Abstract
Background: People with profound intellectual and multiple disabilitiesmay not always be well-supported to engage meaningfully in activity at home (Mansell 2010), arguably an occupational injustice (Townsend & Wilcock 2004). Research aimed to understand how occupational therapists seek to improve such support and encourage support workers and managers to adopt professionals’recommendations.Method: A single, purposively-selected case of supporting engagement in activity at home was investigated using a critical ethnographic case study method. An occupational therapist worked with five people with profound intellectual disabilities and their support workers over 1 year. Data were collected using ethnographic methods (participant observation, interviews and document analysis).Results: The case’s story highlights challenges encouraging others to follow recommendations as intended (Cross & West 2011). Its two overarching themes are how shifting support and leadership cultures impact on engagement in activity; and how occupational therapy seeks to create and sustain cultural change by working with support workers in a collaborative and empowering way.Conclusions: Staff occupational risks, in particular of burnout where roles are conflicting or ambiguous (Vassos & Nankervis 2012) may need to be addressed whilst promoting occupational justice for residents. The complexity of achieving implementation fidelity may be under-estimated.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Diversity & Belonging: Celebrating Difference |
Subtitle of host publication | Abstracts of the Fifth International IASSIDD Europe Congress |
Publisher | Blackwell Publishing |
Pages | 583 |
Number of pages | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 21 Jun 2018 |
Event | Fifth International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) Europe Congress: Inclusion and Belonging - Athens, Greece Duration: 17 Jul 2018 → 20 Jul 2018 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14683148/2018/31/4 |
Publication series
Name | Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities |
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Publisher | Wiley |
Number | 4 |
Volume | 31 |
ISSN (Electronic) | 1468-3148 |
Conference
Conference | Fifth International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) Europe Congress |
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Country/Territory | Greece |
City | Athens |
Period | 17/07/18 → 20/07/18 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- occupational therapy
- intellectual disabilities
- support workers
- activities of daily living