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While there is a wealth of literature about childhood dyslexia, adult dyslexia remains relatively undocumented, particularly from a lived perspective. This paper focuses on the "deficit perspective of failure", as highlighted in current literature, which addresses issues confronting adults with dyslexia. Within this theme of failure a number of subtypes have been identified. This paper contextualises these subtypes around the perceptions of individuals involved in a tertiary course for adults with dyslexia. The paper demonstrates what the author has identified as a "conundrum of failure" that has influenced the perceptions of many adults with dyslexia, including their life choices. Its prevalence in the literature and the lived experiences of the research subjects highlight the need for societal, institutional and attitudinal change.

This paper considers the ways that publicly funded developmental services for adults with developmental disabilities in southern Ontario are limited in how they support clients. This paper is informed by field research conducted in the summer of 2019, which was composed of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a policy review. Informed by parent advocates who are the main caregivers of their adult children labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities, this paper claims that the administrative processes of the Ontario ministry that manages and funds adult disability services relate to broader exclusionary patterns among adults with developmental disabilities. I explore this claim by reviewing how common ableist assumptions of people with developmental disabilities are ingrained in the policies and administrative processes of these services. I contribute to ongoing discussions among Critical Disability Scholars of the ways that disability as a social category can be articulated outside of ableist assumptions. Informed by parent caregiver perspectives, this article outlines how the limitations of provincially funded disability services in Ontario, Canada cause significant challenge in the lives of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One possible explanation for these limitations is that there is a disconnect between how the provincial government classifies who should receive immediate services and how many services, versus the actual need of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The criteria for high supports, such as monthly funding, placement into a living facility, and the provincial assessment for determining a person's 'adaptive functioning' are rooted in problematic assumptions made of people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a study on blindness discourses found in South African non-profit organisations that provide rehabilitation services to visually impaired adults. The paper investigates what the public relations materials of these organisations communicate about blindness. It also considers the ideological assumptions that blindness discourses reinforce and embed in rehabilitation practice. The primary focus is a discourse analytic review conducted on a sample of organisation public facing material. The findings comprise three clusters of assumptions, with concomitant enactments in practice. These are i) third-person alliances around the blind subject and a resulting objectification of service users ii) 'journey discourse' which prohibits the expression of complex disability experiences and iii) polarised blindness fantasies which promote othering and prescribe acceptable ways of being for blind subjects. This paper questions what might be imparted to blind persons at a symbolic level through rehabilitative practices. This article explores the ways that blindness and blind persons are represented on the websites of organisations that provide visual impairment rehabilitation services in South Africa. These representations affect the way that society views visually impaired people, and the way that visually impaired people feel about themselves. Organisation websites describe visually impaired people in ways that make it seem as though they play little active role in the rehabilitation process. The idea that rehabilitation is a journey from dependence and depression to independence and self-acceptance might make it difficult for rehabilitation service users to express ongoing feelings of grief and loss. There is a need for more focus on interdependence in rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation organisations must think carefully about what their public relations materials communicate to society about blindness and blind persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to analyse how humour and narratives about humour are used in a natural group of adults with Asperger's syndrome. Narratives about humour and use of humour in the group are analysed from a discursive psychological perspective, informed by insights from both disability studies and critical autism studies. The setting of the research is ethnographic fieldwork in an educational setting in Sweden. In the paper, I show the use of three storylines among a natural group of people with autism (PWA) when talking about humour: the storyline of humourless PWA that dominates within Swedish society; and two alternatives, a storyline of alternative humour among PWA and another storyline in line with the social model of disability, of neurotypical humour or disabling humour. When invoking these two alternative storylines, PWA challenge both the humourlessness storyline and the lack of social accessibility within mainstream neurotypical settings. (Contains 4 notes.)

This paper asks, in the context of recent legislative changes, what can be done to support more citizens in England and Wales with learning disabilities to vote in national elections? This issue is addressed through (i) a review of recent disability access campaigns that have reported discrimination against, and the under-representation of, adults with disabilities in UK elections; (ii) a review of recent research undertaken in the USA into the assessment of competence to vote and research undertaken in England that conclusively documents the under-representation of voters with learning disabilities in the 2005 general election. It is proposed that a "functional approach" to developing an individual's capacity to vote could help to fulfil Article 29 of the United Nations' "Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities" that gives all people the same political rights.

