This essay examines the theme of blindness in the Gospel of Mark. The two main questions asked are: 1) ?What is Mark?s view on blindness?? and 2) ?How does the Gospel of Mark?s view on blindness inform the current discourse of disability studies and how can we interpret Mark?s view on blindness today?? By the methods of metaphor analysis and character analysis, four passages of the Gospel are studied (Mark 4:10-12; 8:14-21; 22-26; 10:46-52). The analysis concludes that blindness is depicted by the author of the Gospel as a disability which also consist of a lack of cognitive ability and a hopeless state that is in need of healing.  The depiction of blindness in Mark originates out of the authors use of blindness as a metaphor for lack of cognitive ability (Mk 4:12; 8:18) and the lack of characterization of the blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-23). This view on blindness is, in comparison to a modern view, difficult, as it marginalizes persons with blindness as inconsiderate and not fully human.

Communicative recycling, to repeat utterances uttered by oneself or others, is a common phenomenon in all societies and languages. The talk of persons with autism often features recycling. The aim of this study was to identify different forms of recycling in communication involving a boy with autism and to describe its functions. Communication between the boy with autism, who used Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to communicate, and his parents and teachers was videotaped. The conversations took place in familiar settings, in the boy?s home and at his pre-school.

This essay is about the staff in integrated homes very complex profession and this is illustrated through twelve interviews in five integrated homes for disabled people. The profession changed when the institution closed and especially when the Law of Support and Service (LSS) was introduced in 1994.The purpose of this survey is to study how staff works with LSS intentions in integrated homes for disabled people and to increase the awareness about the structure of power and how this affects the daily life for those who live there.The main objective in this survey is to find out which the differences that lie between LSS intentions and the work that take place in integrated homes for disabled people. This survey tries to illustrate when and why these differences occur. This survey has a multidisciplinary perspective, where three models of disability and theories from Foucault, Sibley and Wendell have been included. The result shows that the staffs work is difficult, full of responsibility and has many facets.

During the last two years Gothenburg has become a central point in Sweden foractivists in the area of disability. The essay explores which strategies that activist usesin purpose to pay attention to and criticize the Normate. By doing so, five cripactivists have been interviewed about their experiences and feelings about how theymanage to stand up against different types of power relations. The activists describehow they develop different strategies to change their identity positions and takecontrol over themselves.The essay intends to contribute with a crip theoretic view in combination withmaterial feminisms and resistance theory. The conclusions of the essay shows that thenormate is incorporated in both social and material matter and how the activist?s usesthe strategy Critical Disability to negotiate their identity position.

Rett syndrome is a congenital neurological syndrome, which in the classic phenotype only affects girls. The symptoms include lack of speech, stereotypic movements of hands, dyspraxia and mental retardation, and these symptoms lead to communicative impairments. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the intervention method Intensive Imitation affected interaction/communication and initiative in a girl with Rett syndrome. The design of the study was a Single Subject Experimental Design with a three-week long intervention period where the girl participated daily in 30- minute sessions of Intensive Imitation together with the test conductor. Interaction, communication and initiatives were observed and analyzed before (Baseline A), during and after (Baseline B) the intervention period.

This is a study with a qualitative approach and a social psychological perspective. Our purpose is to describe and analyze authority officials descriptions of individuals with a social disability and their perception of how the interaction in the encounter with its implementation. We are interested in how they experience their power as authority representatives. The following issues are highlighted.? How do people in authority describe individuals with a social disability?? What is the authority officials view on the interaction in meetings with individuals with a social disability?? How do authority officials experiencing his or her position of power in relation to the meeting?Our results are based on semi-structured interviews with five persons in authority, which is active in Insurance and Employment Service in Örebro County.

Title: ?It´s so sensitive? - Persons in authority's arguments around those persons with disabilities chooses to become parents.Authors: Therese Andersson and Malene HelanderSupervisor: Magdalena DambergThe purpose with this paper is to describe and analyze how professionals act when people with disabilities chose to become parents. To achieve this purpose we have chosen to use a qualitative method with deliberation interviews. The interviews have been implemented with six different persons in authority who work in social welfare offices and as LSS - administrators.Ensured to our questions, (1) How does persons in authority do in the meeting with persons that has a disability and chooses to become parents? (2) Which possibilities respective difficulties see persons in authority within social service and LSS with parenthood where the parent has a disability? (3) What is done in order to facilitate the needs that are added when persons with disabilities chooses to become parents? we consider that they have been responded to.Through our empirical materials we can interpret and read out the replies that we searched for in connection with our survey.

