Darren Chadwick

Internet Access by People with Intellectual Disabilities: Inequalities and Opportunities

This review gives an overview of the societal inequalities faced by people with intellectual disabilities, before focusing specifically on challenges people face accessing the Internet. Current access will be outlined along with the societal, support and attitudinal factors that can hinder access. Discussion of carer views of Internet use by people with intellectual disabilities will be covered incorporating consideration of the tension between protection, self-determination and lifestyle issues and gaining Internet access. We will address how impairment related factors may impede access and subsequently discuss how supports may be used to obfuscate impairments and facilitate access. We will move on from this to critically describe some of the potential benefits the Internet could provide to people with intellectual disabilities, including the potential for self-expression, advocacy and developing friendships. Finally, strategies to better include people with intellectual disabilities online will be given along with future research suggestions.

Adherence to Eating and Drinking Guidelines for Adults With Intellectual Disabilities and Dysphagia

The extent to which 40 individuals with intellectual disabilities and dysphagia and their caregivers adhered to speech and language pathology dysphagia guidelines was evaluated. These individuals were observed having a meal across four settings. In addition to monitoring overall adherence, guidelines were split into separate sections corresponding to consistency modification of food and drinks, physical positioning, use of equipment and utensils, and support and prompting recommendations. Adherence to speech and language pathology recommendations was generally high, particularly regarding consistency modification that can help reduce the risks of aspiration and asphyxiation. Significant differences in adherence were found across settings, across type of guidelines, and between people who were fed by caregivers and those who fed themselves.

Family voices: life for family carers of people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland.

BACKGROUND Families in Ireland remain the main providers of support for people with Intellectual disabilities, and the aim of this study was to map their life experiences whilst involving their family members as co-researchers. MATERIALS AND METHOD This qualitative, participatory study involved 10 focus groups attended by 70 parents and siblings of people with intellectual disabilities. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Caring for a family member with intellectual disabilities was found to be a dynamic and adaptive process. The well-being of the family and the challenges they face throughout their lives was the central theme identified. This was affected by: the availability of appropriate supports for families and having to advocate for them, communication and relationships with services and professionals, the availability of information and attitudes towards disability and governmental support. CONCLUSIONS Strategies are suggested as to how services can better support family carers in Ireland in their role. These include families being provided with flexible and timely support for families at critical times; being offered services, support, entitlements and information without having to fight for them; knowing that their family member with intellectual disabilities is well cared for, listened to and provided with opportunities to develop and be part of the community; and carers being shown respect, listened to and involved in decisions.

Fighting fit? An evaluation of health practitioner input to improve healthy living and reduce obesity for adults with learning disabilities

People with learning disabilities are at high risk of obesity and consequent health risks. This study aimed to (1) describe levels of obesity for adults supported by learning disability services, and to (2) evaluate the effectiveness of health practitioner input with individuals with learning disabilities. Body mass index (BMI) was measured at 6 month intervals and change in BMI over time was compared between a non-input group and a group receiving practitioner input to improve healthy living. Initially 35 percent of the non-input sample was classified as clinically obese. Mean BMI increased over time for the non-input group at first, but decreased for the group that received practitioner input. The differences in weight change between the two groups reached statistical significance with a greater weight reduction in the input group. Implications for service provision are discussed.

Healthy lifestyles for adults with intellectual disability: Knowledge, barriers, and facilitators

Abstract Background People with intellectual disability (ID) are more likely to have health problems than people without disability. Little previous research has investigated health from the perspective of the people with ID themselves. We aimed to focus on what people with ID understand being healthy to mean and what their experiences are of healthy lifestyles. Method Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 adults with ID to ask them about their health and healthy lifestyles. Data were analysed thematically. Results Participants demonstrated understanding of what it means to be healthy, have a healthy diet, the dangers of substance misuse, and the benefits of exercise. Participants demonstrated some knowledge about rationales for engaging in healthy behaviours. The idea of moderation was raised, along with barriers and facilitators to engaging in a healthy lifestyle. Conclusions Findings suggest that people with ID demonstrate some understanding of what constitutes being healthy and are aware of healthy lifestyles, the consequences of unhealthy behaviours, and of the need for moderation.

Following up fighting fit: the long-term impact of health practitioner input on obesity and BMI amongst adults with intellectual disabilities.