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) holds the potential to enable people with severe oral communication impairments to participate more fully in society. However, despite the development of increasingly sophisticated communication aids, as well as recent UK policy initiatives aimed at improving access to them, some major obstacles stand in the way of the inclusory potential of AAC being realized to any significant degree. Drawing on findings of a research study that explored the experiences of people who use AAC, this paper looks at the various problems that people encounter in using communication aids. It identifies the lack of consistent, structured support as a key overarching issue. The author goes on to argue that for the potential of AAC to be realized attention needs to be given to the development of coordinated systems of support within the policy domains of education, health and social services. (Contains 1 note.)

This paper reports on a study that explored the online publishing activities of adults with learning difficulties, the strategies that carers and professionals have used to support these activities and the implications these strategies may have for empowerment and self-advocacy. Content analysis of 15 home pages revealed that despite having a certain degree of information and communication technology literacy, many of the authors were being supported in their online publishing activities. For, the majority, their family provided this support. The supportive strategies that were used involved including the home page as part of a bigger family web site and taking sole or joint responsibility for writing the narrative of the home page. These strategies raise interesting questions about the validity of online publishing activities as vehicles for self-advocacy and the power relationships that such activities expose. (Contains 1 table.)

Abstract\nPoints of InterestThis paper examines autistic adults’ narratives and accounts of their experiences. It focuses on exploring how autistic individuals interpret and respond to stigma and negative attitudes surrounding autism. Thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained from interviews and focus groups reveals how autistic persons reconstruct their self-perception and definition of autism in response to stigma and societal attitudes. Further, the analysis reveals the prevalent use of social camouflaging among autistic adults to manage and cope with their stigmatized identities. This research contends that the dual approach that appeared among participants of advocating for autism acceptance while masking and concealing autism, reflects a continuous balancing act between avoiding stigma and its harmful consequences and striving to fit in, gain acceptance, engage in social interaction and relationships. Reframing autism as positive and reporting decreased motivation for camouflaging and increased self-acceptance, demonstrate stigma resistance and the agency and power possessed by autistic people.This article looks into how autistic adults describe their daily and social experiences.Specifically, it examines the impact of stigma on autistic individuals’ understanding of autism as well as explains how autistic people deal with stigmatic views and negative reactions to autism.The data collected for this study is based on interviews and focus groups conducted with autistic adults.The study highlights the use of masking, where autistic individuals hide their autism to avoid stigma and its negative consequences while seeking social acceptance and engaging socially.By exploring how autism intersects with various social identities, the study reveals how autistic individuals navigate societal challenges, highlighting the diverse experiences and perspectives within the autistic community and the complexity of the autism experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies in social media and disability are growing globally, there is paucity in such studies in Nigeria. This study addresses this apparent gap by exploring the experiences and perceptions of Nigerian adults living with physical disability regarding social media, using an interpretive approach. A total of nine adults with physical disability between the ages of 20 and 34, living in urban areas, were interviewed in this study. Findings show that participants experienced diminished social contact and smaller social networks due to their disability. However, participants who used social media experienced increased social contact, developed social relationships, and had larger social networks. Participants also acknowledged social media as a useful platform for disability advocacy and awareness. Results support a call for continued efforts to support adults with physical disability experiencing diminished social contact to use social media to increase their social wellbeing. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. The paper examines the perceptions and experience of social media use among adults with physical disability in Nigeria. Analyses show that adults with physical disability in Nigeria experience some form of diminished social contact and smaller social networks due to their disability. Nigerian adults with physical disability who use social media experience increased social contact, establish and maintain social relationships, and have a larger social networks. Adults with physical disability in Nigeria acknowledge social media as a useful platform for disability awareness and advocacy. This research recommends that Nigerian adults with physical disability experiencing diminished social contact should use social media to increase their social wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the oral health of people with disability and the disadvantage they experience compared to those who do not have a disability. There are many influencing factors for this including service provision and appropriate training for staff. A potential solution is proposed demonstrating that even advanced dental care is possible for people with complex disability. This meets the principal of equitable care for people with disability. The example concerns the provision of a lower anterior bridge for a gentleman with mid to end stage