Intimate relationships and persons with learning disability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on the paper “Supporting people with learning disabilities to make and maintain intimate relationships”.peer-reviewe

Constructing sexual identities : people with intellectual disability talking about sexuality

This paper presented research undertaken in collaboration with a self-advocacy group using inclusive research methods and puts forward the views of people with intellectual disability on the topics of sexuality and relationships. The paper presents the perceptions of sexuality of the people with intellectual disability and how these are influenced by social and cultural norms. Using Judith Butler’s concept of performativity, the analysis of the findings shows how some people with intellectual disability accept the sexual norms that are ascribed to them, while others resist them. The paper also shows how the inclusive research process itself enabled the people with intellectual disability who took part to articulate their acceptance or resistance of these norms.peer-reviewe

Disability and parenting : the experiences of four women with disability

Women with disability are said to experience double discrimination, and their role as mothers augments their experiences of disablement. This qualitative research explores the intertwining and complex factors that emerge from the narratives of four disabled mothers in a Maltese cultural context. Interviews were conducted with four mothers who have different impairments. The findings from the narratives are presented using a life course approach. In the analysis of the data, social factors were found to impinge on the experiences of mothers with disability to a greater extent than impairment-related factors. These social factors comprise the immediate support networks of each mother, as well as wider cultural factors pertaining to being a mother with disability in Malta. The responses of the four mothers to these factors the stigma and misconceptions about the inability of disabled women to be mothers while at the same time, particularly mothering.peer-reviewe

Peer-led training on disability rights research project

This report is being produced in the context of the Peer-Led Training on Disability Rights Project, a research study commissioned by Aġenzija Sapport and supported by the Department of Disability Studies within the Faculty for Social Wellbeing at the University of Malta. This project aims to pilot a developing rights-based approach to disability, by devising disability rights training for service users and measuring its effects. The specific objectives of the project are : (a) Training (2) persons with intellectual disability in disability (PWIDs) rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (b) Producing accessible information for the training together with the same PWIDs (within working groups); (c) Passing on the above-mentioned training to other persons with ID through peer led education; (d) Reporting findings of the process and documenting them. The report is structured thus: - Chapter 1 defines disabilities and explores specific barriers and risks for people with disabilities; - Chapter 2 explores the international, European and national legal frameworks with a particular focus on the safeguards in place for people with disabilities; - Chapter 3 details the methodology employed for data gathering, training delivery and impact assessment. - Chapter 4 analyses the data gathered from the training and research study, including the outputs produced through the project. - Finally, Chapter 5 concludes the report and provides recommendations for future initiativespeer-reviewe

Persons with autism and persons with ADHD : the need to understand and improve services for families in Malta

