The purpose of this narrative study is to investigate how two former students with mildintellecual disabilities describe the years in special schools, how they talk about theirdiagnosis and how they experienced their identity development. The study aims to examinethe following questions: What told experiences have young adults with intellectual disabilities of their schoollife? What and how do young adults narrate about being diagnosed with intellectualdisabilities? What identity appearances do the young adults make in their narrations?To collect data has the narrative method been used. It is a sort of qualitative researchinterviews that have focus on the story about a person´s life or about selected parts of apersons life. The social constructivist perspective been the theoretical starting point of thestudy. In that perspective the language and the social interaction are prominent for humanidentity development.The study results indicate that young people who have passed special schools experience thatthey have had friends but not friends outside the school. They have grown as people thanks tomanageable challenges. The study shows that it is not sufficiently great intellectualchallengers for the students at special schools. It happens that teachers give misguided supportor takes measures late in the training.It differs when the informants became aware of their disability and how that has affectedthem. The results indicate the importance of understanding and knowledgeable adults in thestudents close during school time and the first time as a young adult. The adults can beteachers, parents, managers and other staff.To share life stories provide a greater understanding into the situation of people withintellectual disorder. This is of importance for special education teachers to createopportunities for each student to optimal development. / Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur två före detta elever med lindrig intellektuellfunktionsnedsättning beskriver sin skoltid i särskolan (grundsärskola och gymnasiesärskola),hur de berättar om sin diagnos och hur de upplevt sin identitetsutveckling. Studien ämnarbesvara följande frågeställningar: Vilka berättade erfarenheter har de unga vuxna med lindrig intellektuellfunktionsnedsättning av sin skolvardag? Vad och hur berättar de unga vuxna om diagnosen lindrig intellektuellfunktionsnedsättning? Vilka identitetsframträdanden gör de unga vuxna i sina berättelser?För att samla in data har den narrativa metoden använts. Det är en typ av kvalitativforskningsintervju som riktar in sig på att i samtal låta personer berätta om sina liv eller som istudien om valda delar av sina liv. Den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien är detsocialkonstruktivistiska perspektivet som betonar språket och det sociala samspelets betydelseför människans identitetsutveckling.Resultat visade att unga som har gått i grundsärskola och gymnasiesärskola upplever att dehar haft vänner, men inte utanför skolvardagen, och att skoltiden har gett dem utmaningar somutvecklat dem som människor. Studien visar också att det inte ges tillräckligt storaintellektuella utmaningar för eleverna och att lärare och annan personal ger ibland missriktatstöd eller sätts stödet in sent under utbildningen. Det skiljde sig åt när informanten blevmedvetna om sin funktionsnedsättning och på vilket sätt det har påverkat dem. Resultatetpekar på betydelsen av förstående och kunniga vuxna i ungdomarnas närhet under skoltidenoch den första tiden som ung vuxen, exempelvis lärare, föräldrar, chefer och annan personal.Att ta del av livsberättelser ger en ökad förståelse för människor med intellektuellfunktionsnedsättnings situation. Detta är av vikt för att speciallärare ska kunna skapaförutsättningar för varje elevs möjlighet att utvecklas optimalt

The purpose of this study is to examine a student’s experiences from going to school in a segregated special school, called särskola. That is a special educational schools for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, the study has examined a student’s experiences of exclusion and inclusion.  By doing a life story interview with a former student, who has experiences from both non-segregated school and segregated special school, särskola, the student’s experiences will come visible.  By using life story interview the aim is to gain access to a person’s experience of, in this study, schooling. The student is familiar with both non-segregated and segregated schools. Disabled or not, everyone is part of metanarratives that influences one’s life story, within these metanarratives it becomes clear what society demands of the intellectual disabled. The experiences of the student are analyzed through governing documents and other normative documents with critical theory. The result of the study indicates that there are obvious advantages and disadvantages with segregated schools from the student´s experiences. In the segregated school the student feels confident and feels that she has gained adequate knowledge in the different school subjects, but at the same the segregated special school create the experiences of exclusion. