The usefulness of offering 24/7 online support within a wider mix of professional services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living independently : a qualitative, multiple case study

Service organizations for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) increasingly use telecare applications to improve their services. This study explored the usefulness of offering the 24/7 online support service DigiContact within a broader mix of professional services for people with IDD living independently. We employed a qualitative multiple case study, in which the cases of nine online support users were reconstructed through semistructured interviews with both support users and their case workers. Thematic analysis showed that online support was used as an addition to regular onsite support to enable a more tailor-made delivery of professional supports. Online support can be valuable for its users by increasing the accessibility of professional support and creating opportunities for more self-direction in support

Jewish Studies in the Digital Age: Introduction

Introduction to the (open access) book Jewish Studies in the Digital Age (De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2022). Abstract: As in all fields and disciplines of the humanities, Jewish Studies scholars find themselves confronted with the rapidly increasing availability of digital resources (data), new technologies to interrogate and analyze them (tools), and the question of how to critically engage with these developments. This volume discusses how the digital turn has affected the field of Jewish Studies. It explores the current state of the art and probes how digital developments can be harnessed to address the specific questions, challenges and problems that Jewish Studies scholars confront. In a field characterised by dispersed sources, and heterogeneous scripts and languages that speak to a multitude of cultures and histories, of abundance as well as loss, what is the promise of Digital Humanities methods--and what are the challenges and pitfalls? The articles in this volume were originally presented at the international conference #DHJewish - Jewish Studies in the Digital Age, which was organised at the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at University of Luxembourg in January 2021. The first big international conference of its kind, it brought together more than sixty scholars and heritage practitioners to discuss how the digital turn affects the field of Jewish Studies

The added value of on-demand remote support: Experiences with DigiContact: 24/7 available support for independently living people with intellectual disabilities

Various changes in intellectual disability policies and practices encourage care organizations to look for new ways to provide their services. In their search, organizations often look at the possibilities of technology for shaping their service portfolio. One way in which technology can be used is to organize and deliver support remotely. The Dutch service provider organisation Philadelphia Care Foundation (PCF) developed and implemented the remote support service DigiContact as one component of a broader range of services for independently living people with intellectual disabilities. The service provides support for day-to-day living through video calls or regular (audio-only) telephone calls with a team of specially trained support workers. The service is 24/7 available and its support can be deployed on demand by people with intellectual disabilities themselves: whenever and wherever this is needed. Since the start of DigiContact, PCF has felt the need to monitor and evaluate the service in terms of its quality and usefulness. In this context, a better understanding of what the service can (and cannot) contribute to the lives of people with intellectual disabilities is essential. This thesis aims to gather knowledge regarding the added value of including DigiContact in a broader offer of services for people with intellectual disabilities who live independently in society. Five separate studies were performed that explored mainly the personal experiences of people closely involved in the DigiContact support process: support users (people with intellectual disabilities), their case workers (support workers who provide onsite support and coordinate services around support users), and DigiContact support workers. An inclusive approach to research was adopted, as this was expected to enrich both research processes and findings. This approach was shaped in the form of a collaboration between the PhD candidate and a researcher with intellectual disabilities. The findings of this thesis indicate that including DigiContact in a broader offer of services can be valuable to (supporting) people with intellectual disabilities living in their own homes in society, in several ways. To begin with, DigiContact contributes to more opportunities for providing people with professional and specialized support that is closely aligned with their personal needs and preferences. DigiContact can contribute to more tailor-made professional support by broadening the available support options, by enabling the provision of sufficient support and by enhancing the continuity in the delivery of support. In addition, DigiContact provides a unique entry point for improving people’s functioning and well-being; its support has been found to enlarge the opportunities for making choices and taking decisions, can help to prevent (larger) problems as well as an accumulation of stress, and can play a valuable role in the learning and strengthening of adaptive skills. At the same time, the findings also emphasize that there are limitations to what the DigiContact service can do for its users, and that it is not equally suitable for every person and situation. It is therefore not a ‘one size fits all’ service. The value of DigiContact support seems to lie often in its combination with onsite support (a blended care form), which enables people with intellectual disabilities to make decisions regarding which type of support suits their needs and preferences (in a given situation) best. In this respect, onsite support and DigiContact support can complement each other so that people can benefit from ‘the best of both worlds’. Based on the findings of this thesis, several implications for policy, practice and research are formulated. Although these implications are specifically related to the DigiContact service, they may also be of interest to other remote support initiatives and service organizations who are planning (or considering) to offer remote support

The added value of on-demand remote support: Experiences with DigiContact: 24/7 available support for independently living people with intellectual disabilities