Persons diagnosed with autism, or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are often reported to perform significantly low in overall wellbeing when compared to their neurotypical counterparts (van Heijst & Geurts, 2015; Meier et al., 2011). With active participation in society considered to be a key factor surrounding wellbeing (Askari et al., 2015), it comes as no surprise therefore that the reduced levels of involvement reported in areas such as social engagement, education, and leisure may be major contributors to this (Deserno et al, 2016). Over the years, Malta has made considerable shifts towards the recognition of certain rights when it comes to disability, although negative attitudes still exist, both from the general public, as well as professionals (Cardona, 2013). This study therefore sought to understand the experiences of those living with autism and/or ADHD in the local scenario, looking into how current support structures impact their livelihood. Using a mixed-method approach involving quantitative and qualitative data collection strategies, this study sought to highlight insider voices, attempting to ‘take stock’ of the status of the evidence base, listening to the voices of those concerned and their experiences with local services and within the wider local community as a whole, identifying any gaps in services or data along the way. The findings of this study indicate that locally, persons living with autism and/or ADHD, encounter challenges throughout their development from children into adulthood which considerably impact their performance and consequently their wellbeing. A number of areas for development were identified. The services surrounding the attainment of a diagnosis for instance, were found to be typically carried out professionally in the case of those flagged at early years, however, were severely lacking when it came to adults. Moreover, a vast majority (80%) of adult service user participants in the study had received their diagnosis during adulthood, exposing a local picture where diagnoses are not being made early enough, leading to individuals facing foundation schooling and critical years without the necessary support. Although services users who are being diagnosed as adults may have faced a different situation when they were of school age, since these conditions were less known and there was less awareness, nevertheless, caregivers are still reporting that there are instances where they know that there is a condition but find it hard to access a diagnosis as they are told to wait until the child is older. Support services and referrals for treatment offered following diagnosis were also found to be severely lacking, with 91% of service user respondents and 6 82% of caregiver participants not having received any services or information after receiving their diagnosis. Encouraging achievements within the educational and employment realm were observed, however areas for improvement still remain, with finding indicating this may be more so the case for those living with autism. Levels of dissatisfaction with services were reported across large numbers of participants with the highest ranked dissatisfaction expressed towards how well services were connected amongst each other, followed by access to services following diagnosis. Several lamented long waiting lists, lack of trained professionals and infrequency and inconsistency across public services provided. In addition to this, over 70% of participants reported being dissatisfied with the prospects for lifelong fulfilment, accompanied by concerns about services not catering for different age groups, particularly adolescence and even more so adulthood. These findings were also echoed in data gathered from service providers, who in the larger part, shared that there were waiting lists associated with the provision of their services – in some cases, of even more than 13 months. A review of the services provided amongst participating service providers also reflected the critical reduction in services available for adults when compared to younger ages. Amongst service providers, the largest challenge in offering services both for ASD and ADHD was lack of trained professionals. These include a range of services, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, behaviour specialists, health and educational services as well as social services, amongst others. Over the years, valuable developments have been achieved when it comes to Malta catering for the needs of all of its citizens, including those living with ADHD or ASD. The views and experiences discussed in this study have brought several commendations for milestones reached and have also highlighted several others that still need to be worked as a society towards. Ultimately, awareness and understanding across the different strata and branches of society is at the base of making these developments possible. The study concludes with a list of recommendations proposed for the enhanced wellbeing of those living with these conditions and society at large. These include, amongst others, recommendations for policy, such as the creation of a one-stop shop for provision of services, the introduction of quiet rooms in places such as hospitals and schools, the incentivising of youngsters to undertake studies related to disability in order to enrich the local pool of professionals, and the involvement of diagnosed individuals in decision-making processes. Recommendations for further research are also laid out, such as investigating gender differences related to ASD and ADHD, where females are typically underdiagnosed, or further examining the findings of this study by looking into ASD and ADHD separately to bring more insight into, for instance, findings related to the educational and employment attainments for these groupsnon peer-reviewe

Positive parenting project

It is increasingly urgent to address issue around parenting. The family remains a fundamental loop in the wellbeing of society. I am a strong believer that healthy communities are founded on happy families, ‘happiness’ in the widest sense of the word. The Faculty has at its core a Department focused on family studies and most probably all cater for this segment of society. In fact, this study which circumvents on issues related to positive parenting amongst persons with disability is spearheaded by the academics of the Department of Disability Studies. This study is not only about the collection of empirically based data but also an opportunity to politicise this crucial issue. The work put into this project by the academics and administrators is second to none and shows not only the dynamism of this Faculty but the eclectic skill-set we embrace in this Faculty community.peer-reviewe

Sexuality and intimate relationships for people with learning disability in Malta: realities and potentials

Sexuality is an area in which people with learning disability are disabled by social attitudes. Stereotypical views about the sexuality of people with learning disability range from asexuality, implying that they have no erotic or romantic inclinations, to hyper-sexuality which reinforces institutionalized sex segregation through the process of social exclusion. In Malta all these influences contribute to hinder the rights and the quality of life of people with learning disability. The theory of the social model of disability underpins the research aims, while reflecting discourses of equality and rights. The research aims at giving a better understanding of the sexual lives of people with learning disability in a Maltese context, whilst eliciting the opinions and beliefs of people with learning disability themselves, their parents and their service providers. Qualitative data, collected from people with learning disability, their parents and service providers is interpreted using phenomenological analysis. A sex education intervention pilot project is also run as part of the research, being informed by the findings of the same research. Findings identify ideologies, highlight missing structures and illustrate feasible future strategies. They reveal a lack of community support and emphasise the need of platforms where people with learning disability can form and maintain friendships and relationships. The dearth of any adequate form of sex education currently available for people with learning disability across Malta as well as the lacuna in policies related to sexuality, and particularly referring to the sexuality of people with learning disability is also uncovered. Recommendations reflecting findings from the main research study and the pilot project mainly target the necessity of sex education, policies and procedures surrounding sexuality in the context of people with learning disability in services across the islands