Huntington's disease and significant uncontrolled choreic movements. Intravenous conscious sedation is used to facilitate complex treatment and to demonstrate a clinical skill which can open doors for the treatment of adults with disability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers are required to provide opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to be included in research which affects their lives. This paper reports on one research study inclusive of 12 adults with intellectual disabilities. Ethical and methodological realities of recruiting research participants and obtaining informed consent while enlisting a classic grounded theory methodology are discussed. The findings of this paper focus on building and maintaining trusting relationships with relevant gatekeepers and engaging in reasonable accommodations to support decision-making for and with adults with intellectual disabilities. This paper contributes to an understanding of how to apply for ethical approval, negotiate access to potential participants, enlist reasonable accommodations and obtain informed consent in the context of the methodological strictures of classic grounded theory methodology. Research projects need to be carefully planned making space for the development of empathic relationships with both the potential participants and also with the structures and services supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on an empirical survey conducted in 1995 in Hungary. Data came from a stratified random sample of about 1300 adults with learning difficulties from all over the country. The author combines qualitative and quantitative methods in analysing the quality of life of people with learning difficulties and takes into consideration that their quality of life is as much determined by sociological factors as by the biologically and educationally understood level of difficulties. The paper shows that success in education and in the labour market does not equate to successful social integration. The quality of life of adults with learning difficulties is sometimes better in social circumstances which are less favourable for high achievement in education and in the labour market. Though the people from more privileged backgrounds may seem to lead a more active and social everyday life than those with working class origins they are still considerably less integrated in their social environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broad and inter-disciplinary inquiry into disability is at a nascent stage in Sri Lanka. This paper looks at the intersectionality of disability and gender in the specific contexts of ‘the rural’ and the armed conflict-affected areas of the country, particularly the interaction with the law. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted among rural women with disabilities in the North Central and Eastern provinces, including women who acquired disabilities resulting from the internal conflict. Legal literacy, administrative discretion in disability-related welfare programmes, and transitional justice and reconciliation emerged as the most prominent themes in the interviews. We analyse these issues using a rights framework in an attempt to highlight some of the vulnerabilities of women with disability in the rural and war-affected contexts. The paper also reflects on a few instances where those vulnerabilities have been overcome through collective action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on an exploratory study of the role of solicitors acting for parents with intellectual disabilities (ID) in public law proceedings. The paper draws on in-depth interviews with 11 solicitors and a subsequent focus group in which the interview findings were presented and reflected on by six of the eleven participants. Two of the five themes that emerged will be discussed here. They are entitled ‘Attitudes and Influence’ and ‘Legal Processes’ and concern the attitudes and influence of those involved in assessing, supporting and representing parents with ID and the care proceedings processes encountered by parents with ID. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Activists and academics advocate the involvement of disabled people in the education and training of health professionals and it has also been argued that the professions would benefit from including disabled healthcare professionals within their ranks. With increased numbers of disabled people entering all areas of higher education, it is likely that the numbers of disabled healthcare professionals will grow. This paper describes a small-scale study of the experiences of disabled occupational therapists who were asked to recount their journeys and to provide first-hand accounts of the reality of being a disabled health professional. The findings suggest that there is further work to be done before the profession benefits fully from the inclusion of disabled therapists, and the paper concludes by giving possible explanations and making recommendations to help facilitate this inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most intellectually disabled adults in Ireland continue to live with their parents. For those who want and/or are forced to move out of the parental home, the default option is to avail of the various kinds of accommodation offered by the Irish disability services. This paper critically investigates the range of housing options available to intellectually disabled adults living in Ireland – some more nominal than others – and the governmental role in facilitating members of this population to live in accommodation of their choosing. The relevant issues are given voice by a mother of an adult with Down syndrome. In her search for appropriate accommodation for her daughter, she provides important experiential knowledge regarding both the shortcomings of current Irish policy and the hidden discrimination to which intellectually disabled people are subjected on a daily basis by banks and private landlords alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies barriers and support affecting access, experience and performance as identified by students with disabilities at the University of Seville. Biographical-narrative research methodology is employed and