Recreational arts are significant in the fostering of an inclusive, diverse, and pluralistic society, particularly in an era of mass global migration. Community-based arts activities can provide a sense of solidarity with, and significance within, the new societies that migrants inhabit. A sense of belonging is a culturally complex understanding…

With the unprecedented worldwide refugee crisis, to what extent can music play a role in welcoming? In particular, how does choral music have a role in mobilising communities, generating intercultural understanding, and lifting some of the barriers that confront refugees and asylum seekers? How can such activity be seen as a benefit to the…

This article explores the effects of activities in Men's Sheds on elderly women. Specifically, it investigates the opportunities that are made available for women when their husband/partner becomes active in the Men's Shed movement; focussing on 'empowerment', 'gender identity' and 'well-being'. Five focus group interviews and eight individual…

Although research on minority youth has established the value of coethnic spaces for safe ethnic identity exploration, research has seldom examined how youth in these spaces draw ethnic boundaries or offered appropriate frameworks addressing boundary-setting. This study uses Berry's acculturation framework to explore ethnic boundary-setting within…

Social inclusion is an important factor in promoting optimum health and wellness for older adults. Community-engaged arts (CEA) have been promoted as a means to support social inclusion for this population, but little empirical evidence has been reported. The objective of this study was to explore the role of a CEA program in the social inclusion…

Effective measurement and optimization of re-entry into the community after injury depends on a degree of understanding of how those injured persons actually perceive their community. In light of the limited research about foundational concepts regarding community integration after spinal cord injury, this study investigated how a large number of…

Background: Past studies have found that people supported in more individualised housing options tend to have levels of community participation and wider social networks than those in other accommodation options. Yet, the contribution of support staff in facilitating social inclusion has received relatively scant attention. Methods: In all 245…

A telephone survey was conducted of eight rehabilitation organizations pursuing changeover from facility-based to community-integrated services (i.e., supported employment). This paper provides information on the experience of these organizations related to their reinvestment and agency changeover to supported employment and offers…

Evaluation of a Michigan program to integrate persons with developmental disabilities into the community evaluated variables including involvement of allies in planning futures, number of people with disabilities residing in each home, proportion of earned income, level of disability, and level of mobility. Earned income was the variable that most…

A study of 2560 individuals with developmental disabilities found that individuals residing in community settings experience greater social integration into the community than those in institutional settings; however, social integration was found to be more strongly related to consumer satisfaction in institutional settings than in community…

The study compared attitudes of 50 subjects on mental health policy when presented with vignettes expressed in "community care" terms or matched alternatives. The "community care" linguistic construction resulted in more favorable policy ratings and estimates of integration of the handicapped. Findings suggest linguistic framing may be important…

This study follows the concerns and stresses of four Australian people with mental retardation for five months as they moved out into a community-based supported accommodation. The transition was seen as a positive event which lowered stress, however, other issues gradually re-emerged and their perceived stress level soon rose again. (Author/CR)

In this study, self-determination, autonomy, life choices, and lifestyle satisfaction for 273 adults with mental retardation in different types of residence or working environments were examined. Those who lived or worked in community-based settings were more self-determined, had higher autonomy, had more choices, and were more satisfied.…

Studied two community-based aftercare programs for relocated elderly mental patients focusing on processes utilized to attain resocialization goals of enhanced social response, reduced confinement, and reduced dependency. Rough measures of process effectiveness used include social noise, social integration, being in the community, and disjunctions…

The friendship status of 58 preschoolers with disabilities in inclusive child care settings in North Carolina was examined. The majority of children were found to have at least one friend. Associated factors included diagnosis, developmental level, behavioral characteristics, characteristics of the friend, similarities between the child and the…