他們是社會人嗎？—兩名啟智學校畢業青年的生活樣貌

Abstract

摘要 本研究採用質性研究方法，深入探究兩名智能障礙青年的生活樣貌。資料蒐集是透過觀察和訪談的方式，與16名研究參與者進行互動，共為期七個月。

經過資料蒐集、分析與詮釋，研究者先分別呈現兩位智能障礙青年的生活脈絡，再進一步提出其共同的核心議題，研究主要發現如下：

一、工作不但讓青年成為一個生產者，增加經濟和生活的獨立，更是拓展社交網絡的重要媒介，使生活變得有意義。

二、家長對於子女的關愛和協助，可能是促進他們融合的推力，但是過度擔心和保護，反而形成智能障礙青年融入社會的拉力。

三、他人對於「智能障礙」的刻板印象，可能刻意或不經意地形成工作、友誼的柵欄，阻絕了他們真正融入社會的機會。

四、智能障礙青年藉由人際互動的經驗形成自我概念和評價。

五、智能障礙青年如能獲得更多參與和扮演各種角色的機會，並得到更多社會支持，就更能融入社會。

整體而言，智能障礙青年的生活深受「關係」的影響。各種社會關係中是否給予青年參與的機會和支持，將會建構成不一樣的生活樣貌。換言之，他們所經驗到的生活品質因社會支持和參與的機會而有不同。

Are They Social Members?—The Lives of Two Young Adults with Intellectual Disability

ABSTRACT

Taking two cases as the examples, the lives of young adults with intellectual disability (ID) were explored in this qualitative study. The data was collected within seven months through participation observationand interviewing with Haw, Hwai, and other 14 participants including parents, siblings, workmates, teachers, classmates, and neighbors.

As the results, the daily lives of two young adults with intellectual disabilities were described and five core themes were synthesized: (1) Work not only allows Haw to become a productive and independent person but also makes his lives more meaningful. (2) Parents’ love and caring enable their ID child to integrate into the community but too much worry and protection may hold back their further participation. (3) With low-functioning characteristics and the label of ID, the young adults are treated differently and may experience more difficulties getting jobs and making friends. (4) The experience of interacting with others affects ID young adults’ self value and self concept. (5) More opportunity to participate a variety of social activities, play multiple social roles with counterparts, and gain social supports, more chances for them to be integrated successfully in the society.

Taken together, young adults with ID can become true social members only when they have more opportunity of participation and social supports which promote their social relationship with others. In other words, social supports and participation determines the quality of live young adults with ID may experience.