Various changes in intellectual disability policies and practices encourage care organizations to look for new ways to provide their services. In their search, organizations often look at the possibilities of technology for shaping their service portfolio. One way in which technology can be used is to organize and deliver support remotely. The Dutch service provider organisation Philadelphia Care Foundation (PCF) developed and implemented the remote support service DigiContact as one component of a broader range of services for independently living people with intellectual disabilities. The service provides support for day-to-day living through video calls or regular (audio-only) telephone calls with a team of specially trained support workers. The service is 24/7 available and its support can be deployed on demand by people with intellectual disabilities themselves: whenever and wherever this is needed. Since the start of DigiContact, PCF has felt the need to monitor and evaluate the service in terms of its quality and usefulness. In this context, a better understanding of what the service can (and cannot) contribute to the lives of people with intellectual disabilities is essential. This thesis aims to gather knowledge regarding the added value of including DigiContact in a broader offer of services for people with intellectual disabilities who live independently in society. Five separate studies were performed that explored mainly the personal experiences of people closely involved in the DigiContact support process: support users (people with intellectual disabilities), their case workers (support workers who provide onsite support and coordinate services around support users), and DigiContact support workers. An inclusive approach to research was adopted, as this was expected to enrich both research processes and findings. This approach was shaped in the form of a collaboration between the PhD candidate and a researcher with intellectual disabilities. The findings of this thesis indicate that including DigiContact in a broader offer of services can be valuable to (supporting) people with intellectual disabilities living in their own homes in society, in several ways. To begin with, DigiContact contributes to more opportunities for providing people with professional and specialized support that is closely aligned with their personal needs and preferences. DigiContact can contribute to more tailor-made professional support by broadening the available support options, by enabling the provision of sufficient support and by enhancing the continuity in the delivery of support. In addition, DigiContact provides a unique entry point for improving people’s functioning and well-being; its support has been found to enlarge the opportunities for making choices and taking decisions, can help to prevent (larger) problems as well as an accumulation of stress, and can play a valuable role in the learning and strengthening of adaptive skills. At the same time, the findings also emphasize that there are limitations to what the DigiContact service can do for its users, and that it is not equally suitable for every person and situation. It is therefore not a ‘one size fits all’ service. The value of DigiContact support seems to lie often in its combination with onsite support (a blended care form), which enables people with intellectual disabilities to make decisions regarding which type of support suits their needs and preferences (in a given situation) best. In this respect, onsite support and DigiContact support can complement each other so that people can benefit from ‘the best of both worlds’. Based on the findings of this thesis, several implications for policy, practice and research are formulated. Although these implications are specifically related to the DigiContact service, they may also be of interest to other remote support initiatives and service organizations who are planning (or considering) to offer remote support

A Closer Look at the Quest for an Inclusive Research Project: 'I Had No Experience with Scientific Research, and then the Ball of Cooperation Started Rolling'

The original adage of the movement of people with disabilities ‘Nothing about us without us’ is fortunately more and more adopted in the research world. There is, for example, increasing recognition of the importance and value of actively involving people with intellectual disabilities in research projects on topics that are relevant to them. In a current doctoral research project, a co-researcher with an intellectual disability was recruited to work together with the doctoral researcher. Now that this project is nearing completion, it is time to look at some aspects of their collaboration and see what we can learn from this process. In several (joint) meetings, the researchers reflected on their personal experiences with working and researching together. Our reflections are presented using three overarching themes: preparations for the collaboration, collaborating as a complex process, and conducting research together. The discussion focuses on what can be inferred from these personal experiences with regard to the following three topics: how inclusive research can be organised best, the possible benefits of the collaboration for the researchers involved, and the possible impact of the collaboration on the quality of the research

'It really is quite a different ballgame'. A qualitative study into the work experiences of remote support professionals

Background Professional support for people with intellectual disabilities is increasingly provided remotely. This study explores what support staff of the Dutch remote support service DigiContact experience as distinctive aspects of their job as a remote support professional. Method Semi-structured interviews were held with 10 DigiContact support workers. The transcripts were analysed through a qualitative content analysis process. Results Six themes were identified that reflect distinct aspects of the participants' work within the DigiContact remote support context: being encouraged to adopt a solution-oriented coaching support style; being limited in one's support options; facing considerable diversity; providing support as one team; dealing with unpredictability; and navigating the dynamic within work shifts. Conclusions The way support is organised and delivered can have substantial implications for support professionals. Working at a service like DigiContact seems to call for specific skills, knowledge, affinities and experience, and for appropriate support and facilitation from organisations

Supporting independently living people with intellectual disabilities : a qualitative study into professional remote support practices

Background Professional support for people with intellectual disabilities is increasingly delivered remotely. Understanding what support workers do to support people with intellectual disabilities remotely, and how they do this, is therefore important. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the remote support practice of the support staff of the Dutch service DigiContact. Methods A qualitative study was performed in which we followed an inductive-iterative process and used different sources of information: documents, interviews with people who are supported by DigiContact and their caseworkers, and interviews with DigiContact support workers. Findings Seven themes were constructed and described. Four themes reflected the support activities of DigiContact support workers, and three themes reflected qualities that guide how the support is provided. Conclusions A remote support context can bring both challenges and opportunities to the practice of supporting people with intellectual disabilities. The findings can be useful for service organisations who are contemplating the adoption of remote support initiatives for people with intellectual disabilities

‘When I need them, I call them and they will be there for me’ : experiences of independently living people with intellectual disabilities with 24/7 available online support

eHealth applications are increasingly being used in services for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). DigiContact is an online support service that uses videoconferencing techniques to enable people with ID to contact a team of specially trained support workers 24/7. In this qualitative and participatory study we aimed to explore the experiences of independently living people with ID with what it is like to be supported online. Five online support users were each interviewed twice and the transcripts were analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutic method. Choice and control played a central role in their shared experiences, as well as the relationship with online support staff. The results indicate that the suitability of online support depends on the needs, capabilities and preferences of each individual support user. This underlines the importance of a personalised approach to the planning and delivery of online support. Points of interest In this research we interviewed five persons from the Netherlands about what it is like for them to be supported by the online service DigiContact. They felt that DigiContact helped them to have access to sufficient professional support. Without DigiContact this would have been impossible, because of a reorganisation of the national long-term care system and cuts in care budgets. They also felt that DigiContact gave them control over their support and stimulated them to take on an active role towards solving their problems. Online support felt relatively impersonal, because they had contacts with different support workers. We conclude that online support seems not to be equally suitable for everybody. Whether online support is suitable, and in what form, depends on someone's personal needs, wishes and preferences in support. Service organisations should look carefully at each individual person when planning the use of online support