https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52286 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 20:13:35 GMT 2026-04-05T20:13:35Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52599 Title: What about my sexuality? : parents' attitudes towards the sexuality of their youth with Down's Syndrome Abstract: Background: People with intellectual disability (ID) tend to be seen as asexual by society, partly due to the infantilizing approach adopted by their parents and professionals or conversely viewed as hyper-sexual and oversexed (Shakespeare, 1997). Stereotypical views about the sexuality of people with disability underpin stigma and social exclusion (Azzopardi Lane, 2017). Emerging adulthood raises similar challenges for young people with ID as it does for other young people, including issues with developing a sexual identity, sexual expression and development and the navigation of intimate relationships. As adolescents with Down Syndrome (DS) progress into adulthood, it is very likely that the parents will be one of the few, if not their only sources of sexual education should they opt to give any (Sant'Anna et al., 2010). Parents tend to have worries about the sexuality of their youth and report that they are often unable to answer all of the questions in an understandable way, so these questions are often overlooked (Cuskelly & Bryde, 2004). Aim: This research closely analysed the diverse attitudes in the local scenario adopted by parents towards the sexuality of their youth sons and daughters with DS, the kind of support they were giving, the limitations they were imposing, and the reasons behind their beliefs. It also explored how these opinions, attitudes and beliefs affect the DS community. The most intriguing aspect of this study is that locally no other study has been conducted that revolved around DS and sexuality. In view of these facts, the aim of the study is to shed light on the parents' attitudes towards the sexuality of their youth with DS. Parental experiences, perspectives, and expectations ought to provide a glimpse of their position in our local scenario. Method: The study was guided by a number of the core principles of the emancipatory disability research paradigm and the social model of disability. Methodology: There were two stages in this research: a preliminary methodological stage, and an actual data collection stage. The preliminary methodological stage aimed to reach the core emancipatory disability research principles. Thus, in the preliminary methodological stage I held a focus group with youth with DS, where the youth acted as an advisory group to help me draw their main views on the topic at hand. Furthermore, after the most poignant themes were illustrated, I set the interview guide, which was then used in the actual stage for data collection, where the interviews with six parents of youth with DS aged between 18-29 years of age were conducted. The interviews were then transcribed, and the data was analysed through the use of thematic analysis (TA). Five main overarching themes dominated the data analysis. These were, Intersecting Identity, Sexual Expression, Abuse, Sex Education and Social Perceptions. These main overarching themes (1st order) subsequently branched out into sub-themes (2nd order) and sub-subthemes (3rd order) using a three-level coding system. Results: Possibly due to cultural taboos and stereotypical notions on sexuality of youth with DS, parents had different perspectives and even conflict within themselves on their youths' sexuality. The social perception of the disabled identity has an effect on the constructed sexual identity of youth with DS. Thus, it is shown that legislation, empowerment and a change in power dynamics can help create better opportunities for the construction of sexual identity for persons with ID. Gender and culture, especially the religious dogma affected the parental perceptions of the youth with DS; although the Maltese society has been less influenced by religious teachings in recent years. Education and awareness on the sexual rights for people with ID was found to be the key to move forward and progress; both for the youth and for their parents. These emerging themes were further discussed in context of the local scenario, and in both local and international literature, with insights from the social model of disability. Recommendations: A number of recommendations emerged from this study such as; raising awareness with regard to people with intellectual disability (ID) and their sexual rights, whilst moving away from the social notion that people with disability are asexual. The findings of this study will be used as a tool for education, aimed at youth with DS and their parents. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52599 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52598 Title: The lived experience of guide dog owners Abstract: The Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act (2000) categorises guide dogs as “assistive means” (p.1) and states that no person shall be discriminated against because they “are accompanied by or possesses any assistive means” (p. 6). Nonetheless, over the past few years, there were three reported incidents of discrimination towards guide dog owners in Malta ("Cassola claims”, 2014; Muscat, 2017; Iversen, 2018). By using phenomenology and emancipatory research principles, this study aimed to generate a degree of understanding on the unique life experience of guide dog owners in Malta. The use of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was central to the study’s methodological framework as it helped bring out the participants’ interpretations of a topic (Pietkiewizc & Smith 2012). Considering that an integral part of phenomenology deals with the embodied experience and with the concept of being (Roche, 2014), and that a substantial amount of IPA studies revolve around the “identity changes associated with major life transitions” (Smith, Flowers & Larkin, 2009, p. 163), Identity theories were applied. Furthermore, since a great part of the working relationship between a guide dog and its owner is based on the bond formed between them (Olson, 2002), Attachment theories also formed part of the conceptual framework. Purposive