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Theorising Work : Investigating the Employment of People with Learning Difficulties

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Theorising Work : Investigating the Employment of People with Learning Difficulties Open Research Online The Open University’s repository of research publications and other research outputs Theorising work : investigating the employment of people with learning difficulties Thesis How to cite: Humber, Lee Anderson (2012). Theorising work : investigating the employment of people with learning difficulties. PhD thesis The Open University. For guidance on citations see FAQs. c 2012 The Author https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Version: Version of Record Link(s) to article on publisher’s website: http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21954/ou.ro.0000eeb7 Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policies page. oro.open.ac.uk UNi\CSl RICrC D Theorising work: investigating the employment of people with learning difficulties Lee Anderson Humber BA (Hans) History University of London 1993 MA History University of Leicester 1999 Thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The Open University Faculty of Health and Social Care September 2011 Do.te- (~ .Su.bn\~s.:Slc~: 23 ~<2ftQxY\bQ{ 201/ ~ ~ I\wDfd ~ 11 Mo(c~~ 2.tl2-. Abstract Abstract Paid employment for people with learning difficulties became central to social inclusion agendas over the period of Labour governments between 1997 and 2010. This found its clearest expression in Valuing Employment Now (2009) the first policy document in UK history to specifically focus on the role of employment in the lives of people with learning difficulties. This thesis tests the validity of the claims made in this and other policy documents seeking to embed the idea that employment supports social inclusion. The overarching research question addressed by the thesis is: Is employment a vehicle for social inclusion for people with learning difficulties? Using a qualitative multi-method approach, this question is explored through an analysis of how policy has informed practice over time; the extent to which young people with learning difficulties are prepared for employment; what employment means to people with learning difficulties; and how the identities associated with people with learning difficulties influence inclusion through employment. The thesis analyses relationships between structure and agency in the specific context of learning difficulties and employment. The thesis investigates how employment for people with learning difficulties has been contextualised by policy, service provision and ideologies over time. It interrogates how people with learning difficulties have interpreted this policy­ provision-ideas context, and attempted to negotiate it. The thesis analyses the extent to which people with learning difficulties consider employment as an opportunity forthem to become involved in a process of social inclusion. In order to support this analysis, the thesis utilises concepts drawn from sociological theory, in particular the concept of structuration (Giddens, 1990). 1 The research found that people with learning difficulties - employed and unemployed - consider employment to have the potential for social inclusion. However, as well as numerous structural barriers research also found that a combination of policy and practice over time has constructed and maintained identity 'types' (Giddens, 1990: 118) which constrain the extent to which employment can facilitate social inclusion. Further, the research found evidence that people with learning difficulties are aware of the identities they are being invited to adopt and draw on them in contradictory ways. 2 Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge all the people who have helped me throughout this research. They are in no way responsible for any errors or misrepresentations which are my own. I would like to acknowledge the invaluable help and thank my team of supervisors who are Elizabeth Tilley, Joanna Bornat, Jan Walmsley and Mary Langan. I am completely indebted to them for reading my work with such care and dedication, and for continually encouraging me with their insights and wisdom. I would like especially to thank Elizabeth Tilley, whose support and advice on both academic and administrative matters has enabled me to navigate this research journey. My deep appreciation goes to all of those who contributed their time and voices to this research with such enthusiasm and generosity. The infectious energy of all of the students involved in the project I found inspirational. The knowledge and advice from Local Authority and Camden Society support workers past and present enabled me to discover and explore immensely rewarding research directions and themes. I would especially like to thank Camden Society members and staff, who made me feel welcome, valued and supported throughout. Finally, I want to thank my long-suffering wife Jeanne and daughter lona, and my new-born son Canna, whose love sustains me. 3 Contents Contents Abstract 1 Acknowledgements 3 Contents 4 Chapter 1: Introduction 1. Employment and people with learning difficulties 11 2. Definitions and term. 14 3. The data source. 