This book provides a fascinating vignette of the personal experiences of People with Learning Disabilities for the better (or worse) part of the last century. What makes the book so interesting is actually meeting some of those involved and seeing their stories in print. It flags up what has been achieved so far, and what still needs to be done.' - Oral History 'The editors of this book, written by a range of authors form the UK and overseas, set out to provide the reader with an understanding of the ways in which people with learning disabilities direct their lives through advocacy. Its strength lies in the way in which it puts to the forefront the voices of those who have been, and still might be, excluded from society if it were not for the different forms of resistance they have engaged in.' - Professional Social Work 'The accounts are all of acts of resistance and survival, many of them told by the people themselves. This creates another fascinating book which contributes greatly to an appreciation of the role of people with learning difficulties themselves in the historical struggle for better treatment in society.' - CommunityLiving 'This book explains how people with learning disabilities have become increasingly able to direct their own lives as fully active members of their communities. It also explains what self-advocacy means for these people and it shows how opportunities and services have changed for them in 10 years.' - Europe for Us! 'Heartbreaking, touching and at times inspirational, this book introduces us to the people who have been oppressed, the system that oppressed them and the individuals who stood up to them...Read this if you are involved in supporting people and you will find yourself addressing your practice and attitudes and ultimately, improving the quality of care you deliver.' - Community Care 'The accounts are all of acts of resistance and survival, many of them told by the people themselves. This creates another fascinating book which contributes greatly to an appreciation of the role of people with learning difficulties themselves in the historical struggle for better treatment in society.' - Community Living Exploring Experiences of Advocacy by People with Learning Disabilities charts the course through which people with learning disabilities have become increasingly able to direct their own lives as fully active members of their communities. Accounts from the UK, Australia, Canada and Iceland consider both the individual pioneers of self advocacy and local and national groups that have been set up to work actively towards improved services for people with learning disabilities. The book also examines what self-advocacy means for these people and provides an overview of how opportunities and services have changed for them over the decades. Many of the personal accounts, photographs and songs included in this book will be accessible and encouraging to people with learning disabilities, and they will provide inspiring reading for professionals who work with them, family members and community and government service providers.

This excellent, informative and well presented, a book provides the reader with fourteen edited chapters covering an area of policy and practice that is quite specific but will inform anyone interested in the development of a service user participation ethos in adult social care. It is a book that is relevant to managers and practitioners, both as students and qualified professionals, as well as academics. Care management is now well established in the everyday practice of predominantly statutory organisations. This book revisits the principles of this method of assessing and planning the care needs of adult service users, and introduces Person Centred Planning (PCP) as a suitable method for ensuring that much of the empowerment rhetoric care management is actually realised.' - British Journal of Social Work 'Part of the attraction of this book is its strong practice component. This is applicable to the different professionals working with people with learning disabilities, in whatever their service configuration. For students, the book will also provide a good introduction to the impact of person centred planning and its connections to a long history of similar initiatives.' - Journal of Interprofessional Care 'This book is a stimulating and challenging read of those working in service development generally, as well as learning disability services. There is a potential broad care management readership that might also find this relevant and interesting.' - Journal of Interprofessional Care 'This is an important book. It brings together chapters by many of the foremost researchers and practitioners in person centred planning. The book contains many ideas for taking the PCP process to a higher level of sophistication to really underpin the future development of appropriate and effective services.' - Community Living 'This book will help social workers to reconnect with the core values of their profession and to challenge institutionalised policies and practices. It has proven to be a valuable teaching resource and whilst its focus is on people with learning disabilities, the principles of PCP that it raises are relevant to any service user group and social work arena. Highly recommended.' - Professional Social Work 'There are many important issues facing the care management system today in the light of person-centred planning and approaches, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better collection of insightful and radical thinkers in this area than those featured here. It asks hard questions, and challenges the professional to adopt more inclusive and accessible work practices. Wherever you work in the field of learning difficulties you should read this book carefully and aim to put "person-centeredness" at the core of your practice.' - Community Care 'You would be hard-pressed to find a better collection of insightful and radical thinkers in the area of care management. Wherever you work in the field of learning difficulties you should read this book carefully and seek to put "person centredness" at the core of your practice. The challenge for professionals, is making it a reality for individuals.' - Community Care This timely book provides a reflective analysis of person centred planning for people with learning disabilities, complementing policy initiatives that focus on individualised planning and service user involvement. Drawing on practical experience and research findings, the contributors explore policy and practice issues, including: * advocacy and empowerment * risk management and adult protection * inter-agency and inter-professional working * ethnicity and culture * de-institutionalisation. Vivid case studies illustrate best practice in person centred planning, and the authors offer a rich variety of ideas for increasing the participation, self-esteem and quality of life of people with learning disabilities. This practical and accessible text is an invaluable guide for policy makers, carers and social work managers, academics and students.

Drawing extensively on personal experiences, this important volume looks at sexuality and relationships in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, painting a genuine picture of the range of sexualities and relationships people want. Honest and reflective, it shows how sexuality has been managed and controlled in different countries. It explores a range of issues such as rights, resilience, protection, sexual oppression and the lack of privacy for those living in care institutions. Co-edited and with contributions by people with intellectual disabilities and allies, this unique book offers an authentic account of the challenges people face and what society needs to do to respect people's rights. Providing insight into a morally, ethically and legally complex area, this book will be essential reading for people with intellectual disabilities, their advocates, families and supporters; social care managers, social workers, and other professionals working in the field as well as academic researchers and students.