This article presents findings on the long-term impact of health practitioner input to reduce obesity amongst adults with intellectual disabilities. Body mass index (BMI) was measured for an input group (N = 33) and a comparison group (N = 40) 6 years after the input group first received input. Data on BMI were collected at baseline, 6 months, 1 year and 6 years. Mean BMI for the input group reduced steadily over 6 years. Mean BMI in the non-input group rose initially, stabilized and then decreased (although remaining higher than at baseline). The input group demonstrated improvements in obesity levels and lost more weight than the non-input group. However, the differences between groups did not reach statistical significance. This and the improvements in BMI within the non-input group may be due to the relatively small sample size, effect size and the impact of other local initiatives.

Digital Inclusion and Disability

In this chapter, we will apply cyberpsychological, psychological, and sociological theories to the issue of inclusion in the online world for people with disabilities, a group of individuals often overlooked within society. The use of technology to communicate has become an essential and socially acceptable aspect of most people’s lives and it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between the “digital world” and the “real world” (Helsper, 2008; Ritchie & Blanck, 2003). Hence, Digital Inclusion is an increasingly important social issue, reflecting imperatives, opportunities, and considerations about human rights, equity, issues of identity, language, social participation, community and civic engagement, and opportunity pertaining to the digital world (Castells, 1997; Warschauer, 2003).

Put on a Smiley Face: Textspeak and Personality Perceptions

With the emergence of Web 2.0, there has been a dramatic surge in user-generated content. Although the Internet provides greater freedom in self-presentation, computer-mediated communication is characterized by a more relaxed attitude to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The language of the Internet, or textspeak, may be suitable for casual interactions but inappropriate in professional contexts. Participant perceptions of an authors personality were tested in two distinct contexts (formal vs. informal) and the written information was manipulated under three levels of textspeak: none, low, and high. Participants judged the author as less conscientious and less open but more emotionally stable when textspeak was used. However, context had no impact. Personality perceptions of textspeak users differ to those who write in Standard English, and this is likely to extend to informal impression management contexts (e.g., online dating). These findings also have a number of implications, for example in terms of screening applicants via social media.

Perceptions of the risks and benefits of Internet access and use by people with intellectual disabilities

Accessible summary Both good and bad things can happen when people use the Internet, and people with learning disabilities are not using the Internet as much as other people. Worry about the bad things that can happen online might be one reason people with learning disabilities are not supported to access the Internet as much as other people. We wanted to find out what people without learning disabilities believe about these good and bad things for people with learning disabilities. We wanted to find this out because the way people without disabilities think about the good and bad things online might affect how people with learning disabilities are treated. We found out that people without learning disabilities think that both the good and bad things are more likely to happen to people with learning disabilities when they use the Internet. Abstract Background: Information and communication technologies, with the Internet at the forefront, have the potential to enhance the knowledge, service, employment, development and social interactional opportunities available to people with intellectual disabilities. Despite this, people with intellectual disabilities are not accessing the Internet to the same degree as people without intellectual disabilities. Issues of safety, risk and protection online for people with intellectual disabilities have yet to be adequately investigated, and these currently serve as reasons given for hindering people from gaining online access. Materials and Method: This survey aimed to gauge the views people without intellectual disabilities have of risks and benefits of using the Internet for themselves and for people with intellectual disabilities and to compare self-ratings of risk and benefits to ratings for people with intellectual disabilities. Results: The survey findings indicate that, with only a small number of exceptions, both the risks and benefits of being online were believed to be greater for people with intellectual disabilities compared with those without intellectual disabilities. Greater use of the Internet was associated with increased perception of benefits to being online for both people with intellectual disabilities and for participants. Conclusions: Perceptions of increased benefits suggest more needs to be performed to improve online access whilst a perception of increased risk may help to explain the reduced inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the online world.

Sexuality in the Therapeutic Relationship: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Gay Therapists

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) clients have reported experiencing heterosexist/homophobic attitudes from heterosexual therapists, but this has seldom been discussed for gay therapists. Such experiences could impact the therapeutic process and a gay therapists willingness to self-disclose their sexuality. Self-disclosure of sexuality can be therapeutically beneficial for LGBTQ or heterosexual clients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven gay male therapists and analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Five themes emerged: affinity for working with LGBTQ clients, heterosexual males’ resistance to the therapeutic process, the impact of homophobia within the therapeutic relationship, empathy through shared humanity, and utilizing therapist sexuality as a tool within the therapeutic relationship.