Unheard voices : the perceptions of persons with intellectual disability on abuse

Abstract

This study explored the topic of abuse by involving persons with intellectual disability to evaluate legislation and practices related to their rights to be free from abuse, with a focus on financial abuse and neglect. The first aim of this study is to empower persons with intellectual disability to actively participate in the evaluation of legislation and practices that influence their lives, and at the same time gain new knowledge about their human rights. The second aim of this research is to explore the awareness of persons with intellectual disability in relation to abuse and their inherent rights. A qualitative approach was chosen to carry out this study, and a Participatory Action Research approach was adopted to evaluate the topic of abuse, and identify solutions to the problem of abuse. Seven participants were recruited to participate in five workshop sessions which were used as a tool to carry out the evaluation of legislation and practices, as well as to collect he participants' feedback. The data gathered was analysed through thematic analysis and three major themes were identified; mainly, awareness on abuse, addressing abuse, and protective strategies. Findings from this study indicate that the participants were generally aware of what constitutes abuse, and were aware of their rights. However, the findings indicate that the implementation of these rights is not always efficiently put into practice. Control of personal finances and involvement in decision-making were significant concepts reported by the participants. Therefore, findings from this study suggest that power relations in the lives of persons with intellectual disability are a major concern. Also, most of the participants demonstrated to be resilient throughout their lives, and this contrasts societal perceptions of vulnerability. As a result of these findings, this study puts forward a number of recommendations. One recommendation is to ensure inter-agency collaboration to improve the implementation of the rights of persons with disability across different entities. Other recommendations include enhancing service-user involvement through self-advocacy and service-user committees, more participatory research , and better reporting mechanisms in order to have safe and accessible systems for persons with intellectual disability to report any abuse they might experience.