The aim of our study was to investigate how much self-determination persons with intellectual disabilities living in group-homes have when it comes to recreational activities. We studied what the recreational activities looked like, if there was any self-determination concerning recreational activities and which factors influenced self-determination for persons with intellectual disabilities. We used qualitative interviews with persons with intellectual disabilities, next of kin and personnel at group-homes. The result has been analyzed from earlier research, central concepts as self-determination and recreational activities and the theory of empowerment. The most important results that emerged in our study were; that recreational activities for persons with intellectual disabilities varied substantially, that there is a large number of to recreational activities available and no one seemed directly displeased with their recreational activities. Organized recreational activities mostly took place in segregated environments. This circumstance led to discussions within the interview-groups. The interviewed persons were of the opinion that there existed self-determination concerning recreational activities, however, there were many factors influencing the degree of self-determination. These factors were; the level of intellectual disability, the personnel at group-homes, organisation and personnel-resources, economy and public communications.

The aim of this study was to examine the possibilities to enter the regular labour market for pupils and young adults with intellectual disabilities. The method used is tape-recorded qualitative interviews with; Two pupils with intellectual disabilities, studying the last year at a special school. Two young adults with intellectual disabilities, former pupils at a special school and at the moment in search of work at a Public Employment Service office for young adults with disabilities. Furthermore were interviews made with two professionals, one student counsellor at a special school and one representative at a Public Employment Service office for young adults with disabilities. For analysing the empirical data, Iris Marion Young's theory about Five Faces of Oppression, Crip theory and Dalrymple and Burkes theory about empowerment was used. The results showed difficulties in enter the labour market for these young adults and wishes to be able to support themselves financially by a regular work. The aim of the welfare system is to help people with intellectual disabilities through for example special schools, vocational training and wages benefits. These efforts are not really helping but are rather increasing the disabilities and the following discrimination on the labour market.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

This qualitative study includes a comparison of the perceptions of students with and without intellectual disabilities regarding the opportunities they have to make decisions during the school day and school year. The data from the student groups were shared with adults in the school who then explored their perspectives regarding reasons for any similarities or differences in the perceptions of the student groups. Within-case and cross-case analysis of the data obtained from the three student focus groups, one teacher focus group, one educational assistant focus group and an interview with an administrator resulted in the identification of three major themes: structure of the system, role of adults and safety. Various ways that each of these can facilitate or limit opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to make decisions during the school day and school year are discussed

