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Managing relational autonomy in interactions: People with intellectual disabilities
Author(s) -
Dowling Sandra,
Williams Val,
Webb Joe,
Gall Marina,
Worrall Deborah
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.12595
Subject(s) - autonomy , intellectual disability , drama , psychology , focus group , learning disability , pedagogy , personal autonomy , social psychology , medical education , sociology , developmental psychology , medicine , political science , art , literature , psychiatry , anthropology , law
Background This article is about interactions that occur when someone with intellectual disabilities is engaged in everyday activities with a personal assistant (PA) or a support worker. Method We examine the detail of nine hours of naturally occurring video‐recorded interactions, to explore how “relational autonomy” is done in practice. Nine people with ID and seven staff took part in the research, which took place in England from 2016–17. Results We selected six extracts to illustrate different types of joint decision‐making. Informed by inclusive research with a drama group of people with intellectual disabilities, we focus on the ways in which (a) future plans are discussed; (b) choices are offered during an activity; (c) people reflect on their decisions. Conclusion The article concludes with discussion about the teaching and learning content of choice‐making, on relational autonomy, and the practice learning for PAs, support workers and for people with intellectual disabilities.