Learners with Asperger's Syndrome are educated in inclusive education settings. As a result of the recent trend of `inclusion' all teachers may be required to educate all learners in their regular classrooms. This research attempted to explore the nature of Asperger's Syndrome as well as inclusive education in order to develop practical guidelines for teachers of learners with Asperger's Syndrome in regular schools. The interview responses of eight parents of learners with Asperger's Syndrome as well as the observation of these learners are reported. The results of the interviews and observations, were corroborated with the literature study in order to outline guidelines which would ensure that teachers will cater for the needs of these learners and support their inclusion in the inclusive settings successfully. Results of this study indicated that knowledge of Asperger's Syndrome and guidelines for accommodating the impairments of these learners is the first step towards successful inclusion. / Educational Studies / Thesis (M. Ed.)

The literature concerning what medical students learn from midwives during specialist obstetric rotations is scarce. In the UK, despite a long tradition of providing midwifery attachments for medical students, it is almost non-existent. Working with midwives is arguably the only opportunity medical students have to experience holistic or social models of maternity care, focusing on normality rather than on the medical concept of risk. This study sought to discover how medical students constructed their knowledge about childbirth during a six week specialist rotation in obstetrics in a Northern English teaching hospital (NETH), with particular emphasis on whether participants assimilated any concepts from midwifery knowledge (MK). A Delphi Study, done as the first phase of the research, focused on MK, utilizing an international sample of experienced midwives. Resulting themes were used to develop the data collection tool for the second phase of the research. The research employed a qualitative case study method with students from a single year cohort comprising the case. Data were collected using a tool consisting of three problem based learning (PBL) scenarios. These were presented to the students in consecutive interviews at the beginning, the middle and the end of their obstetric rotation. Following analysis, five main themes were identified which illuminated the medical students' construction of knowledge about maternity care. These were explored and discussed. The thesis concludes with recommendations for increasing opportunities for IPE in the medical and midwifery curricula.

This small-scale study is positioned within a social constructionist interpretive paradigm using a mixed methodology employing principles of adapted grounded theory, simple scale-based questionnaires and action research. Fourteen disabled young people from one specialist and three secondary mainstream settings were interviewed using semi-structured interviews to gain their views on friendship and belonging in schools. Three groups of parents, TAs, SENCos and allied education professionals engaged in action research to examine these views, their own views and values and those of disabled young people in their families and schools in order to better understand the sensitivities and subtleties of successful social inclusion and to consider change to whole school practice. The limitations that non-disabled adults unwittingly ‘construct’ that act as barriers to friendship and social inclusion were explicitly recognised in this interpretive research as a contribution to informing practice and theory in this domain. Paper One focuses on the views of young people and the meaning and importance they placed on friendship and social relationships in their lives. Findings included that young people in specialist and mainstream setting highly valued friendships but that sustaining friendships in the wider community was often problematic for those participants who attended schools outside their local community. This mainly affected the specialist setting students but was also recognised as an issue by some of the mainstream parents who lived outside the catchment area. Findings also revealed that young people gained their sense of belonging from the positive relationships they formed with TAs and teachers as well as friends. In order for friendship and positive social inclusion to develop, however, participants required schools to provide a supportive environment of accessible rooms, doors and lifts and adults who trusted them to have the competency and agency to manage their social times and spaces with choice and autonomy. The issue of ‘surplus visibility’ was highlighted by disabled young people who spoke of an experience of school where lack of choice concerning where and with whom to spend break times limited their friendship opportunities and sense of well-being and inclusion. This was compounded by an expectation of compliance by adults and automatic assumption of their belonging to a disabled group despite differences of sex, gender or common interests. The participants valued genuine connection through humour, interests and social support and were active in seeking private time for talking with friends. Schools that provided a range of highly social or quieter, more private, locations for students were highly valued. Paper Two describes using these views as stimulus for action research to bring about change towards improved social inclusion. Groups of parents, senior management, SENCos, TAs and other education professionals met formally three times over a four month period. These groups examined vignettes selected from data from paper one, engaged in debate and discussions, interviewed disabled young people themselves, formulated key concept maps leading to revised theoretical frameworks, reflected and evaluated the process of the action research and considered practice change or further research. This stage was a continued process of seeking to hear authentic voices, in depth discussion and reflection on what we were learning from disabled young people combined with our own knowledge, values, and beliefs. This led to the development of conceptual models and practical change intentions to promote social inclusion. Intentions to change included •Developing alternative social rooms with minimal TA presence •Including disabled young people in TA selection processes •Involving parents in reviewing the school inclusion policy •Establishing a regular parents’ support group •A commitment to keep listening to young people’s voices and preferences on key matters rather than ‘assuming that we already know!’ •Lengthening the lunch break in the specialist setting to ensure time for socialising and friendship building These commitments to change demonstrated that schools were able to engage successfully in the action research process, valued parents’contributions further and were willing to change practice towards greater social inclusion of disabled young people and parents.

