Self‐employment among people with disabilities: evidence for Europe

This paper examines the use of self‐employment among people with disabilities in Europe. Using data from the European Community Household Panel for the period 1995–2001 for 13 European countries we found that people with disabilities were more likely to be self‐employed than people without disabilities. Self‐employment provides flexibility and a better adjustment between disability status and working life. Moreover, the levels of satisfaction with job, type of job and working conditions of self‐employed disabled people are higher than those reported by disabled people who are wage and salary earners. Policy‐makers must encourage self‐employment to increase the levels of well‐being and employment of people with disabilities in Europe.     

‘Some people are not allowed to love’: intimate citizenship in the lives of people labelled with intellectual disabilities

Disability helps us think differently about the ‘ideal’ neoliberal-able citizen who may not equate to ideas of productive, sexual, ‘normal’. Intimate citizenship – our rights and access to intimacy – is often ignored by those working with people labelled with intellectual disabilities and in research. In this article, we discuss the outcome of a dialogue between self-advocates labelled with intellectual disabilities, academics, service providers, Aboriginal leaders, students and artists about intimate citizenship through love, intimate work and consumption.     

Inclusion or outcomes? Tensions in the involvement of people with learning disabilities in strategic planning

Social inclusion is a key principle that underpins the provision of services for people with learning disabilities in England. Learning Disability Partnership Boards, which are responsible for local strategic planning of learning disability services, hold a particular role in promoting inclusion since they are required both to operate inclusively and to achieve inclusive outcomes. This study sought to explore the extent to which these ambitions for inclusion were being achieved. It consisted of three phases: a scoping exercise to elicit the views of key stakeholders; a postal survey of Partnership Boards (response rate 51%); and semi-structured interviews with Partnership Boards members in six local authorities. Findings suggest that Partnership Boards are struggling to fulfil their dual role, with tensions emerging between the desire to operate in fully inclusive ways and the ability to affect strategic change within local services.     

Community perceptions of people with disabilities in the North West region of Cameroon: what is the impact on their access to services?

Community perceptions of people with disabilities are not uncommon and also have impact on access to services. This article discusses the results from interviews, participant observations as well as field notes with 62 participants (people with disabilities, families of people with disabilities, regular school teachers and principals, community-based rehabilitation personnel, non-governmental organization personnel, traditional leaders, religious leaders and social workers) regarding their perceptions of people with disabilities and the impact on access to services. The findings from the study revealed that community’s perceptions of people with disabilities are both negative and positive and have an impact on their access to schooling, health and rehabilitation services. The discussions/conclusions include difference in perspectives, beliefs and practices, impact of perceptions as non-linear, sensitization/flow of information and context difference.     

Is emergency preparedness a ‘disaster’ for people with disabilities in the US? Results from the 2006–2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

This study compared emergency preparedness of people with activity limitations, with limitations who use specialized equipment, and with mental health conditions with that of people without these disabilities. Results of chi-square analysis and logistic regression analysis showed that people with activity limitations and/or mental health conditions were significantly less prepared for emergencies than people who used specialized equipment or persons without disabilities. Having an activity limitation and/or severe mental health conditions, and being non-white, uncoupled, female, and below the poverty line increases the likelihood of not being prepared. Suggestions for increasing preparedness related to training and policy development were discussed.     

Does civil society speak for the people? evidence from a survey of Scottish teachers

It has been claimed by many writers recently that civil society can lead a process of political renewal in the liberal democracies. However, the extent to which civil society is in touch with popular feeling has been challenged from both the right and the left. The paper examines one currently fluid case: civil society in Scotland, which in 1999 acquired its first parliament for three centuries following an emphatic referendum vote in 1997 in favour of setting up such an institution. The paper discusses the general issues and themes concerning civil society, explains the significance of the Scottish case, and then uses survey data to compare the views of one segment of Scottish civil society (school teachers) with those of the Scottish population generally. Teachers are studied because of the several key roles which they play in civil society and in social reproduction. The paper concludes that this segment of civil society is indeed close to the views of the general population (probably closer than Scottish members of the UK parliament), and that the new Scottish parliament will have to respect the legitimacy of the established civic institutions if it is to engage with popular concerns.     

Are persons with disabilities included in the Colombian peace process?

This article follows on from our previous one about the armed conflict in Colombia and its relationship with disability. We seek here to explore the ways in which people with disabilities are starting to be involved in the peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC-EP), and the avenues there are for representative organizations of disabled people to have a louder voice in Colombia. Currently, while legal and human rights approaches are important, people with disabilities in Colombia do not generally have the resources to fight for their own rights. However, there could be opportunities in the negotiations currently with the National Liberation Army (ELN) to include a specific focus on the rights of people with disabilities.     

Self-harm among adolescents with developmental disabilities. What are they trying to tell us?

