Exploring Disability: A Sociological & Historical Perspective

Course details

The Exploring Disability course is a professionally accredited programme that will introduce you to the theories and models that have:

• Shaped our understanding of people with disability
• Influenced how disability services have developed and operated in Ireland

You will be actively encouraged throughout to constantly apply what you are learning to understand your workplace and people who use your service.

Who Is This Course For?

The course is for disability service professionals looking to extend their knowledge and skills in the area. It is an accredited programme developed by, and for, professionals working in disability services.

Learning Objectives

After successfully completing the course you should be able to:

• Describe the historical development of services for people with disability (PWD) in Ireland
• Evaluate how these developments have influenced the provision and structure of service delivery in your organisation
• Use the models and concepts covered in the course to understand the evolution and operation of disability services in your organisation
• Describe and differentiate between medical and social models of disability and the value systems that underpin them
• Discuss the role stereotyping and language play in the perception of PWD
• Describe different theories of disability and discuss how these determine societal responses to disability
• Demonstrate how best practice can influence the Social Care Worker to empower the lives of service users

Contents

Unit 1: The History of Services for People Labelled Disabled

• Beginnings
• The Institutional Model
• Day Services
• Current Service Provision
• Service Provision Models
• Traditional
• John O’Brien’s Basic Strategy
• Integration & Inclusion

Unit 2: Concepts of Disability

• The Values Underpinning Services Models
• Implications of O’Brien’s Strategy for Service Delivery
• Disability Models – Medical, Social & Other
• The Importance of Definitions
• Handicap
• Impairment
• Disability
• Labels
• Stereotypes
• The Importance of Theories
• Society Responses to Disability
• Survival of the Fittest
• Dependency
• Independence
• Interdependence

Unit 3: Views & Visions

• Views of Disability
• The Wider Picture
• The Changing Service
• Annual Report
• Promotional Material
• Moves Towards a Desirable Future (Ireland)
• The Empowering Service
• Person Centred Planning
• Circles of Support
• Person Centred Planning – The Caution
• Advocacy & Self-Advocacy
• Service Brokerage
• Individualised Services & Creating a Real Home
• Human Rights Based Approach
• The Future Role of the Social Care Practitioner

Assessment

To complete the course you will need to write a 2,500-word paper that explores the relationship between the course materials and the evolution and contemporary operation of disability services within your organisation. Practical in focus, you will have access to expert advice and the input of professional contemporaries when completing this assignment. Having access to this learning community provides an opportunity to understand disability services in a uniquely supportive environment.

Qualification

The course is certified by the QQI/HETAC as a Level 7 Award. Successful participants will be awarded a single subject Certificate in Exploring Disability. Successful participants will hold 10 credits against the B.A. in Applied Social Studies (Disability) degree.