the study is limited to an analysis of the design and development of subjects across the curriculum. Findings, which give voice to the students themselves, are organized in four topic areas: subject structure, methodology, tutorials, and assessment. The paper concludes with a review and discussion of key findings as well as suggestions for improvement and policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper places Scottish adult support and protection (ASP) policy in the context of debates about the nature of ‘vulnerability’ and its usefulness as a defining concept in law and social policy. It examines the construction of ‘adults at risk’ in ASP policy, using a comparison with the construction of children in Scottish child protection policy, on the one hand, and women in Scottish domestic abuse policy, on the other, to illuminate the nature of the vulnerability that ASP considers itself to be addressing. It then problematises this construction, drawing both on the social model of disability and on an ethic of care. It concludes that current ASP policy remains underpinned by unhelpful assumptions about disabled people, older people and people with mental or physical health problems. A more inclusive understanding of vulnerability would be more empowering to these people and others, in policies concerned with mistreatment and abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Produced and published by the coalition government, the publication of the 2014 Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years (2014 SENCoP) sets out to overhaul the management of special educational needs (SEN) provision across England and Wales. This paper employs a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the 2014 SENCoP to reveal the ideologies and aims that this policy is built upon. Following a Foucauldian framework of governmentality, this article focuses upon the way in which 'a successful transition to adulthood' is constructed within the policy, particularly in relation to the wider Conservative narrative of a 'Big Society.' Developing this analysis, the article draws upon the current political landscape of a Conservative government and the shift towards the creation of a 'shared society' in attempt to locate 'adulthood' within its wider political, economic, and cultural context. This analysis reveals the neoliberal values underpinning the 2014 SENCoP, whereby educational support is reduced to the practice of shaping and sculpting the future generation of citizens. By deconstructing notions of employment, independence, participation, and health, this article reveals the 2014 SENCoP as a tool of government, written to the demands of the economy rather than the unique needs, aspirations, and ambitions of children and young people labelled with SEN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the community care reforms raised the profile of respire services for adults with learning disabilities, little is known about the character of respite provision in Britain. This lack of information is compounded by the way the literature about respite is dispersed across user groups and is often restricted to particular types of services or to specific localities. In order to highlight some of the key issues associated with respite, this paper draws on a wide range of literature. Regardless of differences in terms of the service user groups, common themes are identified which are relevant to service planning and provision for adults with learning disabilities. The paper discusses these themes and argues that a break with the traditional notion of respite as primarily a way to relieve carer burden is long overdue. Adopting the perspective of the primary service users affords the opportunity to re-think respite services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the role parent play in providing knowledge of learning disability to their adult offspring with learning disabilities. Data were derived from an in-depth qualitative study of the nature of parent-adult-offspring co-residence. The findings reveal that while parents recognised and had to deal with the stigma learning disability exerted in their own lives, they had taken steps to prevent their adult offspring from having to deal with similar difficulties. It is argued that it remains the case that learning disability is treated as a stigmatised identity and as such is rendered invisible through the strategic control of information. However, findings point towards the conclusion that there has been a cultural reversal in how this process is managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the transition pathways to adult status of 35 young adults with Down's syndrome over a six-year period (1987-93). Despite educational, social and employment legislation aimed at ensuring greater integration into the community, qualitative and quantitative analyses of 'quality of life' outcomes in this group produced a disappointing picture of a narrow range of leisure opportunities, negligible placement in employment, and continuing dependency on parental caregivers in adulthood. Two case studies illustrate how, in the absence of any improvement in opportunities for real integration into the community and in provision of resources to support meeting the special needs of those with learning difficulties, a marginalised group may be being created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, western governments influenced by neoliberalism have emphasized paid work as a key route to social inclusion and community participation for people with psychiatric disabilities. Although paid work can offer many rewards, access to mainstream employment for people with psychiatric disabilities is difficult as they continue to encounter discrimination and a lack of workplace accommodation. One response to these challenges has been the creation of social enterprises as ‘alternative spaces’ of employment for people with psychiatric disabilities. On the basis of interviews with key informants from 21 different social enterprises across Ontario, Canada, this paper critically analyzes the strategies used by organizations to create jobs that are both accommodating for people, but also conducive to the ongoing success of the