerged as important factors in participants' perception of their quality of life. Their relationships with their parents were found to be close, and in some cases their parents were overprotective. Staff were perceived in some cases as too controlling and in others as providing too little support. The findings indicate that people with learning difficulties moving to community residences have aspirations which encompass far more than a wish to adapt to life in the community, and their relationships with family and staff are a central factor in achieving such aspirations.     

Discriminative Assumptions of Utilitarian Bioethics Regarding Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

'Bioutilitarianism', which is a position presented by the well-known utilitarian philosophers Helga Kuhse, James Rachels and Peter Singer, views the potential existence of infants with intellectual disabilities as less valuable than the existence of 'normal' infants. I will argue that their arguments are based on misleading and biased information about the characteristics of individuals with intellectual disabilities and their quality of life. By ignoring the social constructionist dimension of disability the bioutilitarians make questionable moral conclusions. Also, the underlying assumption of their position is an 'intelligist' intuition, namely that intellectually 'normal' human beings are morally more valuable than human beings with intellectual disabilities. I contend that there is no reasonable basis for viewing infants with intellectual disabilities as being less entitled to life than 'normal' infants or for considering people with intellectual disabilities as less valuable than 'normal' people.     

Personal Assistance for People with Intellectual Impairments: experiences and dilemmas

The article gives an account of how personal assistance is adapted to people with intellectual impairments in Norway and the experiences with the arrangement for this target group. Most space, however, is given to a discussion of the challenges and dilemmas of including people with intellectual impairments in the target group for personal assistance, since other people than the user as a rule fill the role as manager of the service. Special attention is paid to the parents' role since they often act as managers on behalf of their sons/daughters. Furthermore, the assistants' role is discussed and the importance of how they meet the users. Finally, there is a discussion of the consequences the extension of personal assistance to intellectually impaired users might have both for personal assistance as a service and for the ordinary care services.     

Housing for Older People in Iceland: Apartments and Nursing Homes

The first residential and nursing homes in Iceland were built in the early 1920s, and the first apartments for older people in the early 1970s. Most of the existing housing for older persons was built in the last 30 years. Legislative provisions on housing and particularly on assisted living have not changed significantly since laws relating to the affairs of the elderly were first passed in 1983. While approximately 90% of older people in Iceland own their own home and the primary stated goal of the government is to support independent living, official policy relies on placement in nursing homes. Services and care at home, provided by social and home healthcare services, has not been developed to the same extent as in the other Nordic countries. Clearer guidelines on integrated service housing are needed to reach the government's primary stated goal. Placing more emphasis on delivering services, care, and rehabilitation to people living in the community could shorten individuals’ length of stay in hospitals, delay admission to nursing homes, and better meet the expectations of older people for independent living.     

Variations in Provider Capacity to Offer Accessible Health Care for People with Disabilities

Abstract

Since social workers are likely to practice in a range of health care settings, their training focusing on human behavior in the social environment could help providers develop strategies to improve access to care for people with disabilities. In this article, results from a comprehensive survey of providers about access to health care for people with a broad range of disabilities are reported. Results suggest that a minority of providers report difficulty serving people with disabilities. However, dentists and mental health/substance abuse providers are significantly less likely than other providers to report that they provide accessible services to individuals with disabilities. These providers are less likely to report having had training related to mobility impairments, providing mirrors at their facility, having an accessible door, or providing assistance with personal care needs, and are more likely to report that their building poses a barrier for people with disabilities. Social workers are well positioned to take a leadership role in working with providers and patients to improve access to health care for people with disabilities. A social work framework of understanding the individual in a social environment may be the most appropriate perspective for creating innovative strategies for addressing the complex, multidimensional needs of people with disabilities who experience limited access to care.     

Strategies to Foster the Career Development of People with Disabilities

Abstract

This paper addresses career development strategy within the context of social work practice in rehabilitation and disability. The author outlines the career development needs of people with disabilities and identifies contemporary ways of thinking about career development. Four specific career development tactics are discussed involving the provision of vicarious experiences, identification and appreciation of performance accomplishments, verbal persuasion to support appropriate risk-taking, and emotional arousal that facilitates the expression of feelings and the motivation to act. These tactics are promising avenues for strengthening vocational and career self-efficacy with the aim of helping people with disabilities to augment their career maturity and increase their personal flexibility.     

Enhancing Critical Reflection amongst Social Work Students: The Contribution of an Experiential Learning Group in Care Homes for Older People

As part of a Practice Learning Centre, representing a partnership between an English University social work department and a non-governmental organisation, 12 students were placed in care homes for older people for their first period of assessed practice. The aims of this initiative were to facilitate: development of critical reflection; deployment of social work skills in a care home setting; and opportunities for social work students to work with care home residents. The learning was captured via four Experiential Groups facilitated by the Practice Educator with responsibility for assessing the students' practice. On-site supervisors also participated. Key learning included understanding of: the importance of critical reflection as a key social work skill; the influence of organisational norms and care home culture on the quality of care practice; the complexity and emotion-rich nature of person-centred care; and the pivotal role of relationships in work with people with dementia. Links made in the Groups—between the experiential and theoretical, the emotional and cognitive, and the structural and personal—demonstrate their value as learning platforms. Placements in care homes have considerable potential to enrich practice education; this is especially important in the context of an ageing population.     

