Hello everyone
Thanks for your response Felicity and yes It is my experience too that
people tend to like a range of social experiences including people who have
similar disabilities. I think we all like to socialise at least some of
the time with people who we 'connect' with at an intellectual level. I do
hasten to add though, and I am sure you are aware of this, that this was/is
also an argument used by those who willfully segregate/d people.
The example of social networking and social engagement or moreso *its value
or importance* was just an example that I used to illustrate how our own
assumptions about the *meaning* of such activities become those to which
the person with a disability should aspire. When the goal is then achieved
we evaluate it as a successful outcome - I think that (as an example) the
fact that Fred has negotiated a number of interpersonal transactions with a
range of people throughout the last month is a highly desirable outcome for
someone who has previously been someone who avoided such contact. But what
if (God forbid) Fred doesn't see it as an outcome that has a great deal of
meaning? What if he doesn't give a toss about how much he interacts with
other people? Is this a dilemma?..Do we aim to teach Fred that social
interaction and transactions are a necessary part of life and a healthy
thing to foster or do we question the assumptions that were made in setting
the goal in the first place and accept Fred's wish to be indifferent to
others?
Again I reiterate, this is just an example of the types of goals that are
set with people and the outcomes which are seen as successful. What I would
like to find out is what parts of an integrated arts project are perceived
to be valuable by the people with developmental disabilities who are
participating. This is where I am not sure about the approach to
reflective journaling that would be ungertaken if we do want to leave our
own assumptions out of the narrative. Will a question such as "did you
like doing the mural with the other students from the University?" elicit
an almost certain 'yes' response? In my experience it will. I would like
to know whether to ask much more open ended questions will allow the person
to comment on what actually *was* important. If the person does not
mention the people they worked with at all, but rather, they talk about how
they made the clay tiles and how they chose the colours; does that mean
that the integrated nature of the activity was not a primary concern for
the individual? How valid is their unsolicited response in terms of how
meaningful certain aspects of the activity were?
Obviously the person needs to understand a question such as "how did you
feel?" in order to comment on it. I think teaching the meaning of the
concept will be challenging but effective, similarly I think photographs of
the event may make reflection a little easier. I am not worried about
whether the activity is seen as worthwhile or not (although of course i
would prefer that it would) I am really interested in the validity of the
method. Will people take relatively unsolicited comments about their
experiences as serious research data that needs to be heeded or will it be
dismissed as unreliable if it does not concur with our own assumptions
about 'whats good for a person'?
At 07:27 PM 8/2/99 -0400, you wrote:
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Felicity Maddison <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Sunday, August 01, 1999 11:43 PM
>Subject: Re: IEP's
>
>
>> You raise some very good points regarding people with an intellectaul
>> disability, particularly the issue of relevancy and value of social
>> interaction as perceived by the person with a disability themselves.
>
>Although not relating specifically to the issue of IEP's and children's
>rights to inclusion in the process I think you raise a very important
>related point here Felicity and that is that your daughter's expressed
>comfort zone is to socialize with other people with a disability.
With best regards
Laurence Bathurst
University of Sydney
School of Occupation and Leisure Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
East Street (P.O. Box 170)
Lidcombe NSW 1825
Australia
Ph+ 61 2 9351 9509
Fax+ 61 2 9351 9166
E-mail [log in to unmask]
Note: This is the e-mail address for my home as well
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There is not one shred of evidence that supports the notion that life is
serious.
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