Suchergebnisse

This paper reflects on the experience of being a woman with Down Syndrome who completed an undergraduate degree at an Australian university. This autoethnography is based on a year-long research project completed as part of my studies. I did a literature review about the experiences of other students with an intellectual disability at university. Then, I wrote about my own university experience. I found that the parts of my own educational journey were linked to each other like stepping-stones. Four main things came from my research: the importance of the journey before going to university; the isolation experienced by students in this situation; how stereotypes might affect students; and teaching methods that can be used to support students during their time at university. This experience changed me as a person. I gained skills and confidence whilst being at university, as well as the ability to see where I am going in life. This experience made me feel more part of society. While there were many wonderful parts, it was not an easy journey. People with an intellectual disability have a right to have an education. What makes the biggest difference is the way we are treated by other people. It would be good for students with an intellectual disability to be accepted and treated with respect. People may have a different way of learning, and it would be good if this was recognised.

PurposeA schema for more clearly understanding the emotional and psychological abuse and neglect of people with intellectual disability was developed to support a narrative study with people with intellectual disability, families and other supporters about the lived experience of this maltreatment in disability accommodation services in Australia. This paper aims to describe the underpinning review of emotional and psychological abuse and neglect and the evolving new framework.Design/methodology/approachA review of existing understandings of this form of abuse in research and policy was conducted, and a framework developed and tested for "trustworthiness" with participants in the research.FindingsA framework of emotional and psychological abuse and neglect is presented. It centres on the misuse of power and control, details behaviours and interactions which can occur when it is inflicted, and is tested against the experiences of people who have experienced this sort of abuse and neglect.Research limitations/implicationsThis is an evolving framework, applied through one study only. Further application and research is needed to test the robustness of the framework.Originality/valueA more complex construction of emotional and psychological abuse and neglect may inform the development of service policy and support education for people with disability, families, and workers.

Participatory evaluation gives primacy to the experience of people affected by the policy. How realistic is it for researchers to persuade government of its benefits, given the gap between participatory policy theory and government evaluation practice? We apply this question to the Resident Support Program evaluation. The program coordinates support for people living in boarding houses and hostels in Queensland, Australia. We found that a participatory, longitudinal, formative evaluation process facilitated service user contribution to research outcomes, service experiences and policy implementation. In addition, the values position of participatory research can contribute to managing interest conflict in policy implementation.

Background: The paper draws on empirical evidence from a project investigating service responses to disabled women and children experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV). Service provision in these sectors is often rationed due to resource constraints, and increasingly marketised, and disabled people often do not have their needs met. Their opportunities for participation in policy and practice are also constrained.
Aims and objectives: Our aim is to bring critical studies of intersectionality into dialogue with 'evidence-making' scholarship on policy implementation, to allow for new analyses of the inclusion of lived experience expertise in policy.
We ask: What are the potential drivers for new forms of practice and evidence making in policy and service settings?
Methods: The multi-method study comprised literature and policy review and qualitative research about the experience and implementation of an early intervention violence prevention support programme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with mothers (n=27) and children (n=7), and service providers (n=28).
Findings: Many mothers did not identify as disabled, although they discussed the effects of impairment. However, children were all diagnosed, and diagnosis was a means of accessing funding and services. The service was focused on brokering responses to family needs, and formal participation mechanisms for clients were not prioritised.
Discussion and conclusion: Resource constraints and workforce capacity are ongoing concerns in the disability and violence prevention sectors. Relationships that facilitate trust, agency and choice remain key. Insights from critical policy scholarship suggest opportunities to recognise existing relationships as participation, with implications for policy and practice.

This report examines how housing and support services can provide sustainable housing tenancies for people with mental illness or psychiatric disability so as to support their recovery. The recovery approach to mental illness emphasises a person seeking a valued sense of identity and purpose outside the parameters of mental illness and living a positive life despite any limitations resulting from the illness. The project is situated within the Queensland policy context, with four participating government agencies: Queensland Housing, Queensland Health, Disability Services Queensland and the Office of the Public Advocate. It has three major components: a review of Australian and international literature; consumer and stakeholder consultations in Queensland; and evidence relating to cost-effectiveness and cost savings made as a result of providing sustainable housing for people with mental illness or psychiatric disability.