The use of valued relationships to promote social inclusion amongst adults with learning disabilities

To date, strategies aimed at reducing the social exclusion of learning disabled people have focused upon integrating them into mainstream housing, education and employment. While such strategies have reduced their segregation from society, sceptics argue these initiatives have done little more than aggregate or assimilate these individuals. Greater emphasis needs to be placed upon facilitating those with learning disabilities to become included within society rather than merely integrated into it. The aim of the study was to gain a better understanding of people with learning disabilities’ own perceptions about, and experiences of valued relationships, with a view to informing professional policy and practice aimed at achieving their social inclusion. Data were collected using a two phased ethnographic study. Seven men and seven women with learning disabilities, who ranged in age from 23 to 66 years, participated in the study. The sample was selected to include individuals with a range of functional and communication skills from a variety of support backgrounds. The study revealed that the research participants placed highest value upon their family members, support staff and fellow service users. They valued individuals who offered them unconditional acceptance, emotional support and practical assistance. They felt relationships which encompassed the above elements engendered a sense of well-being and belonging (or inclusion) within them and those that did not, made them feel devalued by and distanced from others (or socially excluded). Closer inspection of the participants’ relationships using an analytical framework designed to examine the four components considered to constitute valued relatedness (autonomy, equality, reciprocity and intimacy) showed that while their relationships did contain some or all of these components they were often contested. The factors shown to affect the development of the participants’ valued relationships included the individual’s own personality and self-concept, traditional notions about valued relationships, care workers’ conventions regarding the aim and delivery of intervention, and the implementation of dogmatic practice models based upon individual or collective action.