‘Nothing about us without us.’ Including Lived Experiences of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Policy and Service Design’

Support Planning with People with Disabilities

This episode is based upon the chapter of the same name by Dr Tal Araten-Bergman, in the book Disability Practice Safeguarding Quality Service Delivery (Bigby & Hough, 2023). Link to read and free download: https://bit.ly/41Z6F36 The episode reviews the purposes of support planning for people with disabilities. It addresses the different types of plans, the common principles and processes of good planning and considers some of the complexities of putting these principles into practice to ensure plans are implemented and inform action.

‘Nothing about us without us.’ Including Lived Experiences of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Policy and Service Design’

This episode is based upon the chapter of the same name by Dr Sian Anderson and Professor Christine Bigby in the book Disability Practice Safeguarding Quality Service Delivery (Bigby & Hough, 2023). Link to read and free download: https://bit.ly/3ODE8fG [https://bit.ly/3ODE8fG]  This episode reviews different approaches to tapping into the expertise of people with disabilities from their lived experiences of disability and the practices that are most effective for working together with people with intellectual disabilities.  It considers some of the unresolved issues that support workers, managers and policy makers grapple with to further the rights of people and ensure there is ‘nothing about us without us’.

The Right to Participate in Decision Making: Supported Decision Making in Practice

This episode is based upon the chapter of the same name by Christine Bigby in the book Disability Practice Safeguarding Quality Service Delivery (Bigby & Hough, 2023). Link to read and free download: https://bit.ly/4aK4chQ [https://bit.ly/4aK4chQ]  This episode considers the significance of decision making to the lives of people with disabilities and changing expectations about their right to participate in decision making since the 2006 United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Most people do not notice the decisions they make throughout the day, which determine what their day may be like. People with disabilities, however, often have these decisions made for them. This chapter explains the processes and describes the skills required for the practice of good- decision support with people with disabilities, through making decision making visible and the need for support explicit.

Supporting People with Complex and Challenging Behaviour

This episode is based upon the chapter of the same name, by Laura Hogan and Christine Bigby in the book Disability Practice Safeguarding Quality Service Delivery (Bigby & Hough, 2023). Link to read and free download: https://bit.ly/4rjUDMK [https://bit.ly/4rjUDMK]  This episode addresses supporting people exhibiting behaviour which falls outside expected social norms and is harmful to themselves or others. Challenging behaviour is more common among people with intellectual disabilities than other groups of people with disability.  The extent of the challenging behaviour and negative impact it has on quality of life. The chapter highlights the importance of designing services and developing practice skills to provide quality support to this group.

Healthy Lifestyles and Primary Healthcare

This discussion is based upon the chapter of the same title by Jane Tracy and Teresa Iacono in the book Disability Practice Safeguarding Quality Service Delivery (Bigby & Hough, 2023). Link to read and free download: https://bit.ly/4bXQnO7 The episode provides an overview of the implications of poor health and why poor health is often experienced by people with intellectual disabilities.  Optimal health is central to being able to enjoy the best possible quality of life. The chapter explores the roles that disability support workers and others play in ensuring good health of people with intellectual disabilities, and the skills they need.