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Living with support: Experiences of people with mild intellectual disability
Author(s) -
Giesbers Sanne A. H.,
Hendriks Lex,
Jahoda Andrew,
Hastings Richard P.,
Embregts Petri J. C. M.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.056
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1468-3148
pISSN - 1360-2322
DOI - 10.1111/jar.12542
Subject(s) - intellectual disability , inclusion (mineral) , psychology , context (archaeology) , social support , interpretative phenomenological analysis , social psychology , developmental psychology , qualitative research , sociology , psychiatry , social science , paleontology , biology
Background To enhance social inclusion of people with intellectual disability, policy is aimed at increasing informal support networks. Nevertheless, staff continue to play a vital role in their support networks. Method Six individuals with mild intellectual disability, living in community‐based settings, were interviewed following a semi‐structured format. In‐depth accounts of participants’ support experiences were established using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results Three main themes were identified: relationships with staff placed within a personal history, relationships with staff within an organisational context, and staff support and interviewees’ place in the world. Conclusions Relationships with staff were often one of the closest and most significant social relationships participants had. As living in the community had not necessarily led to meaningful inclusion for participants, the findings point at the important role of staff in supporting and facilitating friendships and close relationships of people with intellectual disability.