Este estudo utiliza contribuições de diferentes campos do conhecimento, para compreender o universo de sentidos que determinam as práticas sociais em relação às pessoas que têm dificuldade nas habilidades intelectuais. O construcionismo social e a perspectiva ecológica foram as bases para discutir o constructo deficiência intelectual. A abordagem de gestão social nas políticas públicas foi utilizada para refletir em relação à administração pública numa óptica não hegemônica, em que o interesse público está em primeiro lugar e a dimensão social do desenvolvimento é parte integrante e essencial da atividade econômica. A investigação teve como objetos de estudo: 1) as construções discursivas acerca da deficiência intelectual; 2) os discursos sobre políticas públicas, para identificar tendências e implicações das formas de compreensão a respeito da deficiência intelectual. Do ponto de vista metodológico, a análise do discurso francesa foi a base do dispositivo analítico construído para analisar as formações discursivas. Foram selecionadas e analisadas quatro definições de deficiência e onze de deficiência intelectual. Nos discursos que definem o constructo deficiência, como categoria ampla, constatou-se que os sentidos estão associados ao modelo social que considera a deficiência como resultado de fatores relacionados às características da pessoa e do ambiente no qual está inserida. No entanto, em relação ao constructo deficiência intelectual, ainda há vários discursos que remetem às premissas do modelo médico, o qual considera a deficiência como um problema individual que exige capacidade de adaptação a situações e desafios da vida cotidiana. As significações atreladas ao modelo social se fazem presentes, mas não são prevalentes. Nas construções discursivas de nove policymakers, foram analisadas concepções com relação à deficiência intelectual; assim como elementos relacionados aos processos políticos de formulação de políticas públicas. Os resultados apontam vários sentidos associados ao modelo social da deficiência, o que revela uma tendência a se considerar o papel da sociedade e do Estado na construção de uma cultura inclusiva, em termos de serviços públicos. Porém há diferenças acentuadas na forma como esses sentidos se constroem e se articulam. Ao mesmo tempo em que há referência à Convenção Internacional dos Direitos das Pessoas com Deficiência, de 2006, que é um marco do modelo social, há também vários sentidos associados ao modelo médico/reabilitador. O fato de alguns sentidos serem incorporados não significa abandono imediato de outros sentidos conflitantes. Tal fato revela um processo de apropriação de discursos a respeito da deficiência, que ocorre de forma gradativa em direção ao modelo social. Nos discursos dos entrevistados, foram encontradas marcas dos discursos da funcionalidade, da diversidade, das capacidades, as quais revelam sentidos em construção e em disputa. Em relação às tendências em políticas públicas, foram mais recorrente sentidos relacionados à abordagem de direitos humanos. / This study utilizes contributions from different fields of knowledge to understand the universe of meanings that determine the social practices related to persons who face difficulties in intellectual abilities. Social constructionism and the ecological perspective were the basis to discuss intellectual disability as a construct. The approach of social management in public policies was used to think over the public administration in a non-hegemonic viewpoint, in which the public interest comes first and the social dimension of development is a key and integral part of the economic activity. The investigation took as objects of study: 1) the discursive constructions about intellectual disability; 2) the discourses on public policies to identify tendencies and implications of the ways of comprehending intellectual disability. From the methodological perspective, the French analysis of discourse was the basis for the analytical device devised to analyze the discursive formations. Four definitions of disability and eleven definitions of intellectual disability were selected and analyzed. In the discourses defining the construct of disability, as a broad category, I have found that the meanings are associated with the social model that considers disability as the result of factors related to personal characteristics and the environment which a person is a part of. However, regarding the construct of intellectual disability, there are still several discourses referred to the assumptions of the medical model, which takes disability as an individual problem demanding capacity to adapt to situations and challenges of everyday life. The significances linked to the social model are present but they do not prevail. In the discursive constructions by nine policymakers, conceptions were analyzed in reference to intellectual disability; as well as elements related to the political processes involved in the making of public policies. The results point to several meanings associated with the social model of disability, which reveals a tendency of considering the role of society and the State in the construction of an inclusive culture in terms of public services. But there are sharp differences in the way these meanings are built and intertwined. While there is reference to the 2006 International Convention on the Rights for People with Disabilities, which is a landmark for the social model, there are also several meanings associated with the medical/rehabilitating model. The fact that some meanings are absorbed does not mean that other conflicting meanings are immediately abandoned. Such fact reveals a process of appropriation of discourses on disability, which happens gradually towards the social model. In the discourse of the interviewees, marks were found of functionality, diversity, capacities, as they reveal meanings under construction and being disputed. In relation to the tendencies in public policies, meanings associated with the human rights approach were more persistent.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Globally, and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa the advent of HIV and AIDS has created new inequalities within already challenged health care systems. Chronic illnesses have often been associated with increased prevalence of psychological symptoms. Both national and international studies have found a strong association between psychiatric morbidity and HIV and AIDS. Furthermore, studies have found that social support contributes to positive adjustment of individuals infected with HIV and provides a buffer against the effects of anxiety. The aim of this study was therefore to examine anxiety and social support in adults diagnosed with HIV or AIDS at a public health clinic in the Western Cape. The objectives in relation to the aim were: (1) To determine the prevalence of anxiety in adults diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. (2) To determine the degree of social support, as a component of quality of life,in adults diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. (3) To examine the relationship between anxiety and social support in adults diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. The broad theoretical framework that guides this study is the bio-psycho-social model. A cross-sectional design was used in which 70 participants were recruited using a purposive sampling method. Participants were assessed using well-validated self-administered questionnaires: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale(HADS) and Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q). Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.1. Correlational and inferential statistics were conducted. The findings of this study indicated that participants in this study had higher levels of anxiety (28%) when compared to the general population (15.8%). Participants in this study, indicated a 59% enjoyment and satisfaction with social support, which indicates satisfaction with social support some of the time. There was however no significant relationship between anxiety and social support in this study. HIV intervention efforts should include screening HIV positive individuals for the presence of psychiatric symptoms. Interventions should also include encouraging HIV positive individuals to maintain and expand their social networks.

