The quality of day care provision to encourage the transition to adulthood for young women with learning difficulties

Abstract

This article explores how young women with learning difficulties make progress along the continuum of transition to adulthood and the contribution that can be made to this process by the Social Services day centre. It attempts to identify significant factors influencing the transition process. This study could have included the opinions of staff at the day centre and also primary carers but it was decided to limit the scope of the enquiry to the young women themselves and provide a contextual picture of their daily experiences. The women considered they had gained considerable independence in practical living skills, but their personal autonomy was curtailed by the low involvement they had in long-term decision-making about their lives. There were limited opportunities available for productive activity, and consequently many women anticipated that the day centres would continue to be the focus of their daily lives for the future. The context for developing a range of social interactions outside the environment of the day centre was again extremely limited. Family relationships, particularly relationships with mothers, were important to the women. The study concludes that due to the low expectation from other adults in these women's lives, and the segregated and sheltered provision of the day centre, these women are unable to reach adult status. The negative and deficit model of disability promoted by society has resulted in high levels of dependency and social oppression for all people with disability. Suggestions are made for ways in which the service offered by social services day centres might be improved.