More than pictures : who sets the agenda for sexuality education for people with learning disabilities?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on Cameron and Matthews’ paper “More than pictures: developing an accessible resource”. Design/methodology/approach – It reflects on how much people with learning disabilities are involved in research and resource development and how the attitudes of caregivers impact on how people learn about sexuality. Findings – Most published research is written by people who do not have learning disabilities but people with learning disabilities are taking part in research and they are making changes to the way things happen. Parents, educators and caregivers are often reluctant to discuss sexuality with people with learning disabilities and this affects how much people can understand about it. Originality/value – This paper argues for greater involvement of people with learning disabilities in research processes. Keywords Human rights, Co-production, Inclusion, Sexuality, Accessibility, Social construct Paper type Viewpoin

Allothunnus fallai Serventy:A new record for Australian waters

The capture of two specimens of Allothunnus fallai Serventy in Pirates Bay, Tasmania, constitutes the first record of this rare tuna in Australian waters. Four of these tuna have been taken from waters within latitudes 43 and 44 S, Biometrical data are given of two fish

Responding to the needs of people who have learning disabilities and have been raped : co-prooduction in action

Purpose The paper discusses a project that explored why mainstream rape support services are still failing to meet the needs of women with learning disabilities. Principles of co-production and action learning enabled a group of women, including women with learning disabilities, to share knowledge and skills and develop easy-read information leaflets. Design/methodology/approach The project included representatives from a University, a Third sector Organisation and a Rape Crisis Centre. Action learning methods were used to bring together a broad range of experience and expertise. The project was co-led by a woman with a learning disability and a lecturer in social work with people with learning disabilities. Findings Three organisations had been toiling with a similar issue, that of responses to women with learning disabilities who had been raped. Each had previously examined the problem from their own perspective. An action learning process enabled them to explore the issues from a range of experiences, sharing knowledge and expertise and enabling them to begin to develop better service responses. Co-production of knowledge highlights competing priorities in and between organisations. It can also provide the means of managing these tensions. Social implications The project demonstrates the importance of co-production. By working together each organisation learned about the needs of the other. This resulted in shared understanding of the barriers experienced by women with learning disabilities who experience rape and of the challenges experienced by workers who aim to support them. This shared understanding enabled the Action Learning Set to develop bespoke training and literature. Originality value All of the participants shared the goal of developing more accessible services for women with learning disabilities who had experienced rape. The project included people with learning disabilities from inception. It was based on expressed need of a group of women with learning disabilities who had been raped and experienced other forms of domestic violence. The project demonstrates the importance of working with people with learning disabilities in order to develop services that truly meet their needs. Key words Learning disability, action-learning, easy -read information, domestic violence, co-production, organisational identity

‘Is it because I’m gormless?’ A commentary on "Narrative therapy in a learning disability context : a review"

The purpose of this paper is to reflect on “Narrative therapy in a learning disability context : a review." This commentary reflects on the use of Narrative therapy and considers it in a wider context of assisting people with learning disabilities to develop self-understanding. The commentary makes connections between the use of narrative therapy and narrative approaches to research reporting. The use of Narrative therapy can assist in the development of positive personal stories for individuals with learning disabilities. Case study research provides a useful reference point from which to base future work. Reporting of case studies sometimes omits data that might be useful for others attempting to replicate findings. This paper highlights the need for authors to ensure that the ‘small details’ are included in research reporting. A narrative approach, rich in detail of research participants might enable authors to tell a thicker story, thus improving generalisability

Persistence of drift pumice in southern Australasian waters

Drift pumice from the 1962 South Sandwich Islands eruption was observed to persist in Southern Australasian waters five and a half years after its eruption and over four years after its first appearance in these waters. Mostly fine pumice gravels and sands have been stranded since early 1965. Regular surface plankton hauls in Mercury Passage, east Tasmania, in the past two years indicated a number of influxes of the pumice into eastern Tasmanian waters. It is postulated that these influxes probably largely represent material recycled from earlier standings, although some pumice may have arrived from continuous indirect drift. As yet there is no evidence to discount the possibility of circum-Antarctic circulation of some of the pumice, before stranding