Legislation concerning California residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) requires recipients of services to be treated as independent individuals while emphasizing self-determination. At the same time, under regulatory procedures, recipients are considered dependent on the delivered services and not self-determinant. Neither the California Department of Developmental Services nor the trade associations representing community service providers have established a unified, systematic practice to support self-determination. This phenomenological study explored the experience of adults with ID/DD working toward self-determination. Specifically, it explored how medical and social models contribute to shaping and actualizing the independence of this population. Interviews with eight adults with ID/DD explored the perceived barriers to, and opportunities for, achieving independence through self-determination. Under the current statutory regulations, the study viewed two conceptual lenses. The first lens, social role valorization, is based on the study of normalization. The second lens, social reaction, emphasizes a response to the disparities that acknowledge the political, cultural, and social beliefs associated with theories of deviance and social role valorization. The findings demonstrated that self-determination requires collaboration between coordinated services, primary social systems, and theoretical services supporting social role value. The discovery of these key elements may help California's disability service system fulfill legislative requirements to increase opportunities for personal choice.

<p>Disability in South African labour law is reduced to incapacity. An evaluation of disability and incapacity was made to advocate a clear conceptual break between the two concepts. Also, that disability should be grounded in a social model paradigm of disability which was a materialist critique of how capitalism constructs disability. To enhance the analysis discourse analysis was employed to illustrate how language, ideology and power sustained the notion of disability in capitalist society. A comparative analysis was made drawing on American disability jurisprudence and Canadian disability jurisprudence to illustrate the difference in approach between the two legal systems with a suggestion that the Canadian approach was better suited to the development of a South African disability law. And the development of South African disability law it was argued would benefit if a legal construction of disability was crafted to deal with the obstacles that disabled people encounter in the work-place.</p>

<p>Disability in South African labour law is reduced to incapacity. An evaluation of disability and incapacity was made to advocate a clear conceptual break between the two concepts. Also, that disability should be grounded in a social model paradigm of disability which was a materialist critique of how capitalism constructs disability. To enhance the analysis discourse analysis was employed to illustrate how language, ideology and power sustained the notion of disability in capitalist society. A comparative analysis was made drawing on American disability jurisprudence and Canadian disability jurisprudence to illustrate the difference in approach between the two legal systems with a suggestion that the Canadian approach was better suited to the development of a South African disability law. And the development of South African disability law it was argued would benefit if a legal construction of disability was crafted to deal with the obstacles that disabled people encounter in the work-place.</p>

Learners with Asperger's Syndrome are educated in inclusive education settings. As a result of the recent trend of `inclusion' all teachers may be required to educate all learners in their regular classrooms. This research attempted to explore the nature of Asperger's Syndrome as well as inclusive education in order to develop practical guidelines for teachers of learners with Asperger's Syndrome in regular schools. The interview responses of eight parents of learners with Asperger's Syndrome as well as the observation of these learners are reported. The results of the interviews and observations, were corroborated with the literature study in order to outline guidelines which would ensure that teachers will cater for the needs of these learners and support their inclusion in the inclusive settings successfully. Results of this study indicated that knowledge of Asperger's Syndrome and guidelines for accommodating the impairments of these learners is the first step towards successful inclusion. / Educational Studies / Thesis (M. Ed.)

