Many people think that profound disability presents us with a real problem, often because it seems difficult to connect with someone who does not seem to think or act like us. Positioning profound disability in this way immediately sets up a ‘them’ and ‘us’, where the person with profound disability becomes the problematic ‘other’. Attempts to bridge the ‘them’ and ‘us’ risk reducing everyone to the same where disability is not taken seriously. In contrast to a ‘them’ and ‘us’, and negative connotations of the other found in the existentialist philosophies of writers like Sartre and Beauvoir, Pia Matthews argues for a return to a positive view of the other. One positive approach to the other, based on an ethics of relationship as championed by Levinas, seems to mitigate the other-ness of profound disability. However, this still makes the person with profound disability dependent on the ethical concern of the more powerful other. Instead, this book argues for return to a personalist philosophy of being offered by Mounier, Marcel, and Wojtyła, and deepened by participation, belonging, and the possibility of contributing to the good of all. This deepened philosophy of being gives a more solid foundation for people who are especially at the mercy of others. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of disability studies, philosophy and anthropology.

This handbook helps professionals working with adults with intellectual disabilities to establish the needs of individuals through systematic assessment and to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the service they provide. A comprehensive handbook for professionals working with adults with intellectual disabilities. Enables these professionals to establish the needs of individuals Helps them to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the service they provide. Expert contributions include conceptual chapters and descriptions of selected assessment instruments. Covers the full spectrum of need, including adults with mental health difficulties, behavioural problems, forensic needs and assessment of people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities, and those suspected of developing dementia.

Growing numbers of human beings live with profound and multiple learning difficulties and disabilities. Exploring the moral, social and political implications of this trend, Valuing Profoundly Disabled People addresses questions that are high on policy and practice agendas in numerous regions around the world, including the UK and the EU, the USA, and Australasia. In this important work Vorhaus examines fundamental moral and social questions about profound disability, and each chapter combines a comprehensive review of existing literature with thought-provoking and original philosophical arguments. Vorhaus argues that there is a pressing need to consider the moral and political claims of people whose lives are characterised by extensive impairments, dependency and vulnerability. The book prompts readers to reflect on complex issues relating to the practices of caring, teaching and treating people with profound disabilities in contexts such as education, health care and social policy. Providing a much-needed contribution to the field, this book will be of interest to postgraduates, academics and researchers in a number of distinct and interrelated fields, including disability and impairment, human rights, philosophy, sociology, health and social policy, and education. The book will also be of great interest to practitioners and policymakers seeking to promote the aims of realising human potential and respecting disability.

This first-of-its-kind textbook surveys rehabilitation and vocational programs aiding persons with disabilities in remote and developing areas in the U.S. and abroad. Contributors discuss longstanding challenges to these communities, most notably economic and environmental obstacles and ongoing barriers to service delivery, as well as their resilience and strengths. Intersections of health, social, structural, and access disparities are shown affecting rural disabled populations such as women, racial and sexual minorities, youth, and elders. In terms of responses, a comprehensive array of healthcare and health policy solutions and recommendations is critiqued with regard to health, employment, and service effectiveness outcomes. Included among the topics: Healthcare initiatives, strategies, and challenges for people with disabilities in rural, frontier, and territory settings. Challenges faced by veterans residing in rural communities. The Asia and Pacific region: rural-urban impact on disability. Challenges after natural disaster for rural residents with disabilities. Meeting the needs of rural adults with mental illness and dual diagnoses. Capacity building in rural communities through community-based collaborative partnerships. Disability and Vocational Rehabilitation in Rural Settings makes a worthy textbook for graduate students and upper-level undergraduates in the fields of social work, community and environmental psychology, public health, sociology, education, and geography. Its professional audience also includes vocational rehabilitation counselors serving these dynamic populations.

