Christopher Robertson

Satisfaction with educational provision for children with SEN or disabilities: a national postal survey of the views of parents in Great Britain

The success and quality of educational provision for children with SEN and/or disabilities is a matter of considerable debate, with wide differences reported by parents. Extant evidence is limited by sampling bias and size, making the true extent of (dis)satisfaction difficult to gauge. This paper reports systematic, comparative evidence from a factor analysis of a large sample of diverse parents (n = 562) in Great Britain, surveyed on key aspects of provision such as choice of school and influence of attitudinal and environmental factors. In contrast to dominant notions of widespread unhappiness amongst parents, a largely positive view of educational provision was found. Parents of children with psychosocial difficulties in mainstream schools were the main exceptions, being the least satisfied with provision. These findings offer a timely and welcome balance in the highly contentious debate on where and how additional support for children and young people with SEN or disabilities takes place.

The use of ICT by adults with learning disabilities in day and residential services

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by adults with learning disabilities has been positively promoted over the past decade. More recently, policy statements and guidance from the UK government have underlined the importance of ICT for adults with learning disabilities specifically, as well as for the population in general, through the potential it offers for social inclusion. The aim of the present study was to provide a picture of how ICT is currently being used within one organisation providing specialist services for adults with learning disabilities and more specifically to provide a picture of its use in promoting community participation. Nine day and 14 residential services were visited as part of a qualitative study to answer three main questions: What kinds of computer programs are being used? What are they being used for? Does this differ between day and residential services? Computers and digital cameras were used for a wide range of activities and ‘mainstream’ programs were used more widely than those developed for specific user groups. In day services, ICT was often embedded in wider projects and activities, whilst use in houses was based around leisure interests. In both contexts, ICT was being used to facilitate communication, although this was more linked to within-service activities, rather than those external to service provision.

‘Why should I be like bloody Rain Man?!’ Navigating the autistic identity

This article explores the views of six higher education students with autism/Asperger syndrome. The research draws upon social identity theory to explore how participants made meaning of their label. There was consensus that information given at the point of diagnosis generally did not reflect their individual experiences. First-hand accounts tended to be perceived as more personally relevant. The ‘Asperger’ identity was generally framed as fragile and inconsistent, leading some individuals to distance themselves from it. This may be problematic for a group that is already disadvantaged and isolated. However, participants conveyed strong self-images regardless of how and whether they identified with their diagnosis, which was attributed to their relative privilege in achieving higher education and therefore experiencing success and achievement related to their personal strengths. In this article, Andrea MacLeod, Ann Lewis and Christopher Robertson, from the University of Birmingham, call for researchers and relevant services to involve autistic individuals directly in fostering a constructive ‘autism identity’.

Autonomy and identity: the need for new dialogues in education and welfare

In this discussion of the relationship between autonomy and disability, Christopher Robertson encourages the reader to re-examine the too readily accepted idea that autonomy should be the goal of life. Importantly, he reminds us that we are all more dependent on others, and on interdependence, than we are willing to acknowledge. Robertson provides useful examples from other cultures and from feminist writing to demonstrate that individualism need not drive society.

Including Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disability in National Assessment: Comparison of Three Country Case Studies through an Inclusive Assessment Framework.

The assessment of educational progress and outcomes of pupils is important to all concerned with education. This includes testing which is undertaken for accountability and award bearing purposes. This article examines how students with special educational needs and disability (SEND) are included in assessment. An “inclusive assessment” framework is outlined based around three core features: (1) all students are included and benefit from assessment; (2) assessments are accessible and appropriate for the diverse range of children in the education system; and (3) the full breadth of the curriculum is assessed (including curriculum areas of particular relevance to students with SEND). Assessment policies and practice in three countries (England, Ireland and the US) are drawn upon to demonstrate how the framework usefully enables between-country comparisons and within-country analysis. This analysis shows that in comparison to Ireland, the US and England have highly developed system-based approaches to assessment which seek to “include all” (feature 1) and be “accessible and appropriate” (feature 2). However, the analysis highlights that a consequence of such assessment approaches is the narrowing of the curriculum around topics that are assessed (most notably literacy and mathematics). Such approaches therefore may be at the expense of wider curriculum areas that have value for all students, but often of particular value for those with SEND (feature 3). It is argued that within such systems there may be a danger of neglecting the third feature of the inclusive assessment framework, i.e. ensuring that the full breadth of the curriculum is assessed. A consequence of such an omission could be a failure to assess and celebrate progress in relation to educational outcomes that are relevant to a diverse range of students.

