Recent historical developments in policy and practice have seen a gradual but significant shift towards less segregated provision for people with intellectual disabilities and the concepts of inclusion and citizenship now dominate current policy rhetoric. The recent UK government paper ‘Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People’ (Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit 2005), ambitiously proposes that ‘By 2025, disabled people in Britain should have full opportunities and choices to improve their quality of life and will be respected and included as equal members of society’ (pp.7). However, the conceptualisation and measurement of ‘inclusion’ in the intellectual disability literature has been rather narrow to date; focusing primarily on levels and determinants of participants in community-based activities and social networks. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the inclusion/exclusion of people with intellectual disabilities, it may be useful to draw on models, theories and practices from the wider literature. This research sought to explore the experiences and perceptions of citizenship for a group of young men attending a College of Further Education. Eight young men with mild/moderate intellectual disabilities were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the data. Research findings indicated that inhibitors of community and civic participation included: neighbourhood deprivation, crime and antisocial behaviour; bullying and victimisation; and distrust of neighbours and public/political institutions. Facilitators of participation comprised: family modelling; social networks: financial and personal incentives; and political efficacy and trustworthiness. However, the young men were largely inhibited from engaging in social and civic participation and their lack of community connectedness was primarily associated with neighbourhood characteristics, as opposed to the impact of having an intellectual disability. Implications for future research, policy and practice are discussed.
Social inclusion, citizenship and people with intellectual disabilities
2005
Lancaster University
