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This article draws on life-stories told by older people with intellectual disabilities for a research study in the Republic of Ireland. Research participants recalled their experiences of confinement, coercion and exclusion that resulted from their being labelled as having intellectual disabilities. Participants also recalled the positive interactions with workers and family members that sustained them during these difficult times. Extracts from these narratives show how past medical and social processes interlinked to classify members of this group as "deficient" or "lacking" in some way. Life-stories collected in this project illustrate the value of a narrative approach to exploring how services might begin to enhance the quality of support currently provided to older people with intellectual disabilities. However, life-story work in a service setting is far from straightforward, and support is needed for staff involved in this process.

WHAT DOES IT mean to be a 'good' manager? It could mean subscribing to and implementing the values of your organisation or service, as you understand them from your organisation's [...]

Dorothy Atkinson, Emeritus Professor of Learning Disability at the Open University and a crucial early pioneer of the history of learning disability, reveals what led her into this field. My [...]