Participation in and by Communities: What Can We Learn from Community Development? (original) (raw)
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Outside Looking In? Studies of the Community Integration of People with Learning Disabilities
Disability & Society, 1998
The paper reviews research exploring the degree of community integration of people with learning disabilities. In the majority of studies reviewed 'integration' is measured in terms of the activities undertaken within the community and/or the character of personal and social relationships. Although in much of the work the focus on these indicators of outcome is informed by the value assumptions embodied in the principle of normalisation, the paper begins by drawing attention to the potentially contested nature of these assumptions. This is followed by a description and a critique of studies of community integration. The picture which emerges is of the apparently continued gap between being physically within and socially a part of the community. The paper highlights some of the issues this raises for service provision and draws attention to issues of research practice.
Community Participation in People with Disabilities
Occupational Therapy - Occupation Focused Holistic Practice in Rehabilitation, 2017
Despite the fact that participation is an important building and a valuable target, the conceptualization, identification and measurement methods vary widely. This chapter tried to gain an insider's perspective from the obstacles that summarize what meaning participation means, how to characterize it, and what prevents and supports participation. Participation is seen as a right and a responsibility attributed to and attributed to both the person and the community. Participation does not take place in a vacuum; the environment dynamically influences participation. The effects of this conceptual framework are discussed for change at the level of evaluation, research and systems to support the participation of the people with disability.
Jean-Pierre Wilken, PhD, is a Professor at Community support and participation among persons with disabilities. a study in three european countries This article describes a European project which was aimed at improving the situation of persons with psychiatric or learning disabilities with regard to social participation and citizenship. The project took place in three countries (Estonia, Hungary and the Netherlands) and four cities Journal of Social Intervention: Theory and Practice -2014 -Volume 23, Issue 3 45 Jean-PIerre WILken eT aL. (Tallinn, Budapest, Amersfoort and Maastricht). The project included research and actions at the policy level, the organizational level and the practice level. At the policy level, the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2006) and the European Disability Strategy (European Commission, 2010) were used to look at national and local policies, at the reality of the lives of those with disabilities and at the support that professional services offer with regard to participation and inclusion. The project generated a number of insights, recommendations and methods by which to improve the quality of services and increase the number of opportunities for community engagement. In this article, we present some of the lessons learned from the meta-analysis. Although the circumstances in each country are quite different with regard to policy, culture and service systems, it is remarkable that people with disabilities face many of the same problems.
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2013
As more individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities are physically included in community life, in schools, neighborhoods, jobs, recreation, and congregations, the challenge of going beyond physical inclusion to true social inclusion becomes more apparent. This article summarizes the status of the research about community participation and social inclusion, summarizes some debates and points of contention, notes emerging research issues, and highlights needed areas of research. It is clear that most research on these topics has been conducted with individuals who are in paid formal services, and there are great needs for understanding the community participation of individuals who live on their own or with their families, as well as researching social inclusion by focusing on the attitudes and experiences of community members themselves, not just individuals with disabilities and paid providers.
Social Supports in Inclusive Settings: An Essential Component to Community Living
Developmental Disabilities Bulletin, 2006
Inclusion has increased the participation rates of individuals with disabilities in school, employment and recreation activities. Proper supports are needed in these environments to encourage adequate selfesteem and successful social interactions. Without positive social interactions, individuals may experience loneliness and isolation that could negatively affect emotional and physical health. This project provides insight into the inclusive experiences of persons with developmental disabilities through in-depth interviews. The data showed that social supports (i.e., family, peers, and church) are an essential component of successful community living. A rural advantage was evident, in that the community as a whole acted as an informal support system.
This report is an account of the work undertaken during a three year research project sponsored by the Big Lottery through a grant to Triangle Housing Association. It is primarily written for service providers and commissioners with the aim of helping them to create more socially inclusive services for people with a learning disability. We hope that front-line support staff will also find the report helpful as they review their work priorities. More technical details about the research methods used and the analyses made of the information gathered are contained in various research papers that are published or which are available from the authors. Although each chapter is self-contained and can be read separately from one another, their ordering in the Report reflects the way the work of the project unfolded. Early chapters provide background information about the nature of supported accommodation in Northern Ireland; the extent of the social exclusion experienced by people living in various accommodation options and the reasons given for this. Chapter 5 is the heart of the Project’s work. This summarises the variations found on four measures of social inclusion across three time points and with people living in four different forms of supported accommodation. Chapters 6 to 9 explore four ways that were used to promote the social inclusion of people with a learning disability. The final chapter summarises the main conclusions and recommendations to emerge from the study.
Reflections & Practices of Social Inclusion in the field of disability
Scholars’ Press, 2017
In this book, a succinct description of the main models and approaches to disability is provided. A theoretical analysis of the different models developed to understand disability is outlined. We also provide our definition of social inclusion as the interaction between interpersonal relationships and community participation. This is an ecological model that includes individual, interpersonal, organisational factors, along with community, and socio-political factors. A series of processes and tools that can be used to design and implement interventions for vulnerable groups that promote participatory approaches and social inclusion are described. As a series of key indicators for assessing if a practice can be considered socially inclusive. The last section of the book describes three practical case studies, including the process of implementation and the lessons learned.