E D I T O R I A L

Patricia O’Brien, Kelley Johnson and Carol Hamilton

It is a great pleasure to introduce this special issue of the

British Journal of Learning Disabilities which has a dual

focus: research in Ireland and the UN Convention on Rights

of Persons with Disabilities. The idea for a specific Irish

issue began with the recognition of the paucity of peer-

reviewed journals in the area of disabilities in the Republic

of Ireland. The purpose of this edition is therefore to enable

researchers working with people with intellectual disabili-

ties to publish their work and engage with other interna-

tional researchers. We knew that Irish researchers were

undertaking useful and relevant research which deserved

publication recognition. It seemed timely to provide an

opportunity for new research occurring in the Republic to

be published and discussed. We hoped, too, that this issue

would provide people with intellectual disabilities, service

providers and advocates with a resource with which to

further develop research activity.

The second focus of this issue is the UN Convention on

Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This has been signed

(though at the time of publication it had not been ratified)

by the Government in Ireland. It has important implications

for ways in which people with intellectual disabilities are

perceived and how they live their lives. While positive

changes in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities

are happening there is still a great deal to do. For example a

recent National Study of the Needs of People with Intellec-

tual Disabilities in Ireland revealed that they wanted to have

control, choice and support in a variety of areas such as

being a paid employee, a decision maker, a self advocate, a

partner in a relationship, a house owner, a respected citizen,

a money manager, and a good communicator (Retrieved on

28th September, 2009 from http://www.tcd.ie/niid/re-

search/projects/Allwewanttosay.php). These findings are

interrelated to the provisions of the Convention, like

discrimination, lack of inclusion in the community, lack of

choice and the need to remove social barriers to people

leading fulfilling lives. The Convention presents a positive

step forwards in that it affirms the rights of disabled people.

In asking contributors to this issue to refer to the Conven-

tion and the issues of rights we hoped to bring it into sharp

focus and to begin to explore how its provisions may begin

to be put into practice. We were very pleased that Professor

Gerard Quinn, at the University of Galway, who was

heavily involved in the drafting of the UN Convention was

able to provide a leading article for this issue. The first

section of the journal is concerned with an introduction to

the Convention and to inclusive research as one means of

supporting inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities

in their communities. It then follows a broadly life course

approach with articles which are concerned with families

and childhood, education and adult issues of quality of life

and sexuality. It concludes with an account of a life history

project with older people in Ireland.

With the permission of the editor, in editing this issue of

the journal, we have used the term intellectual disabilities

rather than learning disabilities as this is the current term

used in the Republic. During our times as editors our

working lives changed significantly. When the project began

we were all part of the National Institute for Intellectual

Disabilities at Trinity College. During its development

Kelley moved to the UK and Carol returned to New

Zealand. However all of us continue to have strong links to

the Republic. We hope that the papers in this issue will

provide a stimulating and exciting statement about research

and change in Ireland.

Patricia O’Brien

Director National Institute for Intellectual Disability, Trinity

College Dublin, Ireland

Kelley Johnson

Director Norah Fry Research Centre, University of Bristol,

Bristol, UK

Carol Hamilton

Teaching Fellow School of Human Development and

Counselling, Waikato University.

ª 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd, British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37, 241 doi:10.1111/j.1468-3156.2009.00576.x

British Journal of

Learning DisabilitiesThe Official Journal of the British Institute of Learning Disabilities