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka en elevs erfarenheter av sin skolgång i grundskolan och i särskolan. Vidare ska även studien undersöka en elevs erfarenheter av inkludering och exkludering i skolan. Detta är gjort genom att studera en före detta elevs erfarenheter både från grundskolan och särskolan. Metoden för studien är livsberättelse som är passande för denna studie då det är erfarenheterna från en elevs skolgång som är av intresse. Eleven har erfarenheter av både grundskolan, grundsärskolan och gymnasiesärskolan. Funktionsnedsättning eller ej så är alla individer i samhällen en del av olika metanarrativ som starkt påverkar allas livsberättelser. I de olika metanarrativen blir det tydligt vilka krav och förutsättningar som de intellektuellt funktionsnedsatta möter och kommer att möta. Att genom kritisk teori belysa elevens erfarenheter, som kommer fram genom livsberättelsen, i förhållande till gällande styrdokument och andra normerande dokument. Resultatet av studien visar att det finns tydliga för och nackdelar med särskolan utifrån elevens erfarenheter och tidigare forskning. I särskolan upplever eleven trygghet och känner att hon tillgodogjorde sig adekvata kunskaper inom skolans olika ämnen, men samtidigt skapar särskolan erfarenheter av exkludering. Dessa erfarenheter är en del av individens identitetsskapandet som sker i skolan och således påverkas detta mycket av särskolekontexten.

This doctoral thesis discusses issues concerning participation for children and young people, educated in special schools for pupils with learning disability, LD. The overall purpose of this doctoral thesis is to elucidate the preconditions of participation for persons with LD, in past and present times. A further purpose is to look into how ideas belonging to persons with LD relate to the social categorisation of LD, especially in the sphere of education. How has this category been established up to our time? Nowadays, which ontological and epistemological conceptualisation and which stance on society do persons with LD express in a first-person perspective? What can persons with LD expect of other persons, knowledge and society? Two young people with LD, called Elin and Blomman, told their life-stories with focus on those years they spent in special school. To this effect, thirteen tape-recorded interviews were conducted, constituting the empirical data. A Foucaultian model was applied in the analysis of their life-stories, which were then interpreted in a hermeneutic way of understanding. The first-person perspective of what it means to live with LD appears to be complicated and full of contradictions. Time spent in school included, after all, meaningful education in terms of challenges, traditional knowledge of subject matter, socialising and moments of happiness. However, Blomman also demands existential knowledge. He wants to arrive at an understanding of his difficult life. "Good-enough-for-disabled-persons”-thinking by others is obvious. The results also demonstrate that participation in social networks gives support and serves as a sounding board. Elin and Blomman relate with a blend of both closeness and distance to others in special school, which is attended by both ”the disabled” and ”those who sit in a wheelchair”. Blomman agrees with the fact, that ”fully grown-ups” decide upon certain things. He has not yet taken upon himself the role of being grown up. Yet, he has a good grasp of his own shortcomings. Elin looks upon herself as a competent and successful relationship-builder. Persons with LD try to understand what it means to be disabled. They seek to understand themselves and they themselves in social relations to others, exactly as everybody else. According to Blomman, there is nothing wrong with his personality. By uttering these words he offers teachers and providers of education and many others, an exciting train of thought.

This thesis fills an important research gap in the sociology of ageing and life course, and the sociology of sexualities and intimacies by exploring the understudied experience of singlehood among older gay men. It is a qualitative study based on semi-structured in-depth life story interviews conducted with 25 self-identified gay men over the age of 50 who live in England and have been single for most of their lives. The primary objective of the study is to investigate how older single gay men interpret and assign meanings to their lives in later life. In considering the role of narratives in bridging structure and agency, the thesis suggests that the older gay men’s narratives of singlehood need to be understood with reference to the master narrative in society that privileges couplehood. The master narrative undoubtedly informed and at times overshadowed the ways in which the older gay men understood their lives. But at the same time this thesis finds that the research participants engaged with the master narrative in a variety of creative ways – they did not only adopt, but also adapted and subverted the dominant story line. These counter-stories do not only reproduce, but have the potential to reinvent, the meanings of relationships in contemporary societies. To achieve this, resources were needed in reframing the master narrative. From a life course perspective the thesis suggests that the older gay men’s earlier life experiences and current social locations influenced the narratives they told. Only some of the older single gay men were able to (re-)claim sexual citizenship while others were denied this. In addition, the older gay men’s story-telling was filled with ambivalence and ambiguities. As a whole, the thesis sees the older gay men’s stories as displaying agency within structure.