Sexuality and intimate relationships for people with learning disability in Malta : realities and potentials

Sexuality is an area in which people with learning disability are disabled by social attitudes. Stereotypical views about the sexuality of people with learning disability range from asexuality, implying that they have no erotic or romantic inclinations, to hyper-sexuality which reinforces institutionalized sex segregation through the process of social exclusion. In Malta all these influences contribute to hinder the rights and the quality of life of people with learning disability. The theory of the social model of disability underpins the research aims, while reflecting discourses of equality and rights. The research aims at giving a better understanding of the sexual lives of people with learning disability in a Maltese context, whilst eliciting the opinions and beliefs of people with learning disability themselves, their parents and their service providers. Qualitative data, collected from people with learning disability, their I' parents and service providers is interpreted using phenomenological analysis. A sex education intervention pilot project is also run as part of the research, being informed by the findings of the same research. Findings identify ideologies, highlight missing structures and illustrate feasible future strategies. They reveal a lack of community support and emphasise the need of platforms where people with learning disability can form and maintain friendships and relationships. The dearth of any adequate form of sex education currently available for people with learning disability across Malta as well as the lacuna in policies related to sexuality, and particularly referring to the sexuality of people with learning disability is also uncovered. Recommendations reflecting findings from the main research study and the pilot project mainly target the necessity of sex education, policies and procedures surrounding sexuality in the context of people with learning disability in services across the islands.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Sexuality and intimate relationships for people with learning disability in Malta : realities and potentials

Sexuality is an area in which people with learning disability are disabled by social attitudes. Stereotypical views about the sexuality of people with learning disability range from asexuality, implying that they have no erotic or romantic inclinations, to hyper-sexuality which reinforces institutionalized sex segregation through the process of social exclusion. In Malta all these influences contribute to hinder the rights and the quality of life of people with learning disability. The theory of the social model of disability underpins the research aims, while reflecting discourses of equality and rights. The research aims at giving a better understanding of the sexual lives of people with learning disability in a Maltese context, whilst eliciting the opinions and beliefs of people with learning disability themselves, their parents and their service providers. Qualitative data, collected from people with learning disability, their I' parents and service providers is interpreted using phenomenological analysis. A sex education intervention pilot project is also run as part of the research, being informed by the findings of the same research. Findings identify ideologies, highlight missing structures and illustrate feasible future strategies. They reveal a lack of community support and emphasise the need of platforms where people with learning disability can form and maintain friendships and relationships. The dearth of any adequate form of sex education currently available for people with learning disability across Malta as well as the lacuna in policies related to sexuality, and particularly referring to the sexuality of people with learning disability is also uncovered. Recommendations reflecting findings from the main research study and the pilot project mainly target the necessity of sex education, policies and procedures surrounding sexuality in the context of people with learning disability in services across the islands.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Systematic review : legislation, policies, strategies & guidelines relating to disability in Malta

This Disability Systemic Review is another building block that provides us with a clearer picture of the data. In this repository we are seeking to further our knowledge in this field of study. ‘Disability’ is a very complex issue and these last 20 years has received a great deal of attention. The development and expansion of services needs to be commensurate with the knowledge base that we need to develop so that we can be in a better position to offer social policy recommendations. As a Faculty in collaboration with CRPD we are walking the talk and finding ways how to democratise our knowledge. Taking our data back to the community so that it serves as a way of resolving issues is what academic and our alma mater is about. The commitment of our academics, administrators and research support officers in this endeavour is second to none. We manage to produce so much data because we are not shy to work together and navigate around each other’s differences to produce high quality knowledge.peer-reviewe