business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The qualitative study presented in this paper explored the perspectives of service-users, family members and staff about the impact of travel issues on the lives of mental health in-patients and carers. This topic was chosen because it was prioritised by members of Xplore, a service-user and carer research group, and has received little research attention. Travel problems were a significant issue for many service-users and carers, bound-up with mental health issues and the recovery experience. Travel facilitation through the funding of taxis and the provision of guides was appreciated. A few service-users and carers positively valued distancing from their previous home environment. The meaning of travel issues could only be understood in the context of individuals’ wider lives and relationships. The significance of the findings is discussed in relation to the social model of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout history different practices have attempted to silence the experiences of disabled people. In this paper we explore some of these practices including the medical, familial, and self-subjugating practices English-speaking Canadian polio survivors experienced throughout their lives. We analyze participant’s experiences of silence and silencing through a Foucauldian lens, drawing on the three modes of objectification to explain the institutional and cultural discourses around polio subjects that acted upon and through the polio body to silence it. Participants’ oral history accounts demonstrate how sociocultural and medical practices effectively silenced survivors from speaking about their polio experiences. However, the trope of silence is also uprooted within oral history traditions. We will demonstrate how participants broke their silence and shifted their perspectives on polio and disability, and how this process contributed to their resistance of hegemonic conceptualizations of disability as defective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception, the Web has been described as a liberating technology permitting individuals with disabilities to surmount barriers that otherwise prevent full societal engagement. Subsequent studies of Web-based communication have instead reported that disabling conditions are reproduced rather than challenged online. This paper uses interviews with 25 para-sport participants to provide an empirical account of how the affordances of the Web are leveraged in disability sport networks. Our findings suggest that individuals with disabilities are using blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of online communication to find information, engage in advocacy and outreach projects, and form strong networks that extend online and offline. We discuss our findings in light of Putnam’s conceptualization of bridging and bonding social capital, and describe how individuals and groups use weak ties to disseminate information and strong ties to foster a sense of belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Voice has become an important yet ambivalent tool for the recognition of disability. The transformative potential of voice is dependent on a political commitment to listening to disabled people. To focus on listening redirects accountability for social change from disabled people to the ableist norms, institutions and practices that structure which voices can be heard in policy debates. In this paper, I use disability theory on voice and political theory on listening to examine policy documents for the National Disability Insurance Scheme in light of claims made by the disability movement. Although my study finds some evidence of openness in the policy development stage, the scheme falls short of valuing the diverse voices of disabled people as partners in shared dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a case study from Ghana to argue that rights-based legal instruments are important but insufficient steps towards securing disability rights in non-western societies. Despite Ghana’s implementation of a Disability Act and ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a grassroots perspective shows that legislation and the model of legal empowerment will not automatically produce equal access to human rights. The paper will present this argument through a case study of an individual who became disabled in 2008 and struggled for four years to secure his rights to healthcare and employment. I also argue that the case has a wider significance for disability rights in Ghana and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Women with an intellectual disability are under-represented in domestic violence research, yet they are one of the most vulnerable groups who are at risk of violence and abuse. This article aims to contribute to the domestic violence field by reporting on a narrative dialogic performative study, which utilised a feminist poststructural perspective to explore significant relationships and the concept of belonging in the lives of women with a mild intellectual disability. Four in-depth narrative interviews were conducted. The study found that the women shared similar stories of devaluation and rejection in childhood and hence the women’s search for belonging contributed to their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse in domestic violence relationships. The paper argues that gendered discourses and constructions of intellectual disability regulate domestic violence as a personal problem or way of life for women with intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from a 12-month Australian study exploring beliefs and experiences of disclosure and course success in post-compulsory education for 20 students with mental illness. Enrolled students with disclosed or non-disclosed mental illness, teaching and support staff, and institutional practices across four sites providing vocational education and training were the three cases selected for this collective case study. Students participated in two semi-structured interviews over the course of one academic year. Disclosure was not preferred by students, most fearing that it would negatively impact upon their capacity to obtain employment in the occupation for