Notre projet de mémoire consistait à valider auprès de personnes qui vieillissent et qui ont subi des pertes l’hypothèse de recherche suivante : « Comment l’intégration de grandes théories sur la vie spirituelle à l’outil du bilan de vie (à son questionnaire) aide l’aîné qui subit des pertes à trouver un sens à sa vie? » Notre projet de mémoire consistait à valider auprès de personnes qui vieillissent et qui ont subi des pertes l’hypothèse de recherche suivante : « Comment l’intégration de grandes théories sur la vie spirituelle à l’outil du bilan de vie (à son questionnaire) aide l’aîné qui subit des pertes à trouver un sens à sa vie? » Dans ce mémoire, nous nous intéressons à la problématique du vieillissement, notamment dans le cadre québécois, à ce vieillissement plus spécifique des aînés hémodialysés en situation de pertes. Cela dit, dans l’introduction, nous esquisserons le contexte général derrière le projet. Le mémoire est présenté selon les quatre étapes prévues par la méthode de la praxéologie pastorale, à savoir l’observation, l’interprétation, l’intervention et la prospective. Dans la première étape, nous introduirons les paramètres de notre observation en milieu pastoral. Nous chercherons ainsi à clarifier le problème rencontré, à partir des questions convenues en praxéologie pastorale: le qui, le quoi, le où, le quand, le comment et le pourquoi. Dans la seconde étape, nous tenterons de faire rencontrer des interprétations théoriques en vue de trouver une compréhension nouvelle du drame qui se joue. Ainsi, nous soulignerons que nous sommes redevables à quatre grandes théories sur la vie spirituelle quant au cadre de référence de notre recherche, à savoir Oser, Gmünder et Ridez; Vasse; Breton et Liébanas. La troisième étape se voudra une sorte d’évaluation des changements à apporter à la pratique, leurs impacts, les stratégies pour les mettre en place et les résistances qui ne manqueront pas de se manifester à leur égard. Dans la dernière étape, nous nous interrogerons sur les visions inconscientes du monde et de l’être humain véhiculées par l’intervention dans le but de se réajuster. Dans ce mémoire, nous avons identifié, à l’aide de l’outil du bilan de vie, six aspects de la vie spirituelle d’un aîné hémodialysé en situation de pertes, soit les représentations ou les images de Dieu, le sens du péché commis, les signes de l’existence du péché, l’antériorité de l’amour de Dieu par rapport au péché, les voies d’entrées à la vie spirituelle, les indications pour cheminer spirituellement et les effets de vie et de mort. / Our thesis project is to validate with aging people who have suffered loss, the following research hypothesis: « How the integration of major theories on the spiritual life to the life story tool (in the questionnaire) for the seniors who suffers loss help on the sens which people make of their life?» In this study, we are interested in the problems of ageing, in particular within the Québec framework, specifically regarding the ageing of elders within hemodialysis process in situation of a loss. In the introduction, we will outline the general context behind the project. The report is presented according to the four stages laid down by the method of pastoral praxeology, namely the observation, interpretation, the intervention and the prospective. Firstly, we will introduce the parameters of our observation in our pastoral milieu. We will thus seek to clarify the encountered problem, starting from the questions agreed in pastoral praxeology: the which, the what, the where, the when, the how and the why. Secondly, we will try to meet theoretical interpretations in order to find a new understanding of the drama which is played. Thus, we will stress out that we are indebted to four great theories on the spiritual life as for the framework of reference of our research, namely Oser, Gmünder and Ridez; Vasse; Breton and Liébanas. The third step will be a sort of evaluation of changes to implement in real life, their impacts, the strategies to implement them and the unavoidable resistances generated by them. Lastly, we will wonder about the unconscious visions of the world and human being conveyed by the intervention with an aim of being refit. In this study, we have identified, using the tool of the life story, six aspects of the spiritual life of an elder in a hemodialysis process in situation of a loss, which are the representations or the images of God, the meaning of sin, the signs of the existence of the sin, the anteriority of the love of God compared to the sin, the ways of entry to the spiritual life as well as the indications to grow spiritually and the effects of life and death.