The aim with this study was to illustrate communicative meetings between people that are visiting and working in two different associations for people with intellectual disabilities. The method we used was interviews. To find out the meaning of the associations for the members creating of identity, participation and self esteem we asked them if they felt stigmatized and if they thought that the associations reduced that feeling and how the pedagogy cooperation between them selves and the coaches were working. The results of the study showed that the members of the association experienced that it had a positive influence according to their creating of identity, participation and self esteem. The members felt that coaching and the pedagogy cooperation had both positive and negative aspects but mostly it worked well..

AbstractThis essay is an investigation where I try to gain an increased knowledge of the three assistants? (in the mentally disability profession) opinion about their education and their first years in their profession. I have also tried to answer the questions whether the course mentally disability/functional gives the students a good start in their profession, if there are any flaws or if something is missing in the course or if they can think of any improvements to make the course better.This investigation is performed as a qualitative interview study where three women were interviewed about their education and their first years as assistants? (in the mentally disability profession). All the interviewed women have been working in the care activity for two or three years since they graduated.

This essay examines the theme of blindness in the Gospel of Mark. The two main questions asked are: 1) ?What is Mark?s view on blindness?? and 2) ?How does the Gospel of Mark?s view on blindness inform the current discourse of disability studies and how can we interpret Mark?s view on blindness today?? By the methods of metaphor analysis and character analysis, four passages of the Gospel are studied (Mark 4:10-12; 8:14-21; 22-26; 10:46-52). The analysis concludes that blindness is depicted by the author of the Gospel as a disability which also consist of a lack of cognitive ability and a hopeless state that is in need of healing.  The depiction of blindness in Mark originates out of the authors use of blindness as a metaphor for lack of cognitive ability (Mk 4:12; 8:18) and the lack of characterization of the blind man at Bethsaida (8:22-23). This view on blindness is, in comparison to a modern view, difficult, as it marginalizes persons with blindness as inconsiderate and not fully human.

It is important that children develop their communicating skills to be able to interact withother persons in different social contexts. Without the necessary skills, the child will struggleto understand others, as well as to be understood. My qualitative research takes place in a preschoolclass at a primary school in Stockholm, where I from a sociocultural perspective onteaching and learning aim to clarify how the students? ability to develop their linguisticperformance and their communicative competence is stimulated within this primary preschool?seducational framework. Empirical data was collected both through observations ofthe daily activities in the pre-school class as well as through interviews of three employedteachers.My research indicates that the educational framework in this pre-school class is structured tocomply with the official Swedish Curriculum, Lpo.

This thesis aims to investigate possible positions of identification for people with dis/abilities. With a theoretical basis in crip-theory it discusses the notions of power and deviance and its? importance for the formation and reproduction of ideas around the concepts of dis/ability, ableism, deviancy and normality..

By comparing the experience off interaction in a life world with a drug habit and a life world without a drug habit you might find how they differ. We asked four former drug abusers in four semi structured interviews to describe their experiences off interaction under these two circumstances. The difference between the two life worlds when it comes to interaction is that in the drug abusing life world our informants describe that communicative action has to stand back for a more goal oriented action. In the drug free life world, communicative action on the other hand is experienced as the most important action. The difference is about wether interaction is goal oriented or oriented at understanding.

The last 1½ decade young people with intellectual disabilities have been a part of my life. My now 13 year old son and several pupils I have taught as a teacher in the compulsory school. Their future and what will affect their lives has always been interesting to me. How do I affect them, why do I do the things I do and think the way I think? This study springs out of that curiosity.

This essay will discuss consumption as a strategy for creating one?s identity for persons with visible disabilities. Along with this, questions asked and answered are concerning how lack of inclusion in the fashion industry affects the informants? consumption of clothes and how the informants discuss identity in relation to their disability. Compulsory able-bodiness (McRuer, 2006) is a main theory that will influence both the discussion and the results.