People with intellectual disabilities are living longer. As a result, dementia is becoming increasingly common in intellectual disability care. What is dementia exactly? Why do people with Down syndrome have a high risk of developing it? And what about people with intellectual disabilities without Down syndrome? How do you establish a diagnosis? Who is involved in this process? What does dementia do to a person? What is the impact on fellow residents and caregivers? And how do caregivers support changes in functioning and behaviour?

In The caregiver’s companion to intellectual disabilities and dementia, expert Alain Dekker answers the one hundred most  frequently asked questions from professional caregivers, family caregivers and students in clear language, based on the latest scientific knowledge and experiences in daily practice.

About the author:

Alain Dekker is a lecturer at the University of Groningen and head of the Department of Practice-Oriented Scientific Research (PWO) at Alliade, a large care organisation providing care for over 8,000 people with intellectual disabilities and vulnerable elderly in the Dutch province of Friesland. He obtained his PhD cum laude from the same university with his thesis Down & Alzheimer. As an expert at the intersection of intellectual disability care and elderly care, he lectures (inter)nationally on dementia in people with intellectual disabilities.

Translation note: The translation and adaptation of this handbook was promoted by the Erasmus+ project Digital tools for intellectual disability and dementia: professionalisation, resilience and outstanding care. The following people have contributed to this project: Charlie Schillemans (Alliade, the Netherlands), Barbara Gasteiger-Klicpera & Annalisa La Face (University of Graz, Austria), Vanda Canjuga & Karmen Puškar (SAVEZ OSIT, Croatia), Maria Moskofidou & Maria Tsameti (ESTIA, Greece), and Giorgia Uricolo (EUTHRIVE, Italy).

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Housing adaptations are one of the main tools for improving quality of life for people with severe disabilities and for their caregivers. They are also the main tool of the ADA Project, an action research that developed a strategy to tailor adaptations to the specific user needs and profiles. 

After an introduction to disability, accessibility and housing adaptations, the book describes the ADA Project’s goals, stages and tools. It then focuses on the main scientific outcome of the Project: the ADA Assessment Model (AdAM), an interdisciplinary tool that analyses and assesses the functional and social profile of disabled persons and their relationship with the physical environment in which they live.

In 2018 the ADA Project was first selected as “Good Practice” by the international Design for All Foundation and then won the “Design for All Foundation Award 2018,” in the category “Spaces, products and services already in use.”

Contents page:

Foreword  / Stefania Saccardi

Preface  / Antonio Laurìa

Credits 

Acknowledgements 

Introduction 

SECTION I. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

• Ch. 1: Basic concepts 

• Ch. 2: Housing Adaptation 

SECTION II. THE ADA PROJECT

• Ch. 3: Stakeholders and Beneficiaries  

• Ch. 4: Methodological Design  

• Ch. 5: The ADA Assessment Model  

Conclusions / Antonio Laurìa

ANNEXE: THE ADA ASSESSMENT MODEL – ADAM

The Florence Accessibility Lab  

Bibliography  

Authors and Contributors  

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This open access book critically engages with the social, political and ethical implications of support for people with disability to be fully included in society. The authors examine contemporary issues of quality and safeguarding in disability services, translating research and practice wisdom into foundational knowledge. Written by leading researchers, the book provides a comprehensive overview of knowledge and practice necessary to prepare readers to deliver enabling support.

Table of contents:

Front Matter

• Introduction / Christine Bigby, Alan Hough

• Thinking About Disability: Implications for Practice / Christine Bigby

• Building Strong Foundations: Listening to and Learning from People with Intellectual Disabilities and Their Families / Aaron J. Jackson, Christine Bigby

• Supporting Community Participation / Christine Bigby

• The Importance of Economic Participation for Quality of Life / Vivienne C. Riches

• Relationship-Based Practice with People with a Mild Intellectual Disability Who Have Been Socially Marginalised and Excluded / Kathy Ellem, Jemma Venables

• Supporting Engagement in Everyday Life at Home and in the Community: Active Support / Christine Bigby

• Healthy Lifestyles and Primary Healthcare / Jane Tracy, Teresa Iacono

• Supporting People with Complex and Challenging Behaviour / Laura Hogan, Christine Bigby

• Support Planning with People with Disabilities / Tal Araten-Bergman

• The Right to Participate in Decision Making: Supported Decision Making in Practice / Christine Bigby

•  ‘Nothing about us without us’. Including Lived Experiences of People with Intellectual Disabilities in Policy and Service Design / Sian Anderson, Christine Bigby

• Organisational Culture in Disability Accommodation Services / Lincoln Humphreys

• Building Quality and Safeguarding into Disability Service Provision / Alan Hough, Jade McEwen

Back Matter 

Reviews:

• “This book provides a comprehensive overview of the contemporary quality and practice considerations for disability services. What is so great about this book is its ability to link the theory and evidence to the practical reality of everyday service provision. The use of real people examples and simple take home messages makes it a very practical resource for managers of disability services wanting to improve the quality of their services for people with disability.”—Liz Forsyth, CEO, Northcott

• “This book fearlessly tackles the hot issues in disability service provision, providing the reader with clear and concise explanations as to why and how quality service should and can be provided. I would challenge all senior leaders to review the quality of supports their organisation provides in the light of the best practice outlined by the authors.”—Leanne Fretten, CEO, Sylvanvale.

