This theme covers the following topics:

• How the label of ‘mental impairment’ can create cognitive dissonance – they are told they are adults and need to be independent, whilst also being treated as something different
• The importance of having fun and doing things outside of a schedule of ‘care’
• Everyone is different
• Lack of confidence
• Desire for a mentor
• The importance of family
• Feeling like a burdens
• The impact of changes of relationship eg romantic partner – carer; parent – carer
• Expectations about roles in life – gender and more
• Having to ‘perform’ disability
• Different presentation in different environments eg at home v at day centre
• Sexual/romantic relationships
• Imposed vulnerability ie not being allowed ‘trial and error’ in life or ‘risk take’
• The different expectations for disabled people

This theme covers the following topics:

• The importance of communication
• Need for a consistent point of contact or a mentor
• Feeling they must tell people what they want to hear
• Different activities bring out different skills/confidence etc
• Miscommunications and misinterpretations with others

This theme covers the following topics:

• Cutting services
• Ageing parents
• Importance of family
• They are burdens
• Changes of relationship eg romantic partner – carer; parent – carer
• Expectations about roles in life – gender and more
• Sexual/romantic relationships

This theme covers the following topics:

• Importance of having fun a doing things outside of a schedule of ‘care’
• Everyone is different
• Loss of confidence
• Desire for a mentor
• If we want people to make good decisions, we need to facilitate practice
• Sexual/romantic relationships
• Stunted life
• Imposed vulnerability – ie not allowed to do the trial and errors of life through which we learn – risk taking
• Different expectations for disabled people
• Positive risk taking and right to make unwise decisions

This theme covers the following topics:

• What decisions do you make and not make
• Who helps you to make decisions
• How could help to making decision be improved
• What impacts on your ability to make decisions
• Importance of communication
• Focus on small decisions by professionals could be red herring
• Wanting a mentor
• If we want people to make good decisions we need to facilitate practice
• Different activites bring out different skills/confidence
• Preparation for a capacity assessment
• Difference between functional and executive capacity