The Need for Mandatory Legislations to Enhance Services to People with Disabilities in Nigeria

The promises concerning the provision of services to individuals with disabilities contained in Nigeria's National Policy on Special Education have not been implemented due to the absence of a legislative mandate to support their implementation. Consequently, the majority of individuals with disabilities in the country are not receiving educational and other relevant services. Based on the evidence of the positive impacts of legislation on special needs provision from several countries, this paper advocates for the enactment of mandatory laws in Nigeria in order to ensure that the right services would be provided to individuals with disabilities in the country. Although the process of enacting legislation on special needs provision could be problematic due to the prevailing political and economic crises in the country, it is argued, however, that effective advocacy activities by patient and professional organisations in the field of special needs could influence the government to take the needs of citizens with disabilities into consideration in policyformulation and legislative mandates.     

Infusing Content on Older People with Developmental Disabilities into the Curriculum

Although older people with developmental disabilities (OPDD) are living longer than before and appearing more often as clients of social workers, this population has not been included in the growing effort to prepare social work students for practice with older clients. This article explores the issues unique to OPDD and their families. Using a model based on an ecological perspective, it indicates appropriate content on OPDD for infusion into social work curricula at the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystem levels. It also suggests relevant content for four foundation sequences.     

Disability in Adulthood: Ten-year Follow-up of Young People with Disabilities

This study investigates the attainment of adult status among a sample of 39 physically impaired people aged 25 to 30 years. Compared with the general population, they were much less likely to have worked in paid employment, to have established independent households, or to be married and have families of their own. Few had achieved their teenage aspirations for marriage or parenthood. Most of those who had never had a job since leaving school still wanted to work. The majority still hoped to live in a place of their own. The findings point to major inadequacies in provision for disabled people, particularly in practical and financial support for those who want to work and live independently. Policies and services for young disabled people need to be developed within a common framework which includes a comprehensive definition of the transition to adulthood and agreed goals for the achievement of adult status.     

Power to People with Disabilities: empowerment issues in employment programming

A view of empowerment that focuses exclusively or primarily on increasing the personal or individual power of people with disabilities violates the spirit of the disability rights movement which is a political movement organizing for social change. A view of empowerment more in keeping with the political organizing and protest that generated interest in empowerment focuses on the acquisition of social forms of power, especially power with which is an egalitarian social power based in individuals acting together as equal partners. An understanding of the importance of power with as a basis for empowerment is useful in developing empowering and effective employment programs for people with severe disabilities. Examples of employment programs based in power with are described including self-managed work crews, and businesses owned and operated co-operatively by people with disabilities.     

Community Integration of Older People with Developmental Disabilities in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

To understand the community integration of adults with developmental disabilities in Hong Kong, a comprehensive measure includes four dimensions, pertaining to social activity, social services, interpersonal behavior, and people involved in social interaction. Applying this measure to 692 adults (aged 15–62), the territory-wide study finds that these adults lack company for out-of-home activities and community activities despite their higher knowledge, assertiveness, social interaction, and feeling accepted in the community. With the strengthening of many conditions (including knowledge and community support) for community integration, the adults tend to have greater need for empowerment to enhance their active participation in community activities.     

Parental Caregivers' Desires for Lifetime Assistance Planning for Future Supports for Their Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Future life planning is a growing concern among families with children with disabilities. This article presents a needs assessment evaluating feasibility of a new model for future life planning for family caregivers, Lifetime Assistance, which will provide ongoing planning and monitoring for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Using surveys informed by a series of focus groups, data were gathered from older and younger parents in one midwestern state regarding the potential program. Study results indicate that respondents did not feel the current system of support was adequate for planning for their child's future, nor sufficient for monitoring the quality of life for their children in the future. Although almost all families had identified a person to support their family members when they were no longer able to do so, parental caregivers overwhelmingly identified the need for the Lifetime Assistance program and many were willing to pay for this service themselves.     

韩国残疾人社会服务现状及进展

韩国残疾人总数约为251万,他们既享有普惠性社会保障政策,也享有残疾人特惠性社会保障政策。特惠性社会保障政策由经济支持、医疗支持、教育支持、就业支持和社会服务提供等政策构成。残疾人社会服务宏观层面主要考察服务制度,包括住宅机构、社区康复机构、职业康复机构、凭单制度等,虽然服务制度从20世纪的保护模式中心漸变为自立生活与残疾人为中心模式,但保护模式、社区培训模式和以残疾人为中心模式共存。