Email Forum Usage as an Identity Maintenance Strategy for Educators Working with Pupils with Special Educational Needs

The moves towards the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) into mainstream settings places particular responsibilities on SEN educators in these schools, who are charged with both meeting such pupils’ individual needs and promoting more inclusive contexts. The resultant tensions may be reflected in how SEN educators see their professional identities. We studied the determinants of SEN educators’ usage of a professional email forum, one unrestricted support and information mechanism for SEN coordinators. Drawing on social psychological identity theory we predicted the usage of a professional email forum by SEN educators. We hypothesised that particular characteristics of SEN educators, relating to how they regard their professional identity, would predict the usage of the forum. An email forum survey comprising Likert‐style questions to assess identification, prototypicality, and forum usage was completed by 130 SEN educators. We found use of the forum was highest when users felt they were not central members of their professional group, but at the same time this group was important to their identities. We discuss these findings in relation to the policy and practice of educational inclusion.

Work‐related learning for students with significant learning difficulties: relevance and reality

The 14–19 proposals brought work‐related learning to the forefront of educational policy. We look at how the tenets, which underpin them, can be interpreted and applied for students with significant learning difficulties. We examine the nature of vocational or work‐related learning for students with severe and or profound and multiple learning difficulties as currently reported by schools in England. Its relevance for this group of learners is discussed in the light of the proposals and we consider the reality of current practice in relation to the slippery concept of vocational learning. Finally, we reflect on important recent policy commitments relevant to our research, but published after its completion, outlined in the White Paper 14–19 education and skills. We note and welcome its explicit consideration of the needs of students with significant learning difficulties. At the same time we remain concerned and perturbed about its affirmation of educational aims that are narrowly conceived in relation to an economic imperative.

Organisational Factors in the Use and Implementation of ICT in Day Services for Adults with Learning Disabilities

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming a part of everyday life for many adults with learning disabilities. However, there is scant information available about what factors are important for using ICT in post-formal educational contexts with adults with learning disabilities. Eight Day Services within one organisation were visited to observe activities and interview staff and service users about ICT, which included use of personal computers, digital cameras and the Internet. Three main levels of ICT use and implementation were identified as well as a number of organisational factors associated with the regular use of ICT resources. Staff beliefs about ICT, the management and organisation of staffing and clear ideas about the purpose of ICT were important factors in addition to the basic requirements of providing resources and training. These factors are useful in guiding practitioners towards implementing and using ICT and highlight the importance of the context within which ICT use takes place. The provision of hardware, software and training are not sufficient by themselves to guarantee good use of ICT and careful attention needs to be paid to wider influential factors. Sharing of ideas about using ICT resources with adults with learning disabilities is timely in relation to the current policy context of social inclusion, but future development depends on the availability of sustained funding to adequately maintain and update equipment; without this the factors supporting regular ICT use described here will remain isolated and largely irrelevant to many people who could otherwise benefit from the use of ICT resources.

‘Here I come again’: the cost of success for higher education students diagnosed with autism

ABSTRACT This qualitative study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to consult with 16 autistic UK higher education (HE) students about their experiences of success. An in-depth participatory approach encouraged participants to become co-analysts of their data. Participants offered counter-narratives to deficit-based interpretations of autism, giving accounts of making themselves ‘extra-visible’ as autistic in order to assert their rights. The autism diagnosis was perceived both as an aid to self-understanding and a cause of additional barriers. In raising awareness of their own needs, participants contributed to broader understandings of autism within their academic communities, inadvertently becoming educators and role models. The research highlights the extra effort required by autistic students to thrive within higher education and the barriers imposed by current requirements to both pursue formal diagnosis, and to disclose it in order to receive adjustments. The research was novel in its approach and in its focus on success, revealing original findings in relation to the challenges and barriers faced by high-achieving autistic students, and the implications for a more inclusive higher education curriculum and environment are considered.