Online activities for individuals with intellectual disabilities at a day centre in the wake of COVID-19.

Background: The lockdown of a day centre for individuals with intellectual disabilities led to digital activities instead of traditional physical presence. Method: This study is based on 17 interviews with staff of a day centre, directors of day centres and support persons. Findings: The purpose of the digital activities was to overcome physical distance and to create "social connectedness" with service users at a day centre. Emphasis was placed on recognisability to meet the needs of the service users. When the lockdown was lifted, service users were included in the production of digital artefacts. There were also obstacles to digitalisation: some service users had no access to Internet or tablets at home, some lawyers forbid the use of common digital programmes and service users were denied being visible on social media, support persons lacked digital competence and were reluctant to digital activities. Conclusions: The experiences of digital activities including coproduction of films made individuals with intellectual disabilities active and visible on social media. This might facilitate the possibilities for future digital inclusion in society. The support from staff at the sheltered accommodations was vital and when it succeeded it promoted a more holistic approach to the service users' everyday lives.

Media use for children with disabilities in the United States during COVID-19

The article briefs about the effectiveness of media use for children with disabilities in the U.S. during COVID-19. Since author's son was born with multiple disabilities 14 years ago, author has regularly debated about what media use and screen time rules are best for him and feel like author never get it right. When COVID arrived, students were suddenly home learning on screens, while still using screens for entertainment. Many popular articles were written by bloggers and influencers about managing screen time during the pandemic, but most did not address issues specific to youth with disabilities. Articles also started appearing in academic journals, but again, often lacked mention of youth with disabilities. With no guidance for their unique situation, author was on her own to navigate how to approach screen time with her son. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Participating in the digital world: a consensus statement on digital social contact for people with disabilities living in sheltered care facility homes

Introduction: Digital social contact is increasingly being used, which accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine the consensus among stakeholders regarding recommendations for the use and facilitation of digital social contact for people with intellectual disabilities living in sheltered care facility homes. Method(s): This consensus statement was developed in three consecutive rounds of questionnaires (rapid online modified Delphi design). The expert-groups included people with disabilities (N = 6) and their families (N = 10), support professionals (N = 9), behavioural consultants (N = 7), managers of sheltered care facility homes (N = 10), scientists and industry experts (N = 15). Finding(s): Four main themes were identified: 1. Reasons for and types of digital social contact;2. Support and training needs;3. Materials and other requirements needed to enable digital social contact;and 4. Best practices and future developments. For each theme, several recommendations were formulated. Discussion and conclusion: This study resulted in a consensus statement aimed mainly at care professionals, families of people with intellectual disabilities and managers of sheltered care facility homes. Findings show that digital social contact can contribute to societal participation of people with disabilities. Additionally, tailored exploration of digital contact is recommended, as well as aiming for inclusive-by-design technology developments with developers and stakeholders working together.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Recognising Basic Health Literacy Capabilities: An Explorative Study on the Relevance of Health-Related Information in the Support of People with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities.

Background: People with profound intellectual disabilities represent a vulnerable and heterogeneous population whose health-related needs and questions often remain unheard. One reason for this is that they are usually unable to participate in verbal communication. However, there is also a lack of suitable approaches to communicate health-related information to them according to their capabilities. The research presented in this paper addresses this gap. Methods: Following grounded theory methodology, we used a multimethod approach. Based on a theoretical analysis, a Delphi study (n = 14) was conducted as a starting point to map the research field. In a second step, these findings were incorporated into an online survey targeting disability care professionals (n = 111). Three field studies supplemented the data, encompassing a variety of ethnographic methods. Results: People with PIMD have basic health-related capabilities that can improve their health literacy. Nevertheless, their support environments have to take over many health literacy-related requirements by proxy or substitution. One of the most important tasks is to engage health information in an individualised way. Conclusions: The findings underline the importance of focusing on more basic capabilities and intersubjective approaches in health literacy research and practice, especially regarding new perspectives on the inclusion of previously marginalised populations (such as people with PIMD).

