Communicating with people with an intellectual disability in Guardianship board hearings: An exploratory study

Abstract

People with an intellectual disability are frequently involved in various meetings about their welfare. These meetings range from formal, e.g. Guardianship Board Tribunals, to somewhat informal, e.g. meetings to plan an educational program. Very often, those who attend these meetings do not know the person well — in fact they may be meeting the person for the first time. This paper describes research on a strategy (known as Biala) for ensuring that the participants in such forums interact sensitively and communicate effectively with the person with a disability. Essentially, Biala involves a systematic gathering of information from someone who knows the person well about how the person communicates. This paper reports the results of a trial of Biala in hearings of the New South Wales Guardianship Board and summarises the views of those who used it. Feedback suggests that Biala enhanced communication and participation.