CALL FOR PAPERS
From disabled writers
Disabled people – a right to live?
All three papers will take a social model approach and will address the issues around the Right to Live agenda for disabled people from birth through to death. We are interested to show how each individual paper relates to the others. The papers should explore the impact on British society; compare/contrast with the values of other cultures (especially non-Western); how the issues are driven/influenced by the tug between secular and non-secular, cultural beliefs and by financial resources agenda which may be hidden under the guise of 'rights', 'choice', 'control' and 'ethical/moral' considerations
The papers will address one of the following:-
a) Pressures that families / parents may face, during a pregnancy, to terminate a life due to either impairment of the foetus or the mother’s and/or father’s impairment,
b) The involuntary mercy killing of disabled people by professionals / paid carers / family members and friends
c) The ‘Right to Die’ issues, euthanasia, and assisted suicide relating to disabled people.
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Three copies of the abstract for your chosen paper (a abstract of 100 – 150 words) should be submitted to Policy and Research Unit, c/o Gary Timperley, Policy and Research Assistant, Breakthrough UK Ltd, Business Employment Venture Centre, Aked Close, Ardwick, Manchester M12 4AN, on or before Friday 29th October 2010. Further details available on our website www.breakthrough-uk.co.uk
Tender Brief – Description of service required
This document will introduce you to the company, its aims and objectives and give a brief outline of the proposed work.
Title of piece of work: - Disabled people – a right to live?
1. Breakthrough UK Ltd:
Breakthrough UK Ltd is a successful independent social enterprise, managed mainly by disabled people. It brings together disabled people, local businesses, and other agencies to plan and deliver projects and services to promote independence. Based in the North West of England, Breakthrough UK provides independent living support, training, employment and business opportunities to disabled people within the social model of disability. On average 60-70% of Breakthrough’s staff are disabled people, with first hand knowledge and experience of the barriers to independence and employment. We are proud that Breakthrough was cited in the ‘Improving Life Chances’ report as a good practice example of a social enterprise working in the field of employment and disability.
The Breakthrough Policy Think Tank is a response to what we see as a ‘policy vacuum’ in relation to disability. Its membership brings together a small group of people known to subscribe to the social model, who are known for their analytical approach, and their tendency to “stretch the boundaries” in a variety of areas.
The Policy Think Tank has two major aims:
• To influence government, or other strategic bodies, on matters to do with disability, from a ‘social model’ perspective.
• To provide briefings on current matters to do with disability for general dissemination.
The Social Model of Disability: traditionally disabled people have been seen as a problem, to be tackled by focusing interventions on the individual. Developed by disabled people themselves, the social model locates the problem with the structures and organisation of society, which take little or no account of what disabled people need to be autonomous and to live independently. We believe that all policy and practice proposals relating to
disability and disabled people should be rooted in the social model of disability – adopted by the government through the “Improving Life Chances” report of 2005.
2. Brief description of Proposed Tender
Breakthrough UK Ltd (BUK) wishes to commission a consultant/researcher(s) to research and report on the issues around the whole life agenda for disabled people from birth through to death. The series of three papers will address the issues relating to;
d) Pressures that families / parents may face, during a pregnancy, to terminate a life due to either impairment of the un-born child(foetus) or the mother’s impairment,
e) The involuntary mercy killing of disabled people by professionals / paid carers / family members and friends
f) The ‘Right to Die’ issues, euthanasia, and assisted suicide relating to disabled people.
All three papers will take a social model approach to the issues; will be aware of how each individual paper relates to the other two: and will report / recommend within a common framework. The papers should explore the impact on British society; compare/contrast with the values of other cultures (especially non-Western); how the issues are driven/influenced by the tug between secular and non-secular beliefs and by (a hidden?) financial resources agenda under the guise of 'rights', 'choice', 'control' and 'ethical/moral' considerations
The completed research will form a report that details the findings, highlights good practice and outlines any recommendations. This report will be available to a variety of sources and will be launched at a Conference in February/March 2011
(a) Pressures that families / parents may face, during a pregnancy, to
terminate a life due to either impairment of the un-born child(foetus) or
the mother’s impairment
This paper will investigate the issues relating to how health care professionals, especially hospitals, doctors, midwifes and others, place pressure on expectant mothers to terminate life if they perceive there will be no quality of life. It will investigate how pregnant women may be treated differently if they are disabled. It will look at how the media adds further pressure, and how political interventions influence this issue.
Over the past year there have been many pieces of research and debates in relation to the right to live: this paper would investigate the issues and pull together recommendations and suggested actions for future dissemination.
The successful tender bid will be required to produce a number of key outputs as identified in Section 3c of this briefing document.
g) The involuntary mercy killing of disabled people by professionals / paid carers / family members and friends
Over the past year there have been articles and debates focused on the issues of lack of support and the pressures put on unpaid carers of disabled family members.
There is a huge pressure on the unpaid carers of disabled family members. Providing 24 hour care is an exceptionally difficult, and stressful, task: this makes the adequate provision of support services, suitable to individual needs an absolute necessity.
a) The ‘Right to Die’ issues, euthanasia, and assisted suicide relating to disabled people.
This final paper in the series looks at the issues around ‘The Right to die and assisted suicide in general’. Over the past year we have seen the rise in television and press coverage of political and societies objections to people taking their own lives and many professionals have expressed their views as to how disabled people should be allowed to have their feelings respected and be allowed to make their own independent choice. This paper should focus on the following:-
1.1 Whether disabled people have a right to have their own choice and to decide what they want to do, and when,
1.2 Differences between national and international legislation, and how legal systems treats people differently,
1.3 Ethical issues for the medical and the ‘caring’ professions,
1.4 Ethical issues for the individual and their families,
1.5 Individual’s rights for dignity and respect.
The Conference/ Seminars will offer a chance to present all three papers in a coordinated way, to identify good practice, and to make recommendations.
6. Contract supervision: the research will be coordinated by the Policy and Research Assistant at Breakthrough, whilst the manager of the contract will be the Head of Policy / Chief Executive
7. Indicative budget available: £2,000 per research paper
Production costs of the final version of the report will be retained by Breakthrough UK Ltd
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