16 4. Overview of chapters 17 Conclusion 22 Chapter 2: Literature Review Introduction 23 1. The employment of people with learning difficulties: hlstorle. and concept. 25 4 2. 'Vocational' and 'educational' tendencies In specialised systems of education 35 3. Researching the meaning of employment 42 4. Inclusion, belonging and Identities 47 Defining exclusion, inclusion and belonging 48 Identities and inclusion 53 Conclusion 58 Chapter 3: Methodology: How the study was undertaken Introduction 60 1. A review of the methodological literature that Informed my methods choices 61 Issues of research ownership 61 The challenges of interviewing people with learning difficulties 68 Learning difficulties research, narrative histories and oral history 71 Data analysis: Grounded theory 77 Conclusion 80 2. Research strategies: data collection and analysis 81 5 Finding research participants and access to interviewees 81 Participant groups: 85 Students 85 Day Centre members with learning difficulties 88 Service providers 89 Anonymity and pseudonyms 93 Interview strategies 94 Data analysis 100 Archival research 101 Ethical issues 104 Managing challenges in the field: 108 Interview space 108 Changing research identities 110 Conclusion 112 Chapter 4: The Policy Context Introduction 115 6 1. An overview of policy debates relating to the employment of disabled people 118 2.1944 to 1970: From Occupation Centres to Adult Training Centres (ATCs) 121 3.1970 to 1974: 'Better Services' and the decline of ATCs 128 4. 1974 to 1990: From Social Education Centres to Care In the Community 132 5. 1990 to 2010: From public to private/voluntary sector provision 135 Conclusion 144 Chapter 5: How policy Informed practice: the London Borough of Camden, a case study Introduction 148 1. Adult Training Centres In Camden after 1959 149 2. Local authority and voluntary sector Innovation: Ideological gaps and new partnerships 157 3. From 1990 to 2010: The commodification of care and the relative decline of Local Authority Influence 169 Conclusion 174 7 Chapter 6: How students with learning difficulties are prepared for employment In the post-16 education sector Introduction 176 1. Tomlinson and the Further Education context 177 2. Time and space 179 Time, change and continuity 179 College spaces 186 3. Learning theories and educational practice 189 Conclusion 197 Chapter 7: Exploring what employment means to people with learning difficulties Introduction 200 1. How spaces Inform what employment means 202 Family and shared home spaces: 'protective custody' and community ties 202 Community space and employment meaning 208 2. Pride and shame: The structuring and morality of employment time 217 8 Conclusion 229 Chapter 8: Employment, inclusion and negotiating identities Introduction 232 1. Negotiating normalcy: Identities and Inclusion 233 2. Employment, Inclusion and Identities 247 Conclusion 257 Chapter 9: Conclusions Introduction 259 Personal reflections 261 1. The research questions: 262 How did policy inform practice? 262 How are young people prepared for employment? 264 What does employment mean to people with leaming difficulties? 266 How do identities influence the nature of inclusion through employment? 268 Is employment a vehicle for social inclusion? 269 2. Limitations of the research 272 9 Future re.earch: 274 Exploring the needs of employers 274 Job coaches and employment support schemes 275 The role of FE 275 Conclu.lon 276 Appendlce.: Appendix 1 278 Appendix 2 283 Appendix 3 284 Appendix 4 285 Appendix 5 286 Appendix 6 287 Appendix 7 288 Appendix 8 289 Bibliography 290 10 Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction This chapter sets out the scope of the thesis, outlining some of the central themes it explores. It establishes terms and references that will be used throughout the thesis. It gives an overview of the conceptual framework the thesis draws upon, the research methods chosen and describes what each chapter discusses. 1. Employment and people with learning difficulties Paid employment for people with learning difficulties became central to social inclusion agendas over the period of Labour governments between 1997 and 2010. Policy, most notably outlined in the documents Valuing People (2001) Valuing People Now (2009) and Valuing Employment Now (2009), has increasingly sought to establish employment as the key element of a wider inclusion agenda. This thesis explores
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