/library/oar/handle/123456789/6403 2026-06-19T20:31:38Z 2026-06-19T20:31:38Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/6523 2017-10-16T10:14:15Z 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Welcome to my life a journey through the life of a child with a physical disability in Malta Abstract: The aim of this study is to discover the world of a child having a physical disability in Malta. The study’s main research question is therefore: ‘How does a child, aged between five and seven years, having a physical disability in Malta, make sense of the world around him?’ Present literature tends to focus on studies conducted on rather than with or by children (Kay & Tisdall, 2012). However, given that the current shifts in childhood and disability studies promote the use of emancipatory and participatory research approaches, this study places the child’s voice at the forefront. This is done by allowing the child to lead the route of the research project himself. The study uses the Mosaic Approach, designed by Clark and Moss (2005) as its methodology. The Mosaic Approach uses a combination of both traditional and participatory techniques to generate data that creates a living picture of the child’s life (Clark & Moss, 2011). The data generated by the child is then utilised to design interview guidelines used to discover the perceptions of the adults involved in the child’s life. In this study, the research participant was a seven year-old boy having Spina Bifida and the data collection phase lasted for approximately two months. The data collected was then analysed and discussed using a Social Model of Disability as a theoretical framework. The analysis of the data generated identified two main themes that needed to be discussed in further detail, namely physical accessibility and identity. Physical accessibility was the theme which emerged most frequently in the tools used by the child, and highlights the need for Universal Design as a right for all. The theme of identity brought out clear discrepancies between the perceptions of the child and of the adults involved. The child identifies himself as equal to his peers and views his impairment and need to use the wheelchair as a necessary extension of one’s self (Egilson, 2014). The presence of the impairment, on the other hand, taints every aspect of how the professionals view the child. For the adults, it is the need of normalisation and walking that should be the main focus of the child’s life. Furthermore, the educational professionals expect academic excellence as a way of compensating for the physical impairment. The study concludes by bringing together the themes explored so as to answer the given research question. It is also of note, that the findings of the study were used to design a booklet that can be disseminated to schools, NGOs and other institutions that work with disabled children. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD.

2015-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/6520 2018-07-11T10:54:29Z 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The outcomes of mainstream post-secondary education for people with intellectual disability Abstract: This research has investigated the outcomes of mainstream post-secondary education for people with intellectual disability. More specifically, this study aimed to answer three research questions regarding what are the available mainstream post-secondary options for people with intellectual disability and what are the experiences of students in mainstream post-secondary education. Additionally, the study looked at what impact post-secondary education opportunities have on the future of students with intellectual disability after they leave full time education and especially in relation to employment. A qualitative study was carried out and a series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight former students of the Pathway to Independent Living Programme at MCAST, and the Key Skills for Independent Living course at ITS. An interview with an MCAST representative of the Pathway Programme was also carried out. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used in the data analysis to investigate a major experience in the lives of young people with intellectual disability: that of undergoing mainstream post-secondary education and the outcomes of that education. The analysis of these experiences was also grounded within the context of the social model of disability and the human capital theory. The main findings of these research show that people with intellectual disability have restricted available options of mainstream post-secondary education. Therefore more available mainstream post-secondary options are needed besides the already available ones, which might include different post-secondary options or support for students with intellectual disability, and more awareness on the available post-secondary options. With regards to the experiences at mainstream post-secondary education, most participants remarked positively on their experience at MCAST Pathway Programme and ITS Key Skills course. However, some participants encountered some challenges when they started more mainstream courses at MCAST, including bullying by other students and the course content was also difficult for some students. This indicates that more support is needed for students with intellectual disability in mainstream courses at MCAST to bridge the transition to more mainstream courses at MCAST. Disability awareness training for students at MCAST and ITS as well as teaching basic skills such as using public transport and self-advocacy skills to people with intellectual disability are also very important. With regards to the outcome of mainstream post-secondary education, most participants remarked that the courses that they followed at MCAST and ITS have further prepared them for employment. Some participants also followed other courses at MCAST or at other organizations following the completion of MCAST Pathway Programme and ITS Key Skills course. With regards to employment, two participants are currently employed part-time and one participant is employed full-time, and some of these are experiencing some difficulties at the place of work. Three participants are currently on a job-exposure scheme and the other two participants are unemployed. This indicates that more awareness on disability issues is required to combat the attitudinal barriers of employers and follow-on support is also important for people with intellectual disability in employment. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD.

