Memorial University DAI: Mapping the language of intellectual disability

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Document Description

Title	Mapping the language of intellectual disability
Author	Wiseman, Roxanne Elizabeth, 1971-
Description	Thesis (M.Phys.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. Physical Education and Athletics
Date	2000
Pagination	x, 82 leaves : ill.
Subject	People with mental disabilities
Degree	M.Phys.Ed.
Degree Grantor	Memorial University of Newfoundland. School of Physical Education and Athletics
Discipline	Physical Education and Athletics
Language	Eng
Notes	Bibliography: leaves 69-75
Abstract	The terminology used to represent individuals with a lower than average intellectual capacity varies considerably amongst individuals, institutions, and countries. Some terms used in recent years are intellectual disability, mental retardation, mental handicap, and learning disability. The present study used the technique of multidimensional scaling (MDS) to map the constructs underlying the terminology used by professionals working in adapted physical activity. A questionnaire was developed to measure respondents' perceptions of the degree of similarity between pairs of terms used to describe the target population. The similarity matrix thus generated was used as the input for MDS that generated n-dimensional maps of the underlying constructs. The questionnaire was distributed, and responses collected, via the Internet and postal services. The survey participants were members of the International Federation for Adapted Physical Activity and guest reviewers and contributing authors for the Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly. The results indicated that there were significant differences between the terminology used in different English speaking countries. The construct maps presented by the MDS mapping are subject to several alternate interpretations. The interpretations discussed were (a) advocacy (self-named) terminology versus medical (clinically named) terminology, (b) visual stigmatization versus non-visual stigmatization, and (c) variations of terminology used in different countries. Implications for researchers and practitioners were also discussed.
Type	Text
Resource Type	Electronic thesis or dissertation
Format	Image/jpeg; Application/pdf
Source	Paper copy kept in the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, Memorial University Libraries
Local Identifier	a1493222
Rights	The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission.
Collection	Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Scanning Status	Completed
PDF File	(8.46 MB) -- http://collections.mun.ca/PDFs/theses/Wiseman_RoxanneE.pdf
CONTENTdm file name	122863.cpd