Rubim, Linda Silva Oliveira ver Rubim, Lindinalva Silva Oliveira / Submitted by Fatima Cleômenis Botelho Maria (botelho@ufba.br) on 2014-12-13T12:47:18Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert_BotelhoMFC_v.final[27.10.14].pdf: 2268253 bytes, checksum: 105f00d70d5f7a2d0bd68242c03f5f74 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Fatima Cleômenis Botelho Maria (botelho@ufba.br) on 2014-12-13T12:49:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert_BotelhoMFC_v.final[27.10.14].pdf: 2268253 bytes, checksum: 105f00d70d5f7a2d0bd68242c03f5f74 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-13T12:49:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissert_BotelhoMFC_v.final[27.10.14].pdf: 2268253 bytes, checksum: 105f00d70d5f7a2d0bd68242c03f5f74 (MD5) / Este trabalho focaliza o acesso à informação por pessoas com deficiência em bibliotecas universitárias, especificamente nas bibliotecas do Sistema Universitário de Bibliotecas da Universidade Federal da Bahia (SIBI/UFBA), objetivando investigar o papel mediador exercido por essas bibliotecas e profissionais bibliotecários que nelas atuam. A pesquisa teve como pressuposto, a ausência significativa desses usuários nas bibliotecas e se deteve no atendimento praticado pelo Serviço de Referência (SR) de duas bibliotecas: a Biblioteca Universitária Reitor Macedo Costa (BRUMC) e a Biblioteca Universitária de Saúde (BUS). A fundamentação teórica partiu dos Disability Studies (Estudos sobre Deficiência), formulados por teóricos britânicos da década de 1960, cujos conceitos estruturaram os movimentos pelos direitos das pessoas com deficiência, intensificados mundialmente. Apresenta o Modelo Social da Deficiência, bem como os aspectos históricos relacionados à problemática da deficiência, abordando questões relativas ao preconceito, segregação e direitos humanos. Aborda também o conceito de mediação da informação, a importância do SR e sua prática relacionada às competências em informação, dos profissionais bibliotecários. Efetuou-se uma pesquisa exploratória, com intuito de conhecer a relação que a biblioteca universitária tem com seus usuários com deficiência, visando contribuir para o aperfeiçoamento desse atendimento. Utilizou-se a entrevista como instrumento de coleta de dados, tendo em vista não apenas o tamanho da amostra, como também às características subjetivas das questões formuladas, que revelaram o caráter essencialmente qualitativo da pesquisa. Os resultados foram obtidos mediante a análise das respostas de dois grupos de bibliotecários do SIBI/UFBA: o primeiro formado pelos bibliotecários gestores e o segundo pelos que atuam no SR. Esses resultados comprovaram os pressupostos iniciais da pesquisa, constatando a ausência de usuários com deficiência nas bibliotecas e também a inexistência de políticas institucionais direcionadas ao atendimento dessas pessoas nas bibliotecas do SIBI/UFBA. Os resultados apontam também para a necessidade de uma discussão mais aprofundada sobre a deficiência e sobre a mediação direcionada a esse público. Sugere-se que mudanças na formação dos profissionais bibliotecários são necessárias, além da elaboração de políticas e ações, por parte do SIBI/UFBA, que permitam maior aproximação como esse público específico. / This study focuses on access to information by people with disabilities in university libraries, specifically in the library system of the Federal University of Bahia (SIBI/UFBA). The objective is to investigate the mediating role performed by these libraries and professional librarians who work in them. The research was based on the significant absence of these users in libraries and has been engaged in the observation of the service given by Service Reference (SR) of two libraries: Reitor Macedo Costa University Library and University Library of Health. The theoretical foundation came from Disability Studies, formulated by British theorists of the 1960s, whose concepts have structured the movement for the rights of people with disabilities, intensified worldwide. Displays the Social Model of Disability, as well as the historical aspects related to the disability, addressing issues of preconception, segregation and human rights. Also addresses the concept of mediation of information, the importance of the SR and practice related to information literacy, of librarians. We conducted a exploratory research, in order to know the relationship that the university library has with its users with disabilities to contribute to the improvement of this service. We used the interview as an instrument of data collection, considering not only the sample size, but also the subjective characteristics of the questions, which show the essentially qualitative nature of the research. Results were obtained by analyzing the responses of two groups of librarians SIBI/UFBA: the first formed by the managers and the second by librarians who work in SR. These results confirmed the initial assumptions of the research, noting the absence of users with disabilities in libraries and also the lack of institutional policies focused on serving these people in the SIBI/UFBA libraries. The results also point to the need for further discussion on disability and on mediation aimed at these users. It is suggested that changes in the education of librarians are needed, in addition to the development of policies and actions by the SIBI / UFBA, enabling closer approach to that specific public.