People with intellectual disabilities (ID) have experienced increasing levels of community participation since deinstitutionalization. This freedom has facilitated community inclusion, access to alcohol and drugs, and the potential for developing substance abuse (SA) disorders. People with ID, who are known to have high rates of co-occurring…

Life in the Community is an action research project with three objectives: (1) To work with four organisations from the third sector to improve the daytime opportunities for up to 40 people with higher support needs and help them to be more included in the life of a community; (2) To develop the capacity of organisations in the not-for-profit…

Because initial and unexamined reactions to life-changing events or permanent disabilities are often negative, sometimes even debilitating, factors that help create positive change in the affected individuals' lives need to be examined. In the study presented here, the authors examined the relationship between levels of hope and social support in…

This article discusses the extent to which former special needs students--now in their late 20s--achieve economic independence. The emphasis is on class placement--that is, whether being educated in special or regular classes in upper secondary school contributes to favourable occupational outcomes. The empirical evidence is based on interviews of…

Deinstitutionalization has been the hallmark of public policy for people with intellectual disabilities within many countries in the developed world for the past 40 years. Although within Britain deinstitutionalization is set to be completed by the end of 2008, beyond the simple closure of hospitals, the success of this initiative can at best be…

This paper presents findings from an action research project funded by the Scottish Government through Learning Connections (March 2006 to April 2007) to develop and explore the potential for enhancing literacies learning for adults with learning difficulties by engaging with their systems of care and/or support. The paper explores the ways in…

Background: The disability policy in Taiwan has traditionally emphasized residential care in large institutions and, more recently, medium-sized group homes. This paper compares the relative costs, services provided and outcomes between the traditional institutions, medium-sized group homes and new small-scale community living units that were…

An important task of special educators is helping students with disabilities develop their self-determination skills. Considerable evidence suggests, however, that the goal of providing these students with the motivation and sense of independence that leads to self-determined behavior has not often been achieved. A multiple-case design was used in…

Background: The aim was to evaluate the effect of the closure of a small intellectual disability hospital on the community use of those people involved. In addition, the study sought to identify those factors that might influence the community use of people with intellectual disabilities. Methods: The impact of resettlement was investigated using…

Finding a job, learning to live independently, and obtaining further education are important goals for all young adults as they leave high school. But achieving these goals is often extremely difficult for students who are deaf-blind. Limited or absent hearing and vision, difficulties with communication, and the frequent presence of additional…

This article demonstrates how drama can be used by classroom teachers to make classrooms more inclusive for the language and literacy learning of children with disability labels by positioning children as powerful and by creating situations where the children can form identities as competent in language and literacy events and practices. The…

Youth with disabilities are disproportionately represented in the child welfare system (Crosse, Kaye, & Ratnofsky, 1992; Sullivan & Knutson, 2000). Although research on this topic is limited, youth with disabilities who are emancipating from foster care are at risk for particularly poor outcomes, experiencing even lower rates of employment,…

Background: Informal relationships are central to conceptualisations of quality of life. Deinstitutionalisation studies consistently suggest a trend of increased contact with family and friends by people with intellectual disability (ID) following relocation from an institution to the community. In this study, changes in the nature of the informal…

The New 7 Wonders of the World organization announced a shiny new list of the world's premier candidates. The people behind "Exceptional Parent" (EP) magazine were intrigued and inspired by the New 7 Wonders undertaking, and it started them thinking. If they had to name the 7 Wonders of the World of Disabilities, what or who would they…

Normalization and social role valorization continue to play a central role in shaping debates and practice relating to learning difficulties. In the context of recent arguments this paper draws on the work of Foucault to deconstruct these theories. Foucault's work alerts us to a conceptual confusion at their heart which reproduces a common but…