Bakgrund: Då barn möts av en kognitiv utmaning talar de ofta högt med sig själva. Detta är en vanlig strategi hos barn i femårsåldern och kallas privat tal (private speech) vilket gradvis, i takt med att barnen åldras, utvecklas till en tyst form kallat inre tal. Inre tal är centralt i flera kognitiva uppgifter bland annat planering och problemlösning och är även involverat i arbetsminnet, främst i den fonologiska loopen. Det finns en begränsning i arbetsminnets kapacitet och även den fonologiska loopen är begränsad hos barn med utvecklingsstörning. Arbetsminneskapaciteten och utvecklingen av fonologiska loopen har en stor avgörande betydelse i tillägnandet av ordförrådet och därför kan en begränsning eller försening leda till en försening även i ordförrådet. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka inre tal hos barn med utvecklingsstörning samt att undersöka om det finns något samband mellan barnens inre tal och det aktiva respektive passiva ordförrådets storlek. Metod: I studien deltog 28 barn. Målgruppen bestod av 14 barn med lätt till måttlig utvecklingsstörning i åldrarna 8:4-16:0 år. Kontrollgruppen bestod av 14 barn med typisk utveckling i åldrarna 4:8-8:6 år. De båda grupperna matchades efter deras testresultat på Ravens färgade progressiva matriser. Det aktiva ordförrådet testades med Boston Naming Test och det passiva ordförrådet undersöktes med Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. För att undersöka barnens inre tal och minnesstrategier användes European Picture Span Study.  Resultat: Resultatet visar att barnen i kontrollgruppen har ett större passivt och aktivt ordförråd jämfört med målgruppen och att ett större ordförråd hos kontrollgruppen tycks ha viss betydelse för att barnen ska välja en mer mogen strategi. Målgruppen i föreliggande studie använder sig av verbala strategier i mindre utsträckning än kontrollgruppen, men de tycks ha utvecklat en medvetenhet kring sin strategianvändning. Analyserna visar även ett signifikant samband mellan uppnådd spannivå och storleken på det passiva ordförrådet hos målgruppen, medan det hos kontrollgruppen finns ett signifikant samband mellan uppnådd spannivå och storleken på det aktiva ordförrådet. / Background: When children are faced by a cognitive challenge they often speak out loud to themselves. This is a common strategy in five year old children and is called private speech, which gradually, is developed into a silent form called inner speech. Inner speech is essential in several cognitive tasks including planning and problem solving, and is also involved in the working memory, particularly in the phonological loop. Children with intellectual disabilities have a limitation in the capacity of the working memory and in the phonological loop. The capacity of the working memory and the development of the phonological loop have a big importance in the acquisition of the vocabulary, therefore a limitation or delay in these skills lead to a delay in the vocabulary. Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the inner speech in children with intellectual disabilities and to investigate the correlation between the inner speech and the dimension of the active and passive vocabulary.  Method: 28 children participated. The target group consisted of 14 children with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities aged 8:4-16:0 years. The control group consisted of 14 children with typical development aged 4:8-8:6 years. The two groups were matched according to their test results on Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices. The active vocabulary was tested with Boston Naming Test and the passive vocabulary was examined with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. To examine the inner speech and memory strategies the European Picture Span Study was used. Results: The result showed that the children in the control group have a bigger passive and active vocabulary compared to the target group and that there is a correlation between having a big vocabulary and using a more mature strategy in the control group. The target group use phonological strategies to a smaller extent than the control group, but they seem to have developed a consciousness regarding their use of strategies. The analysis also shows a significant correlation between span level and the size of the passive vocabulary in the target group, whilst there is a significant correlation between the span level and the active vocabulary in the control group.

This qualitative study includes a comparison of the perceptions of students with and without intellectual disabilities regarding the opportunities they have to make decisions during the school day and school year. The data from the student groups were shared with adults in the school who then explored their perspectives regarding reasons for any similarities or differences in the perceptions of the student groups. Within-case and cross-case analysis of the data obtained from the three student focus groups, one teacher focus group, one educational assistant focus group and an interview with an administrator resulted in the identification of three major themes: structure of the system, role of adults and safety. Various ways that each of these can facilitate or limit opportunities for students with and without intellectual disabilities to make decisions during the school day and school year are discussed

