Beata:

I'm including a link to studies in RG that can provide some good background information to your question. I hope you find it useful.

Best regards,

Debra

https://www.researchgate.net/publicliterature.PublicLiterature.search.html?type=keyword&search-keyword=lifelong+learning+theories+for+students+with+disabilities&search-abstract=&search=Search

Dear Beata, this paper takes into consideration adults with mental and other disabilities. "We must not look at this disadvantaged group being isolated from

the society. The same goes to Lifelong Learning and the Normalization programs.." 

"In Malaysia the breakdown of disabled people are 12,874 visually impaired, 15,876 hearing impaired, 29,469 physically handicapped and 28,129 mentally impaired

(Department of Social Welfare, 2006).  The awareness of providing education for people with disabilities in Western countries has embraced a diverse and complex range of services for this group of people in Malaysia. They are facing tremendous problems in maintaining their life in the future."

http://www.hraljournal.com/Page/7%20Kamarulzaman.pdf

I think you can't ask this question like that, generalisation is not Relevant. The intellectual disabilities are very different One of the other one. For example, comparing Alzeimer to Trisomy is not efficient. Better identify adult difficulty typology and adapt learning to it.

 This is a gut level answer - not one based on having thought much before about the concept of lifelong learning, never mind its relationship with disabilities.The first sentence below may indicate that I have taken the concept of lifelong learning pretty much for granted and with too little thought, but here goes.

'Lifelong learning' is just what the term implies - learning for all from the beginning of life until it ends. Such learning can take place both with and without the help of educational systems. At some stages of life, and for some areas of learning some of us without disabilities are more pro-active in learning and some of us need more support and encouragement. Educational systems are there to provide support and encouragement to both the more pro-active and the less proactive. Reasons for needing support and encouragement include different social and domestic backgrounds, attitudes to learning, self-beliefs, prior knowledge and understanding - the list could go on. When people come to our educational facilities with such variations, we have to try and support them as required. It is difficult to generalise what that support should be because it is different for different people.

Gache's contribution I think reinforces that point for those with disabilities.Disabilities cover a wide range, including some we may start life with - autism, for example. Others which may hit us later in life, such as dementia. As Gache points out, the effects on intellectual abilities are very different. However, we have to be optimistic that problems can be solved. There seems to me, (from contact with people working in the field, not direct experience) that progress is being made in how to better support the learning of people on the autistic spectrum - people who in the past might not have received much (or as effective) support and encouragement. From what I understand, that often entails individually tailored support - or elements of that in a more collective setting.

The important point is that the educational systems should not 'write anybody off' as not being able to learn, but should instead seek ways to support them in learning. This will be very challenging at times and we may not always have the required knowledge  of, or expertise in, how it can be done, but that does not excuse not trying and not trying to develop such knowledge and expertise 

Dear All,

thank you for your valuable support. I'm on the train to Silesia University in Cieszyn. This is about 500 km south from place I live. I will analyse and reply on Saturday to your comments. Thank you once again. Feel free to discuss the topic. 

Somehow I think that every one is a life long learner whether intellectually disabled or not. The idea is that we're all continuously learning new things. Learning doesn't only occur seating in a classroom, it's all around us. As long as we have the ability to think, we're learning.

Dear Takeshi, 

Thank you for support and interest. This research under Grant 374-H NCU was directly asssociated with my PhD thesis about the relationship between carers and participants of day support centers for adults with intellectual disabilities, develpmental disabilities and dual diagnosis (intellectual disability+ mental disorder).

I undertook ethnographic research about the conflicts in relationships between 18 occupational therapist and participants of day care centers. Besides For 7 years and 7 months I conducted the participant observation. In fact I worked in these places as occupational therapist fo 7 years and 7 months. All procedure was based on James Spradley's (1979, 1980) ethnographic research strategy. I published conclusions of the research in Polish language in my book tit. "Ethnography for therapists (special educators) methodological sketches".If you wish I could prepare in near future some translations of conclusions. 

Of course, as professional on Intellecual disabilities education domain, I agree with Colin and you, that there are many ways and conditions in which intellectual disabilities can appear through the lives, so there is need for various approaches to think about the concepts of LLL. 

However such idea to divide people through diagnostic lenses is characteristic to medical model of disabilities btw. grounded in France. I'm closer to social and cultural models of disabilities. They have however in France  very interesting law from February 2005 defining disability as "situation of disability" which I admire and respect. 

I'm looking rather for various concepts and ideas of LLL for persons with ID, DD, Dual Diagnosis, MI

Dear Takeshi, I cooperate also with French academics. Especially with cultural anthropologist Professor Charles Gardou, from University Lumiere Lyon2 in Lyon. Besides I have explored French system of support children, youth with mild and moderate levels of intellectual disabilities thank to two study visits in 2010 and 2012. I still plan to publish an article about French support system which seems very interesting.

In 2016 there will be published a new book edited by Professor Charles Gardou where I participated as researcher in one chapter, exploring cultural traces of disability in Polish folk stories and Slavic demonology. 

My publications in English are uploaded in RG. Please let me know, if you want me to do brief translation of conclusions of the report form Grant 374-H ?  I'm very glad, you commented this topic. 