Ao apresentar o relato da trajetória de vida de duas mulheres ceramistas japonesas, Shoko Suzuki e Mieko Ukeseki, inserindo-o em seu contexto histórico e sociocultural, este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar as construções históricas, representações culturais, experiências pessoais e subjetividades envolvidas na construção da sua identidade. A partir da análise do discurso e da prática destas ceramistas, recolhidos a partir dos preceitos definidos por Daniel Bertaux (1997) como récits de vie (relatos de vida), pretende-se compreender os processos pessoais envolvidos na construção da identidade cultural das duas ceramistas, marcados pela vivência transcultural decorrente da imigração para o estado de São Paulo, Brasil, nas décadas de 1960 e 1970 respectivamente. A história da cerâmica japonesa toma aqui papel relevante para a construção das imagens de japonesidade, traduzidas no discurso e na prática das ceramistas. Contudo, é na apropriação e reinterpretação destas representações em diálogo com suas subjetividades e experiências pessoais que a identidade cultural é recriada. Ao lançar luz sobre o relato pessoal da trajetória de vida de duas ceramistas japonesas no Brasil, esta pesquisa pretende também contribuir para iluminar vários aspetos da história, sociedade e cultura do Japão e do Brasil do último século, em especial, a situação das mulheres na cerâmica nipônica, a imigração de artesãos e artistas japoneses para o Brasil, os processos de construção da identidade cultural japonesa através do artesanato e da cerâmica e os processos pessoais envolvidos na criação de uma identidade nipo-brasileira / By presenting the life-story account of two Japanese women potters, Shoko Suzuki and Mieko Ukeseki, inserting it in its historical and sociocultural context, this work aims to present the historical constructions, cultural representations, personal experiences and subjectivities involved in the construction of their identity. From their discourse and practice analysis, collected from the precepts defined by Daniel Bertaux (1997) as récits de vie (\"life story accounts\"), we intend to understand the personal processes involved in the construction of their cultural identity, marked by the transcultural experience due to the immigration to Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s respectively. The history of Japanese ceramics takes here an important part for the construction of images of \"Japaneseness\", which are translated in the discourse and practice of these potters. However, it is in the appropriation and reinterpretation of these representations in dialogue with their personal experiences and subjectivities that cultural identity is recreated. By shedding light on the personal account of the life stories of two Japanese women potters in Brazil, this research also aims to contribute to illuminate various aspects of the history, society and culture of Japan and Brazil in the last century, in particular, the situation of women in Japanese ceramics, the immigration of Japanese artists and craftsmen to Brazil, the processes involved in the construction of a Japanese cultural identity through craft and pottery and the creation of a Japanese-Brazilian identity

[pt] Este trabalho propõe analisar o discurso do indivíduo apenado e encarcerado, com o objetivo de examinar como são exercidas as práticas de resistência ao sistema que o excluiu temporariamente do convívio social. A noção de identidade de resistência é aqui concebida como aquela construída por atores que se encontram em posições desvalorizadas ou estigmatizadas, constituídas por processo de dominação (Castells, 1999; Bourdieu, 1998; Bauman, 2001), ou por atores que, por alguma percepção particular de si mesmos e de outros, se posicionam contra algo ou alguém (Ewick e Silbey, 2003). As entrevistas para geração de dados foram concedidas por internos de um presídio na Cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Baseado em pressupostos da Sociolinguística Interacional, este trabalho prioriza a análise das narrativas de um detento, João, utilizando a estrutura de análise desenvolvida por Labov (1972) em interface com os estudos narrativos de histórias de vida apresentados por Linde (1993) e de narrativas de resistência apresentados por Ewick e Silbey (2003). A análise dos dados ressalta que o discurso de João pode ser caracterizado como de resistência, especificamente de resistência à identidade (socialmente essencializada) de criminoso. João emprega termos genéricos e destaca a agência de terceiros em suas histórias, amenizando o impacto causado aos seus interlocutores, por atos criminosos relatados. Deste modo, João atribui às constantes situações de adversidades, injustiças e restrições, a sua entrada no mundo do crime e a sua postura crítica a instituições e representantes governamentais, que, se não justificam, ao menos esclarecem as razões por atos infracionais cometidos. / [en] This work intends to analize the discourse of a convict, aiming to examine how are performed resistance practices against the system which has temporarily deprived him of social interaction. The idea of resistance identity is adopted in this study as the one built by actors who find themselves in stigmatized and devalued social positions caused by a process of domination (Castells, 1999; Bourdieu, 1998; Bauman, 2001), or by actors which oppose someone or something because of particular perceptions of themselves or of others (Ewick e Silbey, 2003). The interviews for data generation were given by inmates in