Working in the public and private domains: staff management of community activities for and the identities of people with intellectual disability

In addition to describing how the concept of stigma continues to be a pervasive influence in encounters between people with intellectual disability and others, the present study suggests that the management of this situation has passed into the control of care staff. An ethnographic study of young adults and community relationships suggests that the activities of staff are crucial in shaping the social profile of people with intellectual disability. The views of care staff about the taken-for-granted rights which characterize presence and participation in the community domain encourage them to adopt a semi-insulation approach to their work. Staff extend this approach by adopting information control strategies to conceal important information from students. The present author argues that there is a need for on-going research into staff activity in the community domain.