A ground breaking book that crosses cultures and contexts to provide a foundation for critical reflection on the role of occupation in disaster and development. An occupational perspective is illuminated by drawing upon the experiences of survivors, practitioners, personnel from local and international organisations, researchers and academics, with implications for policy, practice and education. - supports the development, use and practice of occupational therapy in disaster preparedness and response contexts - presents a rich array of new material and learning which is sought after by occupational therapy and occupational science professions - case study experiences covering epidemics, refugee crises, industrial emergencies, conflict, terrorism and natural disasters - concludes with a description and analysis of a proposed occupational framework for disaster preparedness and response - Contributed by a truly global team of authors from Australia, the US, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, the UK, Hong Kong, Indonesia... - Edited by a team who are widely recognised and experienced in development and disaster contexts

Giving Voice to Profound Disability is devoted to exploring the lives of people with profound and multiple learning difficulties and disabilities, and brings together the voices of those best placed to speak about the rewards and challenges of living with, supporting and teaching this group of vulnerable and dependent people – including parents, carers and teachers. Along with their personal insights the book offers philosophical reflections on the status, role and treatment of profoundly disabled people, and the subjects discussed include: Respect and human dignity Dependency Freedom and human capabilities Rights, equality and citizenship Valuing people Caring for others The experience and reflections presented in this book illustrate the progress and achievements in supporting and teaching people with profound disabilities, but they also reveal the challenges involved in enabling them to develop their full potential. It is suggested, also, that these challenges apply not only to this group, but also to people who, through sickness, accident and old age, face equivalent levels of dependency and disability. Giving Voice to Profound Disability will be of interest to all those involved in the lives of severely and profoundly disabled people, including parents, carers, teachers, nurses, therapists, academics, researchers, students and policymakers.

This book is aimed primarily at occupational therapy undergraduate students, but will be of use to new practitioners working in the field of learning disability and other students studying topics related to learning disabilities. It meets perceived learning needs in line with theory and practice outcomes and provides an understanding of the current issues in health and social care for people with a learning disability. It provides a basis for further learning and the depth reflects present curricula demands and expectations in line with professional practice. There are also contributions and comments from service users with a learning disability.This book is aimed primarily at occupational therapy undergraduate students, but will be of use to new practitioners working in the field of learning disability and other students studying topics related to learning disabilities. It meets learning needs in line with theory and practice outcomes and provides an understanding of the current issues in health and social care for people with a learning disability. It provides a basis for further learning and the depth reflects present curricula demands and expectations in line with professional practice. There are also contributions and comments from service users with a learning disability. - Informative text supported by reflective activities - Reflects changes in service provision subsequent to "A Strategy for the 21st Century" - Case scenarios and self assessment tasks - Advises on further reading - Offers occupational therapy focus on issues that are also relevant to other health professionals

This volume advocates an optimistic new conceptual and practical approach to adulthood, aging, and education for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) across the lifespan. The compensation age theory (CAT) at the heart of this book suggests that the adulthood period in populations with ID may be characterized by processes of cognitive development, growth, and neural sprouting, rather than stagnation or even decline. Empirical findings indicate the contribution of chronological age, maturity, and accumulating life experiences to adults’ continued cognitive growth and intelligence, as a result of direct mediation, cognitive intervention, and academic learning as well as exposure to indirect learning. Grounded in cumulative evidence for the CAT, the book presents comprehensive analysis of a practical holistic educational intervention model for enhancing adults’ Cognition (literacy), Affect (including autonomy), and Behavior (adaptive behavior skills), including operative strategies, mediational parameters, and guidance for change agents in diverse settings. This triple CAB model offers detailed tools for promoting the cognitive improvement and invigoration of adults with ID in during ADL, vocational and leisure activities, at all severity levels ranging from mild and moderate to severe and profound, across different ID etiologies including Down syndrome, and even at advanced ages for adults with ID exhibiting comorbid Alzheimer’s.

In God’s Image: Recognizing the Profoundly Impaired as Persons is a bold Catholic argument in defense of the profoundly impaired. While a range of theological voices can now be heard speaking up on behalf of those who live their lives at the extremes of the human condition, few voices have been explicitly Catholic. Comensoli draws on the irreplaceable contribution of St. Thomas Aquinas to forge an engagement with one of the leading thinkers in the theology of the disabled, Professor Hans Reinders. While recognizing the crucial contribution that Reinders has made, Comensoli situates our perception of the cognitively impaired within the horizon of God’s own image, refusing a reduction of the substantialist position the Catholic tradition has always valued. This is linked to the fresh and countercultural community life pioneered by Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities. For Comensoli, the profoundly impaired are persons whose personhood cannot be recognized outside of the condition of their impairment, and through which God’s Image is perceived in all its paradoxical implications.