To Örebro University

Background: Information and communication technology (ICT) increases participation in life activities, and young adults are frequent users. Young adults with intellectual disability (ID) do not use ICT as much as their peers, and little is known about how ICT is used by young adults with ID. This study describes the use of ICT from the perspective of young adults with mild to moderate ID in a municipal social care context.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were used to collect information from 11 young adults with mild-to-moderate ID living in residential care and analysed using a content analysis.

Results:ICT was used for family relationships, daily support, interactions based on interests and amusement, and as support for offline activities. Family members were important providers of support for ICT use.

Conclusion: Young adults with mild-to-moderate ID use ICT in their daily life. The social care context needs to be further investigated due to its influence on the young adults' access to ICT and need of support.

Background: Information and communication technology (ICT) has increased in importance and facilitates participation in several life areas throughout society. However, young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability make less use ICT than the general population. Disability services staff play a central role in supporting and enabling service users in daily life, and their perceptions of ICT are important to their role in service provision.

Aim: To describe staff perceptions of the role of ICT and how it affects daily life in young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability living in residential homes.

Method: Focus group interviews and individual interviews were conducted with staff working in residential homes in which young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability live. All materials were transcribed verbatim and analysed using latent content analysis.

Findings: Staff perceived ICT and, more specifically, the Internet as being supportive of both daily life and social relationships of these young adults, but they also viewed ICT as posing social risks. Perceptions of and support for ICT were related to staff perceptions about what is appropriate and manageable in relation to an individual resident’s functioning level. Staff members also considered the views of parents about appropriate content when providing support.

Discussion: Staff in residential homes for young adults with mild to moderate intellectual disability use their implicit moral judgement about the use of ICT by residents. Their enablement of and support for ICT are not primarily based on the service user’s wishes or interests. This finding implies a risk that the organization of a conflict-free service provision is a higher priority than service users’ participation in social life.