Background: Developments in digital technologies have transformed how people interact with the world, offering employment, education, communication, health benefits and entertainment. Research has shown that not everyone can easily access digital content, particularly people with intellectual disabilities. Despite internet access being recognised…

Learning Disability Liaison Nurses have been shown to improve hospital experiences and this is an emerging role in Ireland. This research qualitatively explored the impact of a Clinical Nurse Specialist Acute Hospital Liaison from the perspective of staff in an intellectual disability community organisation. Participants identified significant…

Background: Individuals with intellectual disabilities often require various supports in their everyday lives. Many access both acute and intellectual disability services depending on their needs. Previous research has highlighted suboptimal experiences of care provided in acute services. Joint working between both services has been recognised as…

Background: Supported decision-making may increase self-determination among adults with intellectual disabilities by encouraging and empowering them to make decisions about their lives to the greatest extent possible. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of mothers of adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland…

Background: The hospital or health passport is widely acknowledged as a central element in making reasonable adjustments for patients with intellectual disabilities. Historically, the health passport has been used exclusively for patients with intellectual disabilities; however, it has wider applications for any patient requiring additional…

In Ireland, the provision of behavior support services has developed following the introduction of Health Information and Quality Authority (2013) standards and the regulation of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) under the Health Act (2007). The purpose of this study was to explore what factors facilitate and act as barriers to implementation of…

Background: Individuals with dementia have communication limitations resulting from cognitive impairments that define the syndrome. Whereas there are numerous cognitive assessments for individuals with dementia, there are far fewer communication assessments. The Profiling Communication Ability in Dementia (P-CAD) was developed to address this gap.…

Background: Motor competence is the ability to perform goal directed human movements in a co-ordinated, accurate and error free manner. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of coaches' perceptions of children's motor competence with their actual motor competence. Method: This study examined the motor competence of children with…

Background: Globally there are few countries facilitating undergraduate programmes to train nurses specifically to support people with intellectual disabilities. In Ireland, eight Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in partnership with associated health care providers (AHCPs) facilitate undergraduate Nursing (Intellectual Disability) degree…

This article explores the experiences of the use of the "Regional Health and Social Care Hospital Passport" ("Regional Hospital Passport") in Northern Ireland from the perspectives of adults with intellectual disabilities, family carers and health professionals. From semi-structured interviews three themes emerged: usefulness;…

Background: People with intellectual disability often present atypically for various health conditions, making it challenging to identify concerns, particularly when communication challenges are also considered. Additionally, they may face barriers to healthcare access, resulting in many conditions going unnoticed. Health screening inequities are…

Background: Research on post-secondary training for individuals with intellectual disabilities has generally focused on programs, with little consideration of the structures and mechanisms that give rise to them. This article adopts a critical realist perspective to comparatively analyse and theorise about the contextual structures contributing to…

This practice-based paper provides a case study of a new initiative developed by Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board with support from South East Technological University. The My Voice, My Choice Initiative is an inclusive approach to engaging learners with intellectual disabilities in Higher Education (HE). The learners were…

Background: Spirituality and spiritual support for older people with intellectual disability are deemed important, however little is known about their specific needs. This paper reports for the first time on the religious and spiritual practices of older adults with intellectual disability. Methods: A national longitudinal study examined the…

Deinstitutionalisation has increased the likelihood of adults with intellectual disabilities residing in neighbourhoods either in staff-supported accommodation or in their family home. However, it raises the question of whether national policies on disability have translated into practice actions by service providers that result in positive social…