Background: Supported decision-making may increase self-determination among adults with intellectual disabilities by encouraging and empowering them to make decisions about their lives to the greatest extent possible. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of mothers of adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland…

Background: Before COVID-19, people with intellectual disabilities were digitally excluded, facing difficulties accessing and using technology. The pandemic outbreak closed down many in-person services and supports for this population. Methods: This study examined changes in technology use to support the healthcare and social connections of older…

Background: The transition from adolescence to adulthood typically involves exploring living options. However, there is very little research focusing specifically on the views of young adults with intellectual disabilities on this topic. This article contributes to this topic by exploring the views of Irish young adults with intellectual…

Background: Globally there are few countries facilitating undergraduate programmes to train nurses specifically to support people with intellectual disabilities. In Ireland, eight Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in partnership with associated health care providers (AHCPs) facilitate undergraduate Nursing (Intellectual Disability) degree…

Background: As the life expectancy of people with intellectual disability increases, they may now outlive their parents or their parents' ability to continue to care. Siblings of adults with intellectual disability often succeed their parents as primary carers. Little is known about the health and well-being of this important cohort of carers who…

Background: Research suggests that, in spite of legislation, the process of transition from school is problematic for most young people with disabilities. Best practices in transition emphasise the importance of providing personalised transition supports. This study, which took place in Ireland, aimed to explore the application of social role…

Background: The principal destinations for school leavers with intellectual disabilities from special schools in Ireland are further education (FE) through providers such as the National Learning Network or training and employment (TE) within adult day services and rehabilitation centres. In 2015, a number of inherent barriers to participation in…

Background: Opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities to become bi/multilingual tend not to be widely available despite demonstrated linguistic and extralinguistic advantages associated with an ability to use more than one language. This article focuses on the learning experiences of students with intellectual disabilities in…

Background: Respite supports are highly valued by persons with disabilities and their families/carers. In Ireland, there has been regular commentary in relation to a lack of respite services, with users and other stakeholders reporting limited access, inequity of provision, and long waiting lists for support. Materials and Methods: Much of the…

Background: Recently, more and more people with intellectual disabilities have been dying from life-limiting conditions, and on many occasions, people with intellectual disabilities have not been informed of this. There is limited evidence concerning the views and opinions of this cohort regarding the information that is needed in order for…

Background: There is a wealth of research on adolescents with Down syndrome (DS) covering a large range of topics such as obesity, speech and language, education and health-related quality of life. However, for quality of life, much of the available literature for adolescents with DS relies on parent proxy reporting. This results in more research…

Background: People with intellectual disabilities are experiencing increased longevity, and in parallel, their family caregivers are also ageing. The literature identifies that these caregivers are at risk of burden. The aim of this study was to measure the level of caregiver burden among older carers of adults with intellectual disabilities in an…

Background: Models of service delivery for adults with an intellectual disability in Ireland increasingly focus on delivering services within local communities. Preparation for this transition often focuses on practical skills. Our service received complaints about unacceptable behaviour (i.e., shoplifting), by some service users. Although such…

Background: The present study investigated psychologists' views of the experience of death and bereavement among children with intellectual disabilities. Materials and Methods: Twelve psychologists with experience of working with children with intellectual disabilities (Educational = 2, Clinical = 8, and Behavioural analysts = 2; average years of…

Background: Supporting people with intellectual disabilities to live well in communities they choose is deinstitutionalisation's central aim and endorsed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (UN, 2006). This study focused on the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland when…