Telerehabilitation with Computer Vision-Assisted Markerless Measures: A Pilot Study with Rett Syndrome Patients

The use of telerehabilitation systems has shown a significant growth in the past years, demonstrating their crucial relevance in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many devices and sensors have been proposed to analytically measure parameters for patient assessment, with limitations due to costs or feasibility. In this paper, we present a motor telerehabilitation system with computer vision-assisted markerless measures for patients with Rett syndrome. Twenty-one RTT (Rett syndrome) patients, with ages ranging from age 4 to 31 (Median: 12.50;IQR (interquartile range): 9.50–17.25) were recruited. The study follows a pre-test–post-test design, where the patients were submitted to a pre-test, treatment, post-test 1, treatment, post-test 2 procedure. Progress in patient outcomes was assessed by measuring joint passive range of movement (PRoM). Results show the reliability of our system, and the feasibility of a telerehabilitation treatment for RTT patients, with significant improvements in shoulder mobility and in elbow flexion and extension. Limited results in lower limbs suggest that home treatment should be fostered to reduce sedentary time. © 2023 by the authors.

A Family Education Intervention for Parents Having Children with Multiple Disabilities during COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been observed that the education stakeholders including families are caught unprepared. For this reason, it is thought that determining families' educational needs regarding their children with multiple disabilities in the isolation period are essential. This study aimed to determine the contribution of "Family Education Intervention in Pandemic" (FEIP) Training to families and their multiple disabled children. In the research, a multiple case study approach was used. Four mothers participated in the study. Virtual training in the study was carried out in eight sessions. The data were collected with multiple sources and analysed inductively by the triangulation method. In the research, it was revealed that FEIP supported mothers to realize their children's strengths, increase their positive parenting skills, and feel competent in their children's daily routines during the COVID-19 period.

LEARNING LAB METHODOLOGY FOR EXPANSIVE LEARNING AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BRAZIL

The global policies of inclusive education often ignored local knowledge and cultural-historical ecologies. As a result, the top-down policies become either irrelevant or oppressive. This study presents a formative intervention study, Learning Lab, conducted in Brazil to design a new system at specialized school for blind and visually impaired students. Fourteen practitioners engaged in nine meetings with the final goal of producing a new system of inclusive education for students with multiple disabilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We will present the expansive learning actions, which educators took as a conduit for critical dialogue, collective agency and expansive learning for designing the future of their school. © ISLS.

Results of a collaborative professional development for school staff working with students with visual impairments and challenging behavior

Students with visual impairments (VI) and multiple disabilities (MD) often exhibit challenging behavior, yet school staff's use of evidence-based practices in behavior management is reportedly low. In this article, we share the results of a collaborative professional development (PD) aimed at increasing school staff buy-in and use of individualized positive behavior interventions and supports (I-PBIS) with students with VI and MD. Ten staff, including teachers, paraeducators, and related services, working in a self-contained school for students with VI participated in four weekly, collaborative small group modules on research-based I-PBIS strategies. The Covid-19 pandemic occurred mid-study, which affected implementation of the program and collection of outcome data;however, pre- to post-PD participants' supportive beliefs regarding I-PBIS increased significantly. Participant-reported knowledge and use of I-PBIS also increased but did not reach significance. In addition, participants found the PD highly acceptable and useful in their work with students with VI and MD who engage in challenging behavior. Implications for increasing school staff support for and use of I-PBIS with students with VI and MD are discussed.

ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATION AND INTERACTION PROCESSES WITH DEAF-BLINDING STUDENTS AND MULTIPLE DISABILITIES IN PORTUGAL BEFORE AND AFTER COVID-19

The pandemic caused by Covid-19 has brought consequences to the world in different social, political and economic spheres, and in proportions few of those experienced by humanity in the last century. Among the driven emergency changes, the impacts caused on the educational system were certainly enhanced when the context of care is given to students with disabilities, whose learning needs are established in different ways. This study aims to analyze the educational assistance to students with deafblindness and with multiple disabilities in Portugal in view of the pandemic impact of Covid-19. The survey had a national scope through the distribution of an online questionnaire in Portugal, having obtained 16 questionnaires referring to students with deafblindness and/or multiple disability. The results obtained showed which measures of support to learning were applied by teachers in the communication and interaction processes in students with deafblindness and multiple disabilities, and how the pandemic caused by Covid-19 has an impact on communication between teachers and students with special educational needs.