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This paper is about parental associations and their impact on educational developments regarding the education of disabled children in Cyprus. It mainly comments upon parents' conceptualisations of disabled children's rights which guided their responses to education politics. The historical and interpretative nature of this paper is achieved by building arguments through interpreting qualitative data covering the period 1970-2007. Four periods associated with important developments were identified to facilitate understanding of parental involvement in politics: early forms of parental mobilization, parents' groups acting as 'non-pressure' groups, parental power through networking and resolving issues of identity and power between parents' pressure groups. The paper ends with a critical discussion of parental involvement in education politics in relation to the nature of parents' associations which constitute this evolving pressure group.

AbstractThe United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) is the framework for national policies and practices that respect the rights of people with disabilities. UN and European human rights entities produce reports that could be used by advocacy groups, such as organizations for people with disabilities, to hold governments accountable for their commitment to international law. This paper focuses on the extent to which policies and practices concerning the education and independent living of people with intellectual disability in Cyprus allow for the full enjoyment of rights under Articles 19 and 24 of the UNCRPD. Data were gathered through a systematic web search for documents of local, international, and European bodies, covering the period April 2007 to July 2014. Documents reviewed included annual reports, country reports, legislative documents, conference papers, and newspaper articles. Findings show that the Republic of Cyprus has not taken significant measures to implement Articles 19 and 24 of the UNCRPD. Existing policies and practices greatly restrict people with intellectual disability from exercising their human rights and fail to promote social and educational inclusion. The study raises questions about the essential nature of policies and practices for people with intellectual disability that may inform the debate in other national contexts.

This paper reflects critically upon part of the findings of research about key activists' experience of disability politics in Cyprus from 1966 to 2004. Disabled activists' experience of politics is conceptualized through a critical analysis of the different stages they went through while struggling to develop the disability movement in the given social, cultural, political and historical context. Having located this research in the theoretical sphere of feminism and postmodernism I have developed a model to illustrate the strength of feminism and postmodernism in understanding disability, the contribution of feminism in explaining disability politics and the limitations of postmodernism in guiding powerful disability politics. Finally, I use this model to reflect critically on the need for theory to guide disability activism.

This paper explores Greek-Cypriot parents' role in influencing developments regarding the education of disabled children in Cyprus. It mainly comments upon parents' conceptualisations of disabled children's rights which guided their responses to educational, social and political issues related to disability. The historical and interpretative nature of this paper is achieved by building arguments through interpreting qualitative data covering the period 1970-2007. Four periods associated with important developments were identified to facilitate understanding of parental involvement in politics: (i) early forms of parental mobilisation; (ii) parent groups acting as 'non-pressure' groups; (iii) parental power through networking; and (iv) resolving issues of identity and power between parent pressure groups. The paper ends with a critical discussion of parental involvement in education politics in relation to the nature of parent associations which constitute this evolving pressure group. ; peer-reviewed

Purpose, Process and Future Direction of Disability Research brings together the collective experience of an international network of early career researchers who set out to discuss the complexity of researching disability. As newcomers to the research process, the researchers detail their apprehensions about embarking on doctoral research, together with the struggles they experienced along the way, and importantly the motivation that drove them to complete their projects.

Intro -- Purpose, Process and Future Direction of Disability Research -- TABLE OF CONTENTS -- ILLUSTRATIONS -- FIGURES -- TABLE -- LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS -- FOREWORD -- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- REFERENCES -- 2. A LIBERATING RESEARCH AGENDA: ON HEARING VOICES AND DEVELOPING A WAY OF SEEING: In loving memory of my beautiful son Aaron February 21, 1988 - March 17, 2013 -- INTRODUCTION -- THE PERSONAL - POLITICAL ZOOM -- WHY RESEARCH DISABILITY EQUALITY AND CITIZENSHIP CURRICULUM? -- Supervision Process -- Ideological Warfare -- Research Questions -- IDEOLOGY AND DENKMUSTER: FROM THE PAST INTO THE FUTURE -- SOCIAL MODEL THINKING -- MASH-UP METHODOLOGY: ON HEARING VOICES AND CREATING A NEW SONG -- INSIGHTS ABOUT MY RESEARCH GAINED AS A RESULT OF WRITING THIS CHAPTER -- A FINAL WORD -- REFERENCES -- 3. RESEARCHING DISABILITY DISCOURSES, USER CONSTRUCTS AND PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVES IN CARE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES -- INTRODUCTION -- MY RESEARCH PROJECT -- FORMATIVE INFLUENCES ON CHOICE OF RESEARCH PROJECT -- Ideological Standpoint -- Personal History and Social Model Awareness -- Foucauldian Influences on the Theoretical Framework -- REASONS FOR CHOOSING A PARTICULAR RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND METHODS -- Attitudes Towards the Research Project -- RESEARCH PROBLEMS AND DILEMMAS -- Finding a Sample -- Presenting the Researcher/Research -- Ethical Dilemmas Related to Partial Disclosure of Research Aims and Purposes -- Counter-strategies of Nondisclosure Amongst Research Participants -- POWER RELATIONSHIPS -- Vulnerability and Anxieties in the Research Setting -- Gender Issues -- Partial Resolution of and Unresolved Tensions in Researcher/Researched Relationships -- APPROPRIATENESS OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY -- DATA ANALYSIS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RESEARCH ACCOUNT -- PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES AND RESEARCH FINDINGS -- USEFULNESS OF RESEARCH -- CONCLUSION.