a prison in Rio de Janeiro City. Based on Interactional Sociolinguistics principles, this work prioritizes the narrative analysis of a prisoner, João, using the criteria for analysis developed by Labov (1972) associated with the narrative studies of life stories presented by Linde (1993) and narratives of resistance by Ewick and Silbey (2003). The data analysis shows that João’s discourse may be considered as a discouse of resistance, specifically resistance to identity of a criminal (socially essentialized). João uses general terms and gives emphasis to the agency of others in his histories, minimizing the impact noticed by his interlocutors for criminal acts described. Therefore, João considers the regular cases of adversity, injustice and restriction, some of the causes for his relations to a life of crimes and for his critical stance towards governmental institutions and representatives, just as if they do not justify, at least enlighten the reasons for his transgressions.

<p>Genom metoden livsberättelse får vi här ta del av specialpedagogen Evas berättelse. Denna kvinna har arbetat inom skolans värld i 45 år och har en stor livserfarenhet att dela med sig av. Arbetets mål är att ge en bild av en specialpedagogs kompetensutvecklig och arbetsmetoder i skolan under årtionden. Inriktningen på intervjuerna är berättelser om Evas arbete med barn och deras tal, språk och kommunikation. Uppsatsen tar upp språkutvecklingen hos barn samt Evas arbetsmetoder för att kartlägga förskolebarns språkutveckling. Vidare berättar Eva om talstörningar och läsinlärning, där hon beskriver hur hon har arbetat med barn som har dessa problem. En liten del av uppsatsen berör diagnoser på gott och ont, samt Evas visioner om framtiden där hon beskriver hur ett brett samarbete och kontaktnät kring barn med språkstörningar kan se ut. I intervjuerna förmedlar Eva en positiv bild av barn och deras inlärning. Hon berättar också om vikten av att ta till sig ny forskning och glädjen i att arbeta som specialpedagog.</p> / <p>By the use of life story method we can take part of the special needs educator of Eva narrates. This woman has been working in the school world for 45 years and has a great deal of experience to share. The goal of this work is to give a picture of a special needs educator’s development of competence and methods of working in the schools during the last decades. The alignment for those interviews is stories of Eva from her work with children and their speech, language and communication. This article is about the development of language of children and about the methods Eva in her work used by making a map of the development of language for children in preschool. Eva is also telling us about disturbance in the speech and in readings, giving us an account of her work amongst children who has these problems. A parts of this essay are touching the good and bad about getting a diagnosis, and the future where Eva is giving us her vision of how a wide network with cooperation’s might be for children with disturbance in their language. Eva gives a positive picture of children and the learning in the interviews. She is also talking about the latest findings and how important it is to take it in and about the joy of the work as a special needs educator.</p>

Genom metoden livsberättelse får vi här ta del av specialpedagogen Evas berättelse. Denna kvinna har arbetat inom skolans värld i 45 år och har en stor livserfarenhet att dela med sig av. Arbetets mål är att ge en bild av en specialpedagogs kompetensutvecklig och arbetsmetoder i skolan under årtionden. Inriktningen på intervjuerna är berättelser om Evas arbete med barn och deras tal, språk och kommunikation. Uppsatsen tar upp språkutvecklingen hos barn samt Evas arbetsmetoder för att kartlägga förskolebarns språkutveckling. Vidare berättar Eva om talstörningar och läsinlärning, där hon beskriver hur hon har arbetat med barn som har dessa problem. En liten del av uppsatsen berör diagnoser på gott och ont, samt Evas visioner om framtiden där hon beskriver hur ett brett samarbete och kontaktnät kring barn med språkstörningar kan se ut. I intervjuerna förmedlar Eva en positiv bild av barn och deras inlärning. Hon berättar också om vikten av att ta till sig ny forskning och glädjen i att arbeta som specialpedagog. / By the use of life story method we can take part of the special needs educator of Eva narrates. This woman has been working in the school world for 45 years and has a great deal of experience to share. The goal of this work is to give a picture of a special needs educator’s development of competence and methods of working in the schools during the last decades. The alignment for those interviews is stories of Eva from her work with children and their speech, language and communication. This article is about the development of language of children and about the methods Eva in her work used by making a map of the development of language for children in preschool. Eva is also telling us about disturbance in the speech and in readings, giving us an account of her work amongst children who has these problems. A parts of this essay are touching the good and bad about getting a diagnosis, and the future where Eva is giving us her vision of how a wide network with cooperation’s might be for children with disturbance in their language. Eva gives a positive picture of children and the learning in the interviews. She is also talking about the latest findings and how important it is to take it in and about the joy of the work as a special needs educator.