sampling was used to select six guide dog owners through the Malta Guide Dogs Foundation (MGDF), which acted as a gatekeeper. They each consented to participate in an audio-recorded in-depth semi-structured interview. IPA guided the data collection and analysis. The process of describing their experience as guide dog owners brought to their consciousness the change that this journey brought to their identity. In Husserl’s words, they went back to the things themselves (Lewis & Staehler, 2010) as they captured, through their description of their life before and after, the true conscious meaning of what being a guide dog owner means for them. They reflected on their intersubjectivity with the people around them as they expressed their awareness at the physicality of their existence. For most of them, having a visual impairment meant a different way of navigating the environment which made their being-in-this-world and being-with-others to be perceived as flawed. With the introduction of the guide dog in their life, these perceptions were altered. Their being-in-this-world became more autonomous, efficient and safe. As Merleau-Ponty puts it, with the help of their guide dog, they became body-subjects who communicated confidence, skill and elegance which altered the perception of their identity (Smith et al., 2009). Being a guide dog owner also came with a collective identity which held with it a certain responsibility to deal with unsolicited attention or discrimination in ways that would not harm the reputation of guide dog owners and with a merged identity which made the dog become an invaluable extension of the self which is grieved as intensely as the death of a loved one when retirement or death separates a guide dog from its owner. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52598 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52579 Title: The lived experiences of friendship of young adults on the autism spectrum Abstract: This study explored the lived experiences of friendships of young adults with autism. The responses of the participants that focused on past and present experiences of friendships, provided an insight into their lived experiences as they lead their lives with autism. In addition, the study set out to challenge the validity of societal beliefs which state that persons with autism opt to stay in isolation. This study adopted a qualitative approach and the conceptual framework used comprised phenomenology and the social model of disability. This study was also guided by the principles of emancipatory research. The research was carried out within the Maltese context and the participants were recruited through local organisations and, due to low response rate, through social media. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used as the methodological framework and data was generated through one-to-one, semistructured interviews with five young adults with autism. The participants' experience was marked by several paradoxes. Their responses reflected society's categorisation of their being deviant on account of their autism diagnosis even when the barriers experienced were mainly a result of that same society. The participants' responses reflected also an awareness of the stigma that their autism label holds in society, which ultimately influence the participantss self image. Thus, whilst the participants acknowledged their right for equal treatment in society, the manner in which they perceive themselves is negative and they are therefore happy to settle for less as long as they have friendly relationships. This study provided an opportunity for the participants to make their voices heard in a society where their voices are very often silenced. Whilst the findings of this research provided a better insight into the lived experiences of the participants, further emancipatory research focusing on this topic is needed, especially within the local setting. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52579 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52570 Title: Social impacts on the lived experience of people with progressive neurological conditions Abstract: Acquiring a progressive neurological condition is not part of the plan as one embarks on a life journey. The individual may experience difficulties related to movement, speech and cognition as the condition progresses with time. The experience of this life event is dependent on the relationship between the impairment, the social context and the social construction of disability within that context. Although, the experience of this life event is very highly researched from a medical perspective, the social aspect of this phenomenon appears to be underestimated. This study enquires about the lived experience of people with progressive neurological conditions from a social perspective. Therefore, the research questions adopted for this study were centered on identifying whether there are any societal impacts imposed on the individual, the standpoints that the individual takes and ultimately on gaining a deeper understanding of the social experiences of acquiring such conditions. In order to attain this understanding, a qualitative research approach was taken, under a conceptual framework based on an existential-hermeneutic phenomenology and along the principles of emancipatory disability research. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) as the methodological framework, data was gathered by means of audio-recorded interviews with six individuals of any progressive neurological condition. The different experiences were marked by unique perspectives yet all seemed to be affected by the social attitudes which have shaped the participants' new life world. Some paradoxes relating to the participants' body image and political rights have also surfaced during the analysis of the data. Although some perceived the relationship with the non-disabled community positively, for others this relationship has only featured to be rather disabling. The findings also indicate how Maltese society still needs to embrace the disability experience as a different way of being-in-the-world. Description: M.A.DISABILITY STUD. Tue, 01 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/52570 2019-01-01T00:00:00Z