Towards "An Ordinary Life": Insights from a British Story of Social Transformation, 1980-2001

Autor/in	Towell, David
Titel	Towards "An Ordinary Life": Insights from a British Story of Social Transformation, 1980-2001
Quelle	In: British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50 (2022) 2, S.199-207 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1354-4187
DOI	10.1111/bld.12454
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Social Change; Learning Disabilities; Activism; Civil Rights; Social Problems; Nonprofit Organizations; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Sozialer Wandel; Learning handicap; Lernbehinderung; Aktivismus; Politischer Protest; Bürgerrechte; Grundrechte; Zivilrecht; Social problem; Soziales Problem; Nonprofit-Organisation; Großbritannien
Abstract	Background: In 2006, the United Nations agreed the "Convention On the Rights Of Persons With Disabilities." Article 19, 'Living independently and being included in the community' sets out the 'equal rights of all persons with disabilities to live in the community, with choices equal to others…' A generation earlier, a small group of activists had come together at the invitation of the King's Fund--a major United Kingdom charity--to produce (in February 1980) the first pamphlet in an extensive series of contributions to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities. This became the "An Ordinary Life" initiative. I choose the generic word 'initiative'. This was not a government policy change--in England we had to wait until 2001 for the White Paper "Valuing People" to catch up with progressive practice. It was not a project as usually understood, although it inspired many local projects across the country. Rather this first pamphlet became the common currency for the emergence of a "social movement" aspiring to end the institutionalisation of disabled people (in 1980 there were still more than 50,000 people with learning disabilities living their lives in British institutions and many more at risk of this when no longer able to rely on parental support) and ensure their right to live like others in the community. The Narrative: My narrative here, writing as a participant, focuses on the period 1980-2001. It tells the story of how these activists--energised by scandal, international innovation and most importantly by personal experience--created a compelling vision of this better future, communicated this vision and helped to mobilise widespread action to deliver progress. It describes how good people were inventive in finding better ways of listening to people with learning disabilities and arranging ordinary housing and support to meet their aspirations. It considers how regional and national agencies created mutually-reinforcing elements in the infrastructure necessary to strengthen the local capacities required for success. Lessons: My account also offers an interpretive commentary on "how" transformative change was achieved. There was no grand plan. Emerging leaders, who appreciated the urgent need for change, inspired and learned from each other in ever-expanding networks. Serendipity often played a part, strategy developed through experience and change proceeded by what has been called 'scaling across'. Effectively the King's Fund and its allies created a system for continuous learning to support vision-driven innovation. There are lessons here for meeting the unfinished business of achieving "An Ordinary Life" in the 2020s. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01