Self-harm behavior exhibited by adolescents with developmental disabilities can be the most challenging behavior for caregivers and health care professionals to address. Past interventions have taken a behavioral approach and focused on functional analysis to guide assessment and treatment. However, self-harm behavior is becoming more recognized as a means of communication. Therefore, it is important for health care professionals and caregivers to listen to adolescents' attempts to communicate and try to understand the meaning of the behavior. Early assessment is crucial to understanding the meaning of the behavior, and early intervention is necessary to prevent escalation or chronicity. Thorough assessment guides interventions and must be implemented in the context of clients' families and social world, and the broader community. Establishment of trusting relationships among adolescents, their families, and health care professionals is imperative. This article discusses self-harm behavior from a psychosocial perspective related to prevalence, onset, purpose, maintenance, and escalation. It also introduces a comprehensive framework to guide assessment and intervention.     

Employment commitment among the long-term unemployed in norway: Is a culture of dependency about to develop?

This paper explores the association between employment commitment and employment status, with a focus on the long-term unemployed. It has been claimed in some quarters that there has been a decline in the work ethic and a parallel development of a culture of dependency. Our data indicate that employment commitment seems to be influenced by previous and present work experiences, but factors such as sex and household circumstances are also of importance. There appears to be no association between unemployment duration or receipt of unemployment benefits and employment commitment. Even persons with a marginal attachment to the labour market are highly committed to employment. There is little evidence indicating that a decline in employment commitment is likely to take place. Overall, unemployment commitment among young people was as high as that found among older age groups. There are no signs of the development of a culture of dependency and a reduced work ethic. Our data further suggest that it may be possible to reverse low employment commitment among marginal categories by offering them meaningful paid work.     

‘Bringing coals to Newcastle’? Human rights,civil rights and social movements in New York City

In this article we examine the encounter between global human rights ideas and domestic discourses of civil rights and social justice, focusing on processes of translation and adaptation of women's human rights in two ethnographic sites in New York City. The first site is a citywide coalition working for the adoption of a New York City human rights ordinance. The second site is an advocacy organization working on domestic violence issues. We find that the local adoption of human rights in New York City – the ‘domestication’ of human rights – takes place in two central sites: law and social movement. We further find that the process of translation takes place unevenly in the two sites, and it is driven primarily by the actors, mechanisms and technologies in the social movement arena. Overall, we witness the emergence of a domestic human rights movement as a new counter‐hegemonic space, characterized by multiplicity in meanings, ideological heterogeneity and ambivalence from those engaged in its construction.     

Is it the family or the neighborhood? Evidence from sibling and neighbor correlations in youth education and health

In this paper, we present sibling and neighbor correlations in school grades and cognitive skills, as well as indicators of physical and mental health, for a sample of German adolescents. In a first step, we estimate sibling correlations and find a substantial influence of shared family and community background on all outcomes. To further disentangle the influence of family background and neighborhood, we estimate neighbor correlations. Our results show that for all outcomes, the estimated neighbor correlations are clearly lower than the estimated sibling correlations. However, especially for cognitive skills and mental health, neighbor correlations are still substantial in relation to sibling correlations. Thus, compared to existing results from other countries, the influence of the neighborhood on these outcomes is not negligible in Germany.     

Salvadorian Migration to the United States in the 1980s. What can we learn about it and from it?1

This study investigates "why and how Salvadorian migrants came to the United States, and the implications of their migration....First, it presents evidence that the dichotomy used to distinguish economic and political migrations may not be adequate for examining current migration trends....Second, it illustrates the importance of social networks in international migrations from politically conflictive regions....Third, it points out that assumptions regarding the viability of social networks as sources of support among immigrants may also need revision." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Young people and prostitution: an end to the beginning?

Since the mid‐1970s, we have developed in England and Wales a complex and sophisticated inter‐agency system dedicated to protecting children from abuse. However, we have failed to apply it effectively to the protection of young people sexually abused through involvement in prostitution. This paper examines some of the reasons for this failure and identifies a number of characteristics of the child protection system which seem to fit it poorly for work with these young people. It is argued that lasting improvement in their well‐being depends on the creation of truly ‘joined‐up’, integrated, interdisciplinary services addressing the whole range of their needs. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

‘He was a secret’: family narratives and the institutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities

This article examines family narratives concerning the existence of an institutionalized family member with an intellectual disability. A research study investigating the experiences of institutional survivors and members of their families in post-World War II Ontario, Canada reveals ambiguous family narratives in which the story of an institutionalized family member with an intellectual disability was absent or uncertain. Secretive family narratives and their impact on family life are discussed from the perspectives of siblings of institutional survivors. Drawing from narrative enquiry literature, the potential repercussions of false or ambiguous narratives on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities are also examined.