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This paper examines the Camphill Community in Glencraig, Northern Ireland, as a casestudy for inclusive living for individuals with intellectual disabilities. This allows anin-depth understanding of the principles and practices of inclusive living, for peoplewith intellectual disabilities. The study is targeted at a four-representative sample ofindividuals working within the Camphill Community. The empirical data was analyzedusing the theoretical frameworks of the social disability model, holistic theory, and thecommunity therapeutic model. The results identified several fundamental principles andpractices that promote inclusive living, including mutual respect and recognition of eachindividual's dignity and worth, mutual support and shared responsibility, person-centredcare, social inclusion and accessibility, community life and inclusion, life-sharingpractices, meaningful work, and inclusive education for individuals with disabilities.The paper highlights specific practices within each of these categories, such asaccessibility in interior and exterior spaces, social activities and events that fosterinclusion, and the practice of meaningful work. This includes the methodologies usedby the Camphill Community. The findings of this study have important implications forimproving the lives of people with disabilities and promoting inclusive living practices.

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<p><h1>There is a growing number of students with disabilities accessing postsecondary education in Ontario. Among this student body, students with learning disabilities are the largest sub-group. These students transition into knowledge workplaces, which have significant cognitive performance standards. Although there is some emerging literature on the outcome of university graduates with learning disabilities, there is little known about their <em>experiences </em>during this transition process.</h1></p> <p>There are two central purposes of this doctoral thesis: a) to provide insight into the experiences of transition for university graduates with learning disabilities, and b) to critically reflect upon the practicalities and politics of implementing participatory action research. The papers gathered in this dissertation are based upon a participatory action research project with mentees, and interviews with both mentees and mentors from a learning disability mentorship program at an Ontario university. The first paper is a collaborative writing piece with co-researchers that applies an analogy of ‘taking center stage’ to reflect upon the process of participation for co-researchers. The second paper involves a critical reflection of the <em>imagined distance </em>that took place amongst the research team, and an exploration of participatory techniques to address this distance. The third paper examines qualitative interviews with mentors and mentees on three stages of the transition process: interview, general cognitive ability testing and probationary period.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Background: As a result of the changes in support for adults with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) and the increasing emphasis on independent living within the community, individuals commonly live in their own homes with support provided by voluntary or private services. As a result, support staff play a huge role in the lives of adults with ID and are often the mediators of interventions aimed at reducing distress or the occurrence of challenging behaviour. Issues relating to the well-being of support staff and how they manage behaviours that challenge services are central to the quality of the lives of adults with ID. Method: A systematic review was carried out regarding interventions aimed at reducing stress felt by staff supporting adults with ID, with the aim of informing the clinical practice of psychologists that work with such staff groups. An empirical study employing the qualitative methodology of grounded theory was also conducted to explore the experiences of staff working with clinical psychologists outside of their organisation in the development of support guidelines aimed at reducing challenging behaviour. Results: Findings from the Systematic Review highlighted the lack of high quality intervention studies aimed at reducing stress in staff. Some tentative support was found for interventions based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and those taking a more practical problem-solving approach. The empirical study resulted in a tentative model within which the role of expectations was highlighted as key to staff’s experiences of working with professionals. Conclusion: Further research is required in order to identify the most effective ways to reduce stress experienced by staff working with adults with ID. The constructed theoretical model suggests ways in which psychologists can understand the experience of staff and has implications for their practice.

Membership in a social movement organization (SMO) and membership discourse provide space for participants to name and reconstitute their experiences, bodies, and self-images through an embodiment of organizational frames. This reconstitution is especially affirmed in the interaction of marginalized groups, such as individuals with disabilities, whom make up disability focused organizations and social movements. As a group with multiple intersectionalities, as well as an even smaller subsection of various marginalized populations, individuals with blindness face unique barriers when consideration of participants' identities and self-understandings is central in understanding entry as well as ongoing participation in organizations. Disability based organizations, represented by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), must carefully frame the organizational membership of certain individuals whom could threaten cohesion through differing understanding of identities, not revolving around disability. This thesis is an examination of the organizational discourse and the "membership meetness" of participating persons in the NFB. Goffman’s notion of “breaking frame” theoretically informs this analysis of organizational discourse produced by the 'collective blind' in one of the oldest American disability social movement organizations to date. The NFB’s attempt to mitigate the “broken frame” introduced by the incorporation of members whom are not seemingly suitable and do not self identify as blind, into an overwhelmingly blindness based enterprise is to strategically mend existing frames to reinterpret extant social norms. The purpose of this thesis is to use a grounded theory approach, to tease out how membership is framed. In the NFB, frame alignment is accomplished by: framing blindness through allies transformed as friends, framing blindness as a characteristic, framing blindness as respectability, and framing blindness through rhetorical humor in narrative. The above four frames to disability based social movements offers researchers the opportunity to understand how groups attempt to integrate into their activities members who lack “membership meetness” while simultaneously garnering support and advancing interests within the larger movement. / text

With an aging population there is a growing need to assist people with disabilities. Particularly crucial is assisting people who cannot stand between positions necessary for everyday living, such as from a wheelchair to the toilet. It is unsafe to transfer people with direct manual techniques, thus a patient handling device is required. To reduce the burden on the healthcare system it is beneficial for disabled people to be cared for in-home. Many in-home caregivers may be physically impaired, thus patient handling devices for this use must require as little effort as possible. This thesis found that existing manual patient handling devices contained significant weaknesses when used for in-home care and there is potential to improve upon them. Expert interviews, computer modelling and physical models were used to develop a novel patient handling device which addresses these identified weaknesses. A reduction in the number of operator tasks, operation time and operation force was achieved. A method of supporting the patient solely by their upper body is required by the novel patient handling device, though an acceptable way of incorporating this has yet to be achieved. Testing of an upper body enclosure support revealed that a person may be supported by their lower thorax without substantial clamping or physical effort from the patient. Such a support has potential to be developed into an acceptable solution. Further development and testing in variable conditions encountered during practical patient handling is required.

Introduction: Previously diversion from the criminal justice system for people with LD and forensic needs had meant hospitalisation, but more recently a model of community-based rehabilitation has become possible via new mental health legislation. Community-based orders aim to rehabilitate clients via compulsory, intensive staff support. Although this model is beneficial in theory, empirical evidence suggests there may be a number of issues in practice. The current study aimed to capture the subjective experience of a group of individuals with LD and forensic needs currently on community-based orders. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants subject to a community-based order which obliged them to accept intensive staff support. All participants were male. Ages, index behaviour, and time spent on order varied. The data was transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: The main themes which emerged from the data were A taste of freedom, Not being in control, Getting control back, Loneliness, and Feeling like a service user. Overall the results indicated a general ambivalence towards support. Discussion: Participant accounts suggest that the current community rehabilitation model has some shortcomings which need to be addressed. The system as it stands appears to promote high levels of external control, failing to empower clients to self-manage. Suggestions are made for improvements to the current model relating to: achieving clarity over the role of support staff and pathways out of the system; increasing opportunities for service users to voice concerns; empowering staff teams via extensive training and supervision; and directly addressing internalised stigma to promote integration.