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This qualitative study examined the participatory experiences of people with an intellectual disability as members of government disability advisory bodies in Australia. These forums are one of the strategies adopted by governments to enable people with an intellectual disability to participate in the formulation of social policy. Such opportunities have arisen from progressive policy that frames people with an intellectual disability as full citizens with equal rights to inclusion and participation in society. Little research has considered how people with an intellectual disability experience the participatory opportunities that have grown from this recognition of their rights. This reflects the more traditional focus on their status and participation as consumers and service users. The central question of this study is how people with an intellectual disability experience participation in government advisory bodies, and how such forums can be inclusive and meaningful. This study positions people with an intellectual disability as the experts about their own experiences by relying primarily on their first person accounts of their experiences. Ethnographic and case study methods were employed including in-depth interviews with the central participants, document analysis, observation of the work of the advisory bodies and interviews with others involved in advisory bodies. Analysis led to the development of a typology of participation that describes the political and personal orientations people have to participation. The study found that structures and the processes used by advisory bodies can mediate people�s experiences; however more significantly, the experiences of people with intellectual disability are shaped by their perception of how they are regarded by others. Central to this is the efficacy of support based on the development of collegiate relationships, similar to the notion of civic friendship described by Reinders (2002), rather than support that is solely focussed on tangible accommodations The study concludes that citizen participation bodies have not fully recognised the personal and political potential of members with an intellectual disability. It presents evidence that people with an intellectual disability are capable of this form of participation, can provide legitimate and informed perspectives on policy and can engage meaningfully, given full recognition of their capacity to participate as well as structures and processes that enable this.

Version remaniée de: Tesis de doctorado--ciencia política--Universidad autonóma de Madrid, 2004. / Bibliogr. p. 363-388.

This qualitative study examined the participatory experiences of people with an intellectual disability as members of government disability advisory bodies in Australia. These forums are one of the strategies adopted by governments to enable people with an intellectual disability to participate in the formulation of social policy. Such opportunities have arisen from progressive policy that frames people with an intellectual disability as full citizens with equal rights to inclusion and participation in society. Little research has considered how people with an intellectual disability experience the participatory opportunities that have grown from this recognition of their rights. This reflects the more traditional focus on their status and participation as consumers and service users. The central question of this study is how people with an intellectual disability experience participation in government advisory bodies, and how such forums can be inclusive and meaningful. This study positions people with an intellectual disability as the experts about their own experiences by relying primarily on their first person accounts of their experiences. Ethnographic and case study methods were employed including in-depth interviews with the central participants, document analysis, observation of the work of the advisory bodies and interviews with others involved in advisory bodies. Analysis led to the development of a typology of participation that describes the political and personal orientations people have to participation. The study found that structures and the processes used by advisory bodies can mediate people�s experiences; however more significantly, the experiences of people with intellectual disability are shaped by their perception of how they are regarded by others. Central to this is the efficacy of support based on the development of collegiate relationships, similar to the notion of civic friendship described by Reinders (2002), rather than support that is solely focussed on tangible accommodations The study concludes that citizen participation bodies have not fully recognised the personal and political potential of members with an intellectual disability. It presents evidence that people with an intellectual disability are capable of this form of participation, can provide legitimate and informed perspectives on policy and can engage meaningfully, given full recognition of their capacity to participate as well as structures and processes that enable this.

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No description available.

<p>This document compiles a highly discussed issue present in many cities of the developing world today; it brings forward the importance of facing the challenges that slums create to today’s cities and the mechanisms used for tackling such challenge. The study focuses on the use of Participatory Planning approaches in the context of slum upgrading, giving the reader an insight to the advantages and challenges that such an approach has. It is built around a case study in the city of Medellin, Colombia where there has been a strong political will and commitment to implement programs and projects in the poorest areas of the city. This initiative emerged as a need to tackle deep rooted problems present in the slum areas of the city that together with other issues placed Medellin as the most dangerous city of the world during the 1990s.</p><p>For tackling such a problem, the local Administration (2003-2007) created a slum upgrading model called “PUI - Proyecto Urbano Integral” (Integral Urban Project) which is said to be based on “participatory planning” and “slum upgrading” principles. The results of the first project following the “PUI Model”, the “PUI Noriental”, have been promoted by the Administration as highly successful and been considered as a model for slum upgrading both nationally and internationally. Therefore, there is the need to acknowledge and critically asses the PUI Model by evaluating its principles, its methods and its results having a deeper understanding and assessment of the concepts behind such an approach; specially since it has been internationally recognized that there is a lack of cases in which the ideals of participation and slum upgrading are put in practice.</p><p>In this order of ideas, the principles, methods and tools of the “PUI Model” and its implementation in the “PUI Noriental”, are evaluated based on international theories and experiences dealing with the topic. By doing so, it is shown the close link between the principles of participation and the very nature of slum upgrading processes. As well it is brought forward the need to implement such kind of a approaches in cities presenting problems with slum areas. The results of the evaluation show that even though there is a strong political will towards using principles of participatory planning and slum upgrading approaches in Medellin, there is still a high need to have a deeper understanding of such concepts and the way they can be implemented. Nevertheless, it is shown that even with these shortcomings the significant outcomes produced by the PUI Noriental are a clear example that participation in the context of slum upgrading is a strong tool to bring benefits to the people of such areas.</p> / The thesis was not publishes (printed) by the department. The copy I am uploading is the final version accepted by the department.

Although participation in social, recreational, and leisure activities is essential to overall well being, children with developmental disabilities (DD) participate in fewer activities than their typically developing (TD) peers (e.g., Solish, Perry & Minnes, 2010). The purpose of the current study was to explore the factors that predict participation of preschool- and early school-aged children by investigating the contributions of the child, the family, and the environment in which the child and family reside. The theoretical model used in the current study is an adaptation of two conceptual models proposed by King et al. (2003) who investigated the factors predicting participation of individuals with physical disabilities between the ages of 6 and 21 years, and Orsmond, Wyngaarden Krauss, and Mailick Seltzer (2004) who investigated the factors predicting participation for adolescents and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These authors proposed that a combination of environmental factors (e.g., supportive relationships), family factors (e.g., absence of financial and time impacts on the family), and individual/child factors (e.g., cognitive skills, communication) would be associated with participation. These models were adapted for use in the current study to include: 1) factors that have been shown empirically to be predictors of involvement for children with physical disabilities and for adolescents/adults with ASD (e.g., child’s functional ability); and 2) additional factors that may be theoretically relevant to the participation of preschool-aged children with DD. The outcome variables included the child’s participation in a variety of activities and parental satisfaction with the child’s sense of belonging. The results demonstrate that preschool- and early school-aged children, and children with and without disabilities, differed from each other on a number of variables (e.g., adaptive behaviour, family stress, etc). In addition, children with ASD and children with other DD participated in fewer social, recreational, and leisure activities than their TD peers, and parents of children with ASD and other DD reported lower satisfaction with their child’s sense of belonging. Adaptive behaviour, social skills, number of services used, family active recreation, and income were significant predictors of the child’s participation in activities. Limitations and theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. / Thesis (Ph.D, Psychology) -- Queen's University, 2012-08-31 00:21:52.375

Diss. Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-148).