which they were training. Further research exploring the processes, timing and outcomes of disclosure, in a wide range of post-secondary settings and with larger numbers of students, would allow for a deeper exploration of issues raised by this small study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The medical profession ascribes otherness to people with disabilities through diagnosis and expertism, which sets in motion discursive powers that oversee their exclusion through schooling and beyond. In this paper, I present a narrative pieced together from personal experiences of ducking and weaving the deficit discourse in ‘inclusive’ education, when seeking employment and in day-to-day family interaction as a person with severely impaired vision. This work builds on previous qualitative research I conducted in Queensland, Australia with a group of young people with impaired vision who attended an inclusive secondary school. I frame this discussion using Foucault’s conception of normalising judgement against the hegemony of normalcy, and consider that inclusion for people with disabilities is reminiscent of a haunting. Through this analysis, I demonstrate how my ideology is formed, and how it in turn shapes a research agenda geared toward seeking greater inclusion for young people with disabilities in schools. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores disabled persons’ narrated experiences from job interviews. Based on interviews with employed disabled persons in the United States and Norway, the analysis investigates how the informants understand and deal with employers’ interpretations of disability. Three kinds of stories are identified: discrimination, uncertainty and recognition. In the first two stories, informants portrayed employers who used a non-inclusive discourse of disability. In the story of recognition, informants perceived employers to be primarily interested in their competence, and disability was dealt with in an inclusive manner. The comparison between American and Norwegian accounts reveals striking similarities in disabled persons’ narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper I explore how disabled embodiment offers radical theory and practice for gender politics. I use Adrienne Rich’s classic treaties ‘lesbian existence [and] the lesbian continuum’ and Judith Butler’s twenty-first-century queer interrogation of ‘the category of The Human’ to highlight the exclusion of disablement from gender politics despite its radical potential for theory and praxis. Using a crip ethos I not only explore the consequences of this exclusion for disabled people, but also the resultant limitations of able-bodied perception, theory and practice. A crip ethos facilitates politics and practices where disabled embodiment becomes a profound, severe, and radical challenge to normativity in all its aspects, and a vehicle through which to move beyond such restrictive frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the dynamics of support observed in the networks of nine adults with intellectual disability, developed by families who had committed to achieving a ‘good life’ for this person. Network members, including the person with a disability, participated in this longitudinal ethnographic study. Three principles that underpinned their work were positive and respectful relationships, mentorship and providing opportunities and expectations. Participants worked actively with other network members to develop higher levels of autonomy and social participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there is a wealth of literature about childhood dyslexia, adult dyslexia remains relatively undocumented, particularly from a lived perspective. This paper focuses on the 'deficit perspective of failure', as highlighted in current literature, which addresses issues confronting adults with dyslexia. Within this theme of failure a number of subtypes have been identified. This paper contextualises these subtypes around the perceptions of individuals involved in a tertiary course for adults with dyslexia. The paper demonstrates what the author has identified as a 'conundrum of failure' that has influenced the perceptions of many adults with dyslexia, including their life choices. Its prevalence in the literature and the lived experiences of the research subjects highlight the need for societal, institutional and attitudinal change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the new phenomenon of the survival into old age of the increasing numbers of people with learning difficulties. This raises both theoretical and practical policy issues. In the UK health and social services for older people and for people with learning difficulties have followed quite different paths. One has been based on a limited, age discriminatory view of `normal' ageing; the other has focused on a potentially liberating concept of normalisation. This distinction is being challenged by the advent of older people with learning difficulties, which is raising questions such as, what is the meaning of normalisation in older age? We focus on this key question, illustrating the different principles behind service provision for these two groups and argue that the concept of normalisation is flawed when applied to older people. The alternative of social integration is proposed as the basis for organising health and social services for both older people and those with learning difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of self-advocacy on families of people with learning difficulties has rarely been instigated. A participatory research project is currently studying this question. This paper argues that adulthood is central. The meanings attached to self-advocacy by people with learning difficulties are examined to support this, and the family context explored to discover the likely experiences and influences which will condition the reception for self-advocacy. The early findings of the research-from discussions with self-advocacy groups-are presented. We should expect self-advocacy to impact on families and for this impact to exhibit itself in a variety of ways, but because of the experiences and conditioning of families, and of people with learning difficulties, the impact