Empowerment in Everyday Life

Empowerment' is a very fashionable word with academics and service providers in the learning disability field, and this collection of views on empowerment will rightly attract readers, who perhaps wish to understand better what precisely it may mean, and how it can be translated into reality. Such readers will not be disappointed with this book, as it is full of many practical examples and a strongly led theoretical research for a useful model for the future. Many chapters serve to remind us of the actual concerns and circumstances of the lives of many people with learning disabilities in the UK today, which can be very far from the idealistic notions that underpin 'empowerment'. However, the book is certainly more than a practical manual, and both the editors and the chapter authors deal critically with the concept of empowerment. This results in a lively and exciting book, raising questions and provoking thought throughout.'

- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities

'This volume includes a number of contrasting chapters from a variety of contributors - researchers, practitioners and policy makers as well as people with learning disabilities themselves. As such it is an interesting mix of academic research, and autobiographical observation which will appeal to a wide readership, especially those concerned with policy making, service provision and state legislation.'

- Aslib Book Guide

'Sensibly, the book deals first with Empowerment in Informal Settings, moves on to Empowerment in Formal Settings and then concludes with an examination of Empowerment in Different Legal and Policy Contexts. The individual chapters were all interesting in their own right… I commend this book to you as a valuable update on views ranging from those of the academic to those with practical experience of the learning difficulty label.'

- Registered Homes

'…an interesting and important addition both to the literature on empowerment in social care and on learning disability developments.'

- British Journal of Social Work

'A valuable resource for the increasing number of professionals and students undergoing professional training… and will be of value to those seeking a greater understanding and knowledge about empowerment, in particular those issues around equality and citizenship for vulnerable people. The book is clearly written and accessible. It...read more...