This research focuses on the experiences of primary school teachers in providing learning support for learners with mild intellectual disabilities. In South Africa, most learners attend in mainstream schools. Mainstream schools are expected to support learners inclusively. However, most teachers seem challenged to address the learning needs such as those experienced by learners with mild intellectual disabilities. The research was conducted by means of interviews with selected participants over a period of approximately four months. Data was also obtained through the analysis of records such as learners‘ workbooks, test books, support forms used by teachers to record their observation and field notes which were reflected in a journal. Interviews and transcriptions were typed out verbatim. The research produced a number of key findings and concluded that many teachers lack sufficient training to identify and address barriers to learning, especially those with mild intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, the study revealed that support structures at participating research schools seem to be non-functional, and guidance and assistance from the Department of Education is minimal. The findings were used to propose recommendations that could be used by primary school teachers to support learners with mild intellectual disabilities in mainstream schools. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med kunskap om elevers perspektiv på användandet av digitala verktyg i socialt samspel, som stöd i undervisningen och i vardagen. För att belysa detta område har elever som går ett nationellt yrkesprogram i gymnasiesärskolan intervjuats. Intresset för denna studie uppkom då jag genom mitt arbete inom särskolans verksamheter ibland upplevt att jag inte haft tillräckligt med kunskap inom detta område för att kunna stötta eleverna optimalt. Tidigare forskning visar att användandet av digitala verktyg i undervisningen har positiva effekter för elever med utvecklingsstörning. Det finns även forskning som visar att användandet av digitala verktyg kan bidra till ökad självständighet och delaktighet i samhället för dessa personer. Studien utgår från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv, där lärande och utveckling sker i interaktion mellan människor. En kvalitativ halvstrukturerad intervju, valdes som metod för att samla in det empiriska materialet. Resultaten i studien pekar på att eleverna använder vanligt förekommande funktioner i mobiler och datorer i många olika kontexter. Enligt eleverna är verktygen en nödvändighet för både undervisningen och för att kunna vara delaktiga i samhällets alla delar. Inga specifika funktioner eller användningsområden som kan härledas till just gymnasiesärskolans verksamhet framträdde i studien. Eleverna uttryckte att de lärt sig använda verktygen av sig själva eller utav kompisar. De uppgav också att de själva funnit lämpliga strategier och användningsområden för verktygen som kompenserar olika funktionsnedsättningar eller andra svårigheter både i och utanför skolan. För att belysa området ytterligare kan det vara lämpligt att studera användandet av digitala verktyg utifrån speciallärares perspektiv och se vilka möjligheter det finns för att utveckla användandet av de verktyg eleverna redan är förtrogna med i undervisningen. / The purpose of this study is to contribute knowledge about students’ perspectives on the use of digital tools in social interactions, education and everyday life. In order to examine this area, students in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities have been interviewed. The interest for this subject arose when I during my work in special school sometimes experienced a lack of knowledge, regarding digital tools, on how to support the students fully in their education. Previous research shows positive results for students with intellectual disabilities regarding use of digitals tools during education. There are also studies that show that using digital tools can contribute to increase the independence and connection to the society for these people. This study is based on a sociocultural perspective, where education and personal growth is developed by interaction between people. In order to collect empirical data, a qualitative semi-structured interview method was selected. The results indicate that the students are using common functions in both smart phones and computers in a variety of contexts. According to the students, the digital tools are necessary for their education as well as their participation in all parts of the society. The study did not result in any features or applications used specifically for educating students in compulsory school for pupils with learning disabilities. The students expressed that they learned to use the tools by themselves or from friends. They also stated that they themselves found appropriate strategies and area of use for the tools that compensate for different disabilities or other difficulties both inside and outside the school. Regarding future research in this area one suitable approach could be to use the special education teacher’s perspective as a main source and explore the possibilities to further develop the digital tools the students already are familiar with, towards a better education.

The diploma thesis is called: Transformation of social services from the perspective of social workers in residential services in Příbram. The aim of my work is to briefly describe the process, development and objectives of transformation and deinstitutionalization of social services and to supplement it with an empirical qualitative survey. This topic is currently very topical and becomes a big dilemma from the point of view of all workers who are interested in the social area. The main aim of my work is to collect essential information with the help of professional literature and to put forward practical recommendations that will be useful in connection with the possibilities of people with mental disabilities in Příbram. I give these recommendations during the discussion and at the conclusion. I also found out how social workers who work in residential facilities for people with mental disabilities in Příbram or the department of social services Příbram perceive the transformation of social services. The aim of the thesis is not to analyze the transformation of social services in the Czech Republic in its entirety. The aim of my work is neither representative research nor scientific data analysis. I drew from the articles of professional journals and books especially Czech specialists who are...

The thesis interprets and analysies the results of the explorational survey, which deals how people with intellectual diabilities reflect on sellected religious terms. The targert of this thesis is to chart the opinions, definitions and attituteds of the people with intellectual disabilities to the sellected religious categories. The theoritical part of the thesis deals not only of problems of spiritual life, meetings, dialogues and interwies with people with intellectual disabilities but solves their specific qualities and their role in the catholic community too. The exploration part presents two researches - with worshippers people with intellectual disabilities and worshippers people without disabilities. In the end of the thesis the explorational survey definates differences beetween both groups. The thesis use the method of the qualititive research, concretely the mothod of the semistructured interview and the method of the group discussion.