Background: Mobile technology has the potential to assist adults with intellectual disabilities to initiate and maintain social connections in important areas of their lives, such as family, friends and work/volunteering. Method:The present study investigated how specific aspects of mobile device/app use are associated with the social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities. The study also examined what background attributes were associated with particular patterns of mobile device/app use and social inclusion. Results:The findings revealed that the use of mobile technology among adults with intellectual disabilities was positively associated with their social inclusion with family, friends and work/volunteering. There were also some key background attributes associated with participants' use of mobile technology and the extent to which mobile technology assisted their social inclusion.Conclusions: Implications for practice and policy are discussed.
This is the first systematic review to focus explicitly on the impact of self-advocacy on the subjective well-being of people with intellectual disabilities. It builds upon another recently published systematic literature review that explored the psychological and social impact of self-advocacy on its members (Fenn & Scior, 2019). While some of the outcomes reported in this study overlap with the previous review, this article further contributes to knowledge regarding the impact of self-advocacy by identifying the ways in which it influences members' subjective sense of well-being, particularly in relation to outcomes concerned with good functioning, satisfaction of needs, and overall feelings of happiness (Abdallah et al., 2011). The present authors believe this review is timely because, although self-advocacy is arguably more important than ever in the light of receding specialist services in some international contexts like the UK (Power, Bartlett, & Hall, 2016) and the faltering progress of inclusion (Strnadová, Johnson, & Walmsley, 2018; Power & Bartlett, 2018b), there has never been a focussed examination of its significance for the well-being of adults with intellectual disabilities, as measured by themselves. Subjective well-being refers to individuals' feelings and cognitive evaluations of their life (Diener, 2012). It is increasingly acknowledged that monetary measures alone, such as GDP,
Background: Parents with intellectual disabilities face particular challenges, such as lack of sufficient support with their parenting. Peers can be an important source of support for parents in the general population; however, there is a limited knowledge about peer support for parents with intellectual disabilities. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of parents with intellectual disabilities with social support with a focus on the role of peers.Method: Twenty-six parents with intellectual disabilities in New South Wales, Australia, took part in a semi-structured interview. Results:The inductive content analysis of data revealed three main themes; this article reports on one of them-Developing interdependence. Conclusions:The source of support was less important than the way support was offered. Parents valued support offered by someone who respected them as a person and parent, and was interested in what they wanted and needed. K E Y W O R D Sintellectual disabilities, parent support groups, parents, peer support 880 |
Background: While there has been a strong national and international emphasis on social inclusion over the past 15 years, many people with intellectual disabilities remain socially isolated in their communities. Mobile technology has the potential to support social inclusion and there is great interest among adults with intellectual disabilities in using technologies such as computers, smartphones, tablets and the internet. This study aimed to investigate the use of mobile technology by people with intellectual disabilities, and its capacity to improve their social inclusion.Methods: Data were collected using individual interview, group interviews or interviews using Photovoice with 32 adults with intellectual disabilities and analysed using inductive content analysis.Findings: Findings indicated that adults with intellectual disabilities use various mobile technology and apps for multiple purposes, including social activities, work, support, productivity, navigation and entertainment. Enabling inclusion, increasing convenience and accessibility were viewed as advantages of mobile technology, while disadvantages were related to social issues and dangers resulting from the use of mobile technology and the practical limitations and ubiquitous nature of mobile technology. Barriers to using mobile technology included having limited access to the technology itself in certain contexts and difficulties with its use. Receiving support from others and awareness of safety measures enabled the use of mobile technology among the participants. To facilitate the use of mobile technology among people with intellectual disabilities, there needs to be greater education about this and other technologies including their features, design and apps. Importantly, people with intellectual disabilities need to be involved in the design of apps.Conclusions: To fully harness the potential of using mobile technology for the purpose of developing social relationships and sense of belonging in the community, people with intellectual disabilities should be supported in developing an awareness of the limitations of mobile technology and practicing appropriate safety measures.
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