will be complicated. It is this real experience of self-advocacy and families which the research is investigating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research by the present authors has suggested that the management of hazards is a central issue for adults with learning difficulties (adults) and informal carers. This paper focuses on adult sexual relationships as a perceived hazard. informal carers viewed such relationships as unacceptably dangerous. Those from danger avoiding' families, who had low risk tolerance, prohibited situations which might lead to a sexual relationship, e.g. privacy with a boy or girlfriend, informal carers from. `limited risk taking' families gave adults more scope, e.g. to move freely round the locality, and were anxious that the adult, unsupervised, might become involved in a sexual relationship which he or she could not manage. Adult views about their own sexual relationships are analysed in these social contexts, and the implications for professional practice aimed at enhancing adult autonomy are briefly considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last 30 years has seen significant developments in the Australian housing sector for people with disabilities. Despite much change in the sector, and advancements in disability services, the range of current supported housing options for younger Australian adults with a neurological disability remains vastly under-developed. This is despite a widely accepted and endorsed recognition that, as is the general population, people with all forms of disability have a right to housing of their choice. This paper presents a timely critique of the key actions made by the Australian disability and housing sectors and subsequently proposes a more informed approach to supported housing design and development: one that is based on a comprehensive understanding of consumer housing priorities and preferences, and is conducive to a person’s biopsychosocial health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how a lack of access to increasingly complex and overlapping digital communications platforms in times of disaster for people with disabilities has the potential to make already life-threatening situations considerably more dangerous. As we are increasingly coming to rely on a social media mash-up of digital platforms to assist in communications during disaster situations, the issue of accessibility for people with disabilities is as dire as if it was high ground during a tsunami or transport during a typhoon. The contemporary social media environment is characterised by a complex and overlapping network of complementary platforms, populated by user-generated content, where people communicate and exchange ideas. In this environment, YouTube videos are posted to Facebook and embedded in blogs, and Twitter is used to link to these other sites and is itself embedded in other platforms. These networks are increasingly supplementing and supplanting more traditional communication platforms, such as the television and radio, particularly in times of disaster. The concern of this paper is that the elements from which this mash-up of communications channels is made are not always accessible to people with disabilities. This evolving network of social media-based communication exposes the limits of existing Internet-based universal design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore what we consider to be the shared concerns of those neurodivergent and/or mad-identified scholars and activists who are seeking to make space for themselves within the academy. In doing so, we consider what critical questions and action people involved in these could address together in ways that move beyond identity-based politics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inheritance is a significant means of transferring wealth from one generation to the next, and therefore increasingly attracts attention from researchers and policy-makers working on intergenerational and multidimensional poverty. However, until now disabled persons have been overlooked in these discussions. This oversight is particularly unfortunate because, as a group, the estimated one billion people with disabilities (some 15% of the world’s population) are among the poorest and most marginalized of the global population. Over the past decade, a small but growing literature has examined the recursive connections between poverty and disability throughout the developing world. In this paper, we argue that disabled individuals are routinely denied inheritance rights in many low-income and middle-income countries, and that this is a significant and largely unrecognized contributor to their indigence. The denial of inheritance is both a social justice issue and a practice that can no longer be overlooked if disabled persons are to be brought into the development mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While internet use continues to increase amongst the general population, in comparison, adults with intellectual disabilities are still less likely to access the Internet and benefit from the opportunities it can offer. Non-intellectual disability perspectives and assumptions, which often view the Internet as a risk for those with intellectual disabilities, are considered over the everyday lived online and well-being experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities. In response, this study interviewed 8 participants with intellectual disabilities using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Seven constituents emerged: internet as a mirror; internet enables visibility and invisibility; internet as liberating; internet meets unmet needs; internet creates an active decision maker and expert; internet as friend and foe; and, the body connects to, and disconnects from, the Internet. The findings gave rise to new perspectives, recommendations, and adds to the existing literature on how to support adults with intellectual disabilities' enjoyable, safe and independent internet use. Participants with intellectual disabilities described feeling unsafe and restricted in their offline lives, but online they often felt safer and that they could do anything. Participants did not view their intellectual disability