Warm Regards, 

Beata

A learning disability is a lifelong condition, individuals with learning disabilities can achieve success in school and in adult life. This will depend on support from those around the individual (e.g., family, teachers, employers) and an appropriate management program which includes interventions that have been proven to be successful.

Outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities vary depending on the extent of the difficulty as well as how it is treated.

https://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets/learning/

Thank you Dear @Krishnan for interesting link form Australian ground. I will analyze it with attenntion. 

Dear Beata:

The advancement in technology has made us all lifelong learners as we no longer have to go to seated classes to learn but can do so thru the Internet. As such, Assistive technology accommodate for persons with disabilities or as we say in our country: the differently abled so they are not held back from reaching their full potential, however long it may take.

Many thanks,

Debra 

http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/091712p40.shtml

The competencies continue to develop over time, shaped by interactions with people, places, ideas, and things. Students need to be challenged and supported to develop them in contexts that are increasingly wide-ranging and complex.

http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Key-competencies

Dear Takeshi, 

Thank you for such great and comprehensive answer. I will try to answer  every issues. I have an impressionn that we speak similar language about ID. Starting with answers: 

• Yes, I agree the LLL system depends on law and system of particular countries. 
• ” What story your country have according to social movements of parents having children with disabilities ?”  - this is our Polish reality of parental/ disability rights movement which was introduced in US in 60s. with Ed Roberts initiative. However our parents fight for basic financial resources not for higher education for their ID adults. This is still missing problem in our educational LLL system. (US have such options in 27 nation-wide college programs). 
• I'm very curious about Japanese experiences in LLL and Life-cycle support for persons with ID therfore  I will visit Japan, Fukuoka and Kyushu Women's University between 16-22 May of 2016. Of course I would be honored to share my knowledge and experiences too in Japan, in other times or circumstances. I'm open to cooperation also on my ground in Poland. 
• Dear Takeshi I absolutely agree, also as practitioner and a former occupational therapist with your sentence:  "The reason why I write such a thing is that the circumstance decidedly influence the mental state of ID and to provide comfortable situation is inevitable above all. I was astonished to have experiences to observe that changing the circumstance made challenging behavior dramatically decreased" -  This is very important remark about deinstitutionalization movement we still work on this problem in Poland. Do you know perhaps important case study undertaken by Charlotte Schwartz from Autralia on effect on female with severe level of ID after her movement to local group home from institution ? This is case study which is key evidence. I was moved reading about female who lived since childhood in institution for more than ~20-30 years in poor educational and other support conditions and about how her behavior changed (decreased autoagression, bad habits) after she was moved to group stationary facility in local environment. The changes occured also in her soma because she even started to menstruate.   I'll find the details of this paper, research report and share. I cited this author in my book from 2013.
• "Pedagogical Treatment of Adults with Developmental Disabilities” is one of yours specialty". Yes, in fact I lead university courses and classes on adulthood and disabilities: (1) Habilitation of Adults with ID (in Polish), (2) Lifelong Learning Planning for Adults with ID (in Polish), (3) Disability Phenomena in Generational and Procreative Families" (in English). I also lead course on "Intellectual Disabilities"(in Polish) and qualitative methodology also in disabilities area. 
• About French inspitarions. "I remember the sentence that “special education must not be empirical but must be strategic”. - It seems very important because strategy includes also strategic action of implementation the best solutions. There is probably need not only for the empirical research but extensive action researches and action for changing the lives of persons with ID for better in entire life-cycle. 
• There are very interesting publications in French by Professor Charles Gardou. The 3rd part of trilogy will be with my chapter. My French is very very basic (A1) so I involved professional French translator. I recommend in French the books of C. Gardou. Links:http://www.editions-eres.com/nos-auteurs/49245/gardou-charles 
• Dear Takeshi, this is my private e-mail: [email protected] I will send you the chapter of the book in 2016 after I get it. 

Warm Regards, 

Beata 

Dear Debra and Dear Krishnan, 

Very good remarks about assistive technology, which I forgot to consider first. The second important issue are the key competencies. Thank you both for inspiring links. :-)

I think you can use our methodology in 5 points to help people to re-find work or to find a first job after diploma.

1)finding an idea of "deam job" (what I love ? (why?) what I do not Like ? (why ?)

for some people (almost 10% this question is not efficient and be replaced by "what I need to do for paying my hobbies" or "what I am abble to do the best ?"(for this part you can read "dominique meda" and her books about "people links to work")

2) having ressorces to live permitting to find the higher job you can do (lower is losing productivity and salary)

3)  being well accompanied to accelerate the mission to find an activity. This is also important to compare the abilities of the person to "the market" .

4)  controling the proces people is doing (because some people can do nothing)

5) Penalties if the rules are not respected (because control is not efficient without penalties)

You can find this 5 points in "le chomage fatalité ou nécessité" de pierre Cahuc et andré Zylberberg Flamarion editions and / in "accompagner les demandeurs d'emploi francois Fontaine et Franck Malherbet SCIENCE PO presse.

This is a big work to analyse 200 inquires made from 1990 till 2010.

I do not know if it is an english traduction / vesion

Great ideas, Dear Gache as well as references. Thank you.  

thanks for french prof Charles GARDOU i do not know !

Dear Doko, please share your attachement.