‘A lad tried to get hold of my boobs,so I kicked him’: an examination of attempts by adults with learning difficulties to initiate their own safeguarding

People with learning difficulties are considerably more likely to experience sexual and other forms of violence than non-disabled people. Nevertheless, several respondents in this study have demonstrated some self-protective competencies. Most knew of their right not to be violated and a number of participants described situations when they had attempted to initiate their own safeguarding. Some had asked others for help with this. However, appropriate assistance was not always provided. This indicates that risk may be aggravated by social barriers. This paper focuses on highlighting the resistance skills that are prevalent amongst some people with learning difficulties. It concludes with suggestions on ways in which individuals may be further supported to realise their potential to play a more active role in directing and regaining their own protection.     

Mapping the social geographies of autism – online and off-line narratives of neuro-shared and separate spaces

This paper draws together empirical work that has been produced by the authors in two different autistic spaces: the Swedish magazine Empowerment produced by and aimed at adults with autism, and English-speaking autistic communities online. While the two points of data collection are quite different, there are important points of commonality that enable us to explore central issues concerning autistic and neurotypical space and the meanings assigned to these in different contexts. The paper aims to introduce the notion of social geographies of autism, based on talks among adults with autism and a social movement to promote autistic identities, giving examples from our previous work that has spanned both online and off-line spaces. Key issues discussed in the paper include a focus on autistic political platforms and the carving out of both social and political spaces for people with autism. In doing so, neuro-separate and neuro-shared spaces must be negotiated.     

Autism self-advocacy in the Netherlands: past,present and future

This article presents the results of participatory research into the roles and practices of autistic self-advocates in the Netherlands, and the outcomes of their activities. The article discusses the history of Dutch autism self-advocacy, situating it within the history and practices of self-advocacy internationally and the socio-cultural context of the Netherlands. Particular reference is made to Judi Chamberlin’s model for building effective self-advocacy organisations. Key findings include the scope of significant achievements, and the identification of barriers to efficacy in the areas of governance, personal and organisational capacity, relationships with other organisations, and coalition-building. The research concludes by considering what practices could serve to build increased capacity and efficacy, based on the experiences of these and other self-advocates.     

Positive You: a self-advocate’s arts-based approach for building self-esteem

Positive You is an inclusive arts project supporting learning disabled people to explore self-esteem through art-making. The project was developed by self-advocate Leah Jones who observed a gap in service provision after struggling with her own confidence and self-esteem for many years. This article has been co-written by Leah and her support Jade French using a life-story approach. Leah hopes that by sharing her story, this article will not only demonstrate the value of art-making in developing self-esteem, but also that learning disabled people can develop their own employment opportunities with the right support.     

Deaf adults: retrospective narratives of school experiences and teacher expectations

Seventeen Deaf adults were interviewed about their perceptions of teacher expectations during childhood. Using a six-phase thematic analysis methodology, five themes emerged: helpful and challenging teachers, preference for Deaf teachers, the experience of lowered expectations, the worst teachers, and self-advocacy. The worst teachers were the ones who did not meet communication needs rather than those with the lowest expectations. Participants often advocated for their needs and demanded more challenging schoolwork. Implications of this study are noted for self-advocacy and resistance theories of disability, and introducing cultural perspectives and understandings of disability and Deaf experiences into teacher preparation.     

Theorizing notions of the participation of people in poverty in social policymaking: Policing,politics and subjectification

Since the 1990s, a paradigm of participation has gained prominence and become a dominant policy rhetoric in anti-poverty policymaking in Europe, embracing the key idea that people in poverty should participate as equal citizens in political decision-making processes. Based on a historical case study of the production process of a Belgian white paper, the General Report on Poverty (1994), we investigate who participated in the GRP production process, and whether the underlying participatory and democratic mechanisms produced a shift in power and might have led to a more socially just and equal society. We rely on a central set of ideas of the French philosopher Jacques Rancière to theorize different notions of participation, and tease out whether the processing of equality had the capacity to move from policing towards politics through subjectification. Our research study demonstrates how social change and a reconfiguration of the democratic order can appear as a moment of democracy, yet inevitably leads to a new police.     

Pathological demand avoidance: my thoughts on looping effects and commodification of autism

Hacking suggests autism is a human kind, and has used autism to discuss their evolution over time. Looping effects caused the autism human kind to evolve since 1995, with people identifying with the autism human kind, and the commodification of the autism human kind by the autism industry. Pathological demand avoidance (PDA) was created from the looping effects controlled by the autism industry. This has undermined autism self-advocacy by supporting the medical paradigm of the autism human kind. By refusing to engage with PDA, people of the autism human kind limit the commodification of autism; creating greater emancipation.     

What makes a good self-advocacy project? The added value of co-production

Abstract

This article describes how two self-advocates worked with two academics and others to produce a toolkit to help self-advocacy groups run better projects. We begin by explaining why this research needed doing and how we carried out the research. We then talk about what co-produced research means to us and how we think it is different from participatory or inclusive research. We discuss whether the research and this article were co-produced. We finish by looking at why we think co-production added value to this research. Our aim with this article is to help activists and academics work together to achieve two things: good-quality research findings; and big differences to disabled people’s lives.     

Being an inclusive researcher: seeking questions,raising answers

Abstract

In this article, I reflect on three incidents that occurred in my inclusive research work. As a conceptual framework, I use Bourdieu’s call for a reflexive sociology. My reflection is informed by the principles of the disabled people’s movement, especially giving primacy to the experiences and voice of disabled people. It is also informed by the strong link between the disabled people’s movement and disability studies, which requires academics (including non-disabled ones like myself) to be attentive to their activist role. Making sure that this role is carried out effectively, I argue, entails considering the various factors that make our work possible, and being attentive to the impact of our work. It also entails asking questions, of ourselves and others, and being especially attentive to questions that would go unasked unless we stop to reflect about our work, and the possible answers that these reflections can lead to.     

The practical potential of self-advocacy for improving safety outcomes for school-aged workers

Young workers are over-represented in workplace injury statistics and there is growing interest in addressing their vulnerability and safety exposure. Such concerns have been raised within a broader discursive framework of responsibilisation which has seen a transfer of responsibility for workplace safety from employer to worker. This article examines the potential for self-advocacy as a strategy for improving the safety of young workers through the provision of resources to articulate and act on workplace rights. The study utilises data derived from 48 group interviews involving 216 high school students (13–16 years of age) at 19 high schools in Queensland, Australia, who were asked to discuss their knowledge and experience of workplace rights and responsibilities. The limitations of the safety self-advocacy approach are explored, including the social, developmental and organisational issues that might affect the ability or willingness of school-aged workers to self-advocate. The findings reveal that the notion of self-advocacy is internalised by young people before they even enter the formal labour market but that in practice, attempts by young people to enact rights to safety are often dismissed or undermined.