positively. Online they could keep their disabilities hidden from others, creating a variety of identities (creative, strong, protective and helpful) that they felt represented them more accurately. When the internet was described as a positive resource in life, this was linked to a sense of well-being with an identity emphasis. Additionally, findings point to examples of well-being in spatial, embodied, mood, sense of belonging with others and temporal ways. This study highlights how danger was negotiated by people with intellectual disabilities in similar ways to dangers in everyday life and how these skills are transferable to offline and online worlds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Families with children with disabilities are at higher risk of stress, financial disadvantage and breakdown. In recent decades, research and policy have shifted focus from these problems to a strengths-based approach, using concepts such as family resilience. By definition, resilience is the ability to cope in adverse circumstances, suggesting a reliance on the individual. If this is the case, then to what extent does ‘family resilience’ place another burden of responsibility onto families? Whose responsibility is family resilience? This paper begins to answer this question using interviews with parents of children with developmental disabilities based in New South Wales, Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research on cystic fibrosis (CF) tends to view CF as a long-term medical condition of childhood, thus reinforcing the mistaken view that few children with CF survive into adulthood. Despite the fact that people with CF are increasingly living into older age there has been little research into the employment of adults with CF. Those studies which have been undertaken portray CF as a 'serious illness' which causes employment problems. In contrast, this paper discusses findings from a study which explored the employment experiences of adults with CF from a social model perspective. The findings reveal barriers to employment which are similar to those experienced by other disabled people, as well as barriers related to the 'impairment effects' of CF. The authors conclude that adults with CF have valuable perspectives to contribute to social model analysis and the development of employment-related policy solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is acknowledged to be difficult for all young people, but the problems facing those with a learning disability will tend to be greater. This article identifies these additional difficulties, and considers the extent to which new policy requirements and expectations in England can address them. At the heart of this new approach is the need for partnership working between a complex range of agencies and professionals. What is at stake is not only a better system of support for some vulnerable young people, but also-in microcosm-the viability of partnership working as a policy tool for addressing complex issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an increasing focus on developing a human rights approach to ensure that disabled people have equitable access to their rights. A number of policies have been developed, which are intended to meet the needs of disabled people and to provide frameworks within which services should be rendered. This article explores the narratives of disabled adults living in a rural South African community, with a specific focus on the ways in which rights-based discourses are internalized and used in the construction of identity. A total of 103 references to rights emerged within 22 of the interviews. Eight of the interviews did not include rights-based discourses, yet this was juxtaposed by observations of extreme violations of human rights. Suggestions are made for adopting an ethic of care approach to policy implementation and evaluation, with the need for context specific adaptations to be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this article is how special needs technology in the United Kingdom was developed and used for and by adults with learning disabilities between 1970 and 1999. Fifty-two experienced practitioners were interviewed about their memories of the period. Analysis of their experiences reveals a number of digital inequalities, how the practitioners working to support the technology use of adults with learning disabilities experienced these inequalities as a vacuum of support and what attempt they made to redress the balance. These finding suggest that new technologies currently being developed are unlikely to reduce digital inequalities for adults with learning disabilities without significant shifts in our understanding about what contributes to such inequalities and the role that practitioners can play in resisting such inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite UK government policy emphasising the rights and choices of people with learning disabilities, opportunities to choose fulfilling leisure activities remain severely constrained. Following a brief literature review we present a co-inquiry study developing a deeper understanding of the persistent space between actual and desired use of leisure time. We explore the potential of the capability approach to aid understanding of learning disabled people's constrained choices of leisure activities, and constrained roles as researchers, as matters of human rights and social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the limits of national discussions on gender equality in Rwanda from the perspectives of disabled young women. Based on 16 in-depth interviews and three focus group interviews with disabled Rwandan young women, this article points out that the barriers to gender equality are interpersonal and institutional. The empirical analysis reveals that gender biases at Rwanda's largest inclusive secondary school are reinforced by wider cultural and religious norms, which endorse the subordination of disabled girls and young women in school. The study suggests that the equality rhetoric/reality gap will remain in Rwandan schools and society if the wider cultural and religious institutions are not examined and transformed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]