2015-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/6519 2018-07-11T10:53:15Z 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The impact of the family, Church and State on the aspirations of young people with disability in Malta : a cultural perspective Abstract: This dissertation attempts to examine the impact of the family, the Church and the State on how young people with disability achieve their aspirations within the culture they are part of. It analyses the discourses of young people with disability, and how they are shaped by their experiences within Maltese society. The data was collected by recording the narratives of young people with physical or sensorial impairments to discover how their experiences shaped their identities and formed their aspirations. Narratives allowed the participants to tell their life stories, giving them a voice in line with the emancipatory approach to this research, providing a rich detailed account of their thoughts. Narratives were also collated with one of the participant’s parents to discover their experiences and the expectations they had of their children (Hamdani, Mistry & Gibson, 2014). Narrative analysis was used to unpack the discourses that influenced the ability of the participants to achieve their aims. Interviews were conducted with a politician and a priest to complement the debate concerning full inclusion of young people with disability in society. The research surfaced some astonishing issues; it showed that both the parents and the young people with disability had high expectations of their future; the aspirations of the young people were in line with the ambitions of their non-disabled peers. Impairment was not seen as a constraint to their ability to work, live independently or socialise; they were confident in their abilities in these regard. The concerns mainly related to whether negative attitudes towards disability (Joharchi, Corbett and Kobek Pezzarossi, 2015) would prevent them from achieving their goals. Maltese culture, its traditions, beliefs and values were seen to be partially influenced by the Church (Callus, 2014). The outcomes of this research show that young people with disability require that their aspirations should be acknowledged. There is an implication that consultation between NGO’s in the disability sector with Government is welcomed but needs to be formalised. Consultation with the Church is necessary to develop a more empowering approach to impairment, to reduce the impact of the charitable approach now in place. The research found that the Maltese culture influenced by its dominant institutions does indeed influence the aspirations of young people with disability. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD.

2015-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/6510 2017-09-22T07:27:46Z 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The lived experience of acquired physical impairment in youth Abstract: During our life course, we embark on different journeys, some planned and some unexpected, one of which could be the acquiring of a physical impairment. Oliver, Zarb, Silver, Moore and Salisbury (1988) described this significant life event as a complex relationship among the impairment, the social context and the meanings individuals utilise to make sense of the experience. This inquiry aimed to present the lived experiences of acquiring a physical impairment in youth, according to the meanings ascribed by the persons themselves. The research focused on what this experience entails, what it means to experience this phenomenon in youth, the changes that this experience might generate and the potential impact of others. Existential-hermeneutic phenomenology and the emancipatory principles informed the conceptual framework of this work. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as the methodological framework, information was gathered through face-to-face, topic-guided interviews with six persons who acquired a physical impairment of sudden onset in youth and are living in the community. The experience was principally depicted as a rollercoaster ride. There seems to be a fluctuating paradox of sameness and difference as the individuals experience the phenomenon, reach new understandings and move along the hermeneutic circle to reach a new mode of being-in-the-world. This paradox was reflected in the participants’ daily lives, self-concept, relationships, careers, interests, attitudes and future expectations. The experience was also marked by positive outcomes and the sense of continuity transpired as the stabiliser which enables the person to experience the being-in-the-world in an ordinary way. Acquiring the impairment in youth was believed to have helped in responding better and quicker to the situation. Most participants held fast to their youth identity and persevered in their respective roles, despite the inevitable changes that occurred. Changes were linked with day-to-day routines, the home environment, employment opportunities, life perspectives and future orientation. Participants acknowledged the supportive role of their family, friends, disabled peers and professionals throughout the experience. Professionals were criticised for assuming to be the experts when the expert knower is always the person who experiences the phenomenon. The relationship of participants with the non-disabled population featured around disablism, although improvement in this relationship was noted along the years. While this study has contributed to the gap within literature about the lived experiences of persons with acquired impairments, further phenomenologically-oriented emancipatory research is required, particularly focusing on youth. Public spaces need to embrace and highlight the authentic disability experience as a different mode of being-in-the-world. Findings also indicate that services need to adopt a bottom-up approach to give primacy to the expert knower. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD.

2015-01-01T00:00:00Z