Syftet med denna studie är att få ta del av speciallärares erfarenheter kring sitt arbete med elever i matematiksvårigheter. Jag valt att göra en livsberättelsestudie, där fyra speciallärares berättelser kring sitt arbete med elever i matematiksvårigheter är i fokus. Genom deras egna berättelser om sitt liv som speciallärare vill jag komma åt hur de jobbar med sina elever och varför de väljer att jobba på just de sätten de gör. Jag vill få fram speciallärarens tankar kring varför dessa elever hamnar i matematiksvårigheter och vad det kan bero på.Resultatet visar att de speciallärare som deltagit i studien är ganska samstämmiga i hur de idag jobbar med sina elever och varför de gör som de gör. Resultatet visar att det är en komplex fråga hur man får dessa elever inkluderade i den ordinarie undervisningen. Speciallärarna i studien ser att elever i svårigheter ofta kan vara rumsligt inkluderade, då de är i klassrummet med sina klasskamrater, men att de inte har något utbyte av det som sker, då de inte hänger med i undervisningen. Speciallärarna ser då att det är större möjligheter att klara dessa elever om de plockas ut i mindre grupper eller enskilt. Det är många faktorer som spelar in för att en elev ska lyckas med matematik och en viktig del i speciallärarnas arbete handlar om att skapa en lugn och trygg miljö för dessa elever. Det visar sig att endast en mindre del av deras berättelser handlade om att arbeta med matematiksvårigheter, då fokus i deras arbete oftast ligger på andra områden. Det centrala i allas berättelser handlar om hur viktigt det är för dem att skapa en bra miljö för sina elever, där eleverna får chans att bygga upp sin självkänsla och att få dem att våga tro på sig själva. / The purpose of this study is to gain access to Special Education Needs (SEN) Teachers experiences in their work with students with mathematical difficulties. I have decided to do a life story study, with four SEN Teachers' stories about their work with students of mathematical difficulties in focus. By their own stories about their life as a SEN Teachers, I would like to find out how they work with their students and why they choose to work the way they do. I want to get the SEN Teacher`s thoughts about why these students end up in difficulties with mathematics and what the reason might be.The results show that the SEN Teachers who participated in the study are fairly consistent in how they currently work with their students, and why they work the way they do. The results also show that it is a very complex issue to get these students included in the regular curriculum. The SEN Teachers see that students with difficulties can often be spatially included when they are placed in the classroom with their classmates, but cannot keep up with what is happening in the classroom, and they won’t gain the right knowledge. SEN Teachers will see that there are better chances of success with these students if they are placed in small groups or individually. There are many factors that come into play for a student to succeed in mathematics, and an important part of the SEN Teachers' work is about creating a peaceful and safe environment for these students. I found that only a small part of their stories was about the actual work with mathematics difficulties, the main part of their work were often needed in other areas. The core message of all the stories is the importance to create a good environment for their students, where the students have a chance to build their self esteem and to believe in themselves.