• “As a board member of an organisation making possibilities a reality for people with intellectual disabilities, this book provides long overdue practical insights into the issues we wrestle with constantly in the boardroom today.  Most importantly it shares profound insights, through rigorous research, into what people with disabilities have to tell us about their experience and how our organisations can better serve and support them in achieving their goals.  Every member of board-level quality and safeguarding committees and every executive of disability services providers need this handbook, authored by some of the leading authorities in the sector.”—Elizabeth Jameson, Chair, Endeavour.

• “For everyone involved in supporting people with disabilities, from disability support workers to executives and boards of disability support providers, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the key issues, concepts and research related to disability, as well as their implications for the practice and delivery of disability support. Overall, this book is an excellent resource for anyone working in the disability sector or for those who want to learn more about supporting people with intellectual disabilities.”—Laurie Leigh, CEO, National Disability Services.

• “Translation [into practice] is one of the disability sector’s biggest challenges - how do we convert what we know into what we do? This comprehensive guide helps fill that gap. The editors and authors have aimed to make the latest evidence on quality supports accessible for a non-academic audience and hit their mark. Every chapter concludes with concise “take home” summaries. True to their own values, they let the voices of disabled people speak for themselves, and supplement them with vivid case examples. This is essential reading not only for practitioners new to the sector or new to management, but anyone wanting to use evidence to drive better practice and better outcomes.”—Terry Symonds, Chief Executive, Yooralla.

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This book investigates the interplay between disability and religion in Africa, and what this means in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The importance of meeting the needs of people with disabilities is highlighted specifically in several Sustainable Development Goals, as well as being emphasised as a cross-cutting issue across all the goals. Over 1 billion people are estimated to be living with disabilities, and 80% of this population live in the Global South, many within Africa. 

This book argues that within this context, religion must be considered, as people with disabilities often turn to religion for solace in confronting the daily struggles and pains that they face. Drawing on multiple disciplinary lenses, this book reflects on how traditional/indigenous, Abrahamic, and other African minority religions and philosophies interact with disability, and how this relates to the Sustainable Development Goals. The book demonstrates how religions in Africa conceptualise, imagine, or re-imagine disability in the context of key themes such as gender, ecological justice, health, poverty, education, employment, entrepreneurship, and migration.

Overall, the book invites researchers from across the social sciences to consider how African religious, theological, and philosophical ideas can help towards the inclusion of people with disabilities in the 2030 development agenda in Africa.

Copyright note: The Open Access version of this book has been made available by KU 2025 under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Table of contents:

Ch. 1:  Introduction

Religion, disability and sustainable development in Africa

By Ezra Chitando, Chioma Ohajunwa, Kudakwashe 'AK' Dube

Section I:   The SDGs, disability and religion in the context of poverty and socio-cultural factors

Ch. 2:  Positive perspectives on disability in the Old Testament

Pathways to breaking the disability-poverty nexus and leaving no one behind in Africa's quest to achieve sustainable development

By Makomborero Allen Bowa

Ch. 3:  Probing disability in Africa

A panoramic view from critical disability studies on religion, disability and poverty in Africa

By Loreen Maseno, Beatrice Vugutsa Lukalo

Ch. 4:  The African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability (AfriNEAD) and its quest to be a regional disability network guided by African wisdom

By Gubela Mji

Ch. 5:  Socio-Cultural perspectives on disability as a barrier to sustainable development in Africa            

                       By Beatrice Vugutsa Lukalo, Loreen Maseno

Section II:   SDGs, disability and religion in the context of health and well-being

Ch. 6:  Exploring the intersection of disability and religion in the context of COVID-19 and sustainable development in Africa

By Swabra Nakawesa, Ephraim Lemmy Nuwagaba

Ch. 7:  Epilepsy in the context of African indigenous religions

By Sifiso Emmanuel Mbelu

Ch. 8:  Care development

   : Botho ethics, ageing and disability

By Tshenolo J. Madigele, Elizabeth P. Motswapong

Ch. 9:  Sustainable Development Goal achievements for people with disabilities in Africa

   : The role of Christian-Muslim religions in Tanzania

By Ronald Julius Mbao

Section III:  The SDGs, disability and religion in the context of the disciplines

Ch. 10:   An examination of the relationship between disability, law and religion

      : The Zimbabwean disability practice

By Joseph Muyangata

Ch. 11:   Eco-justice and disability inclusion in Lusaka, Zambia

      : Towards an African women's theology of disability

By Bridget Nonde Masaiti, Sophia Chirongoma

Ch. 12:   Religion, disability and education in Africa

      : Perspectives from Uganda

By Pamela Nizeyimana, Ojok Patrick, Victor Locoro

Ch. 13:   The interplay of South African Indigenous Religions, disability and the Sustainable Development Goals

      : Reconceptualising disability in inclusive education

By Nwacoye Gladness Mpya

Section IV:   The SDGs, disability and religion in the context of gender

Ch. 14:  Disability, gender-based violence and development in Africa

      : The case of Eswatini 1

By Sonene Nyawo

Ch. 15:   Women with disability's access to sexual reproductive health and well-being in Nairobi, Kenya

      : Towards a theology of belonging

By Telesia K. Musili

Ch. 16:  Transformative work of Pentecostal groups in addressing gender-based violence against people living with disability in Nigeria

By John Oluwajana

Ch. 17:   Obstetric fistula – a disability that affects the health and well-being of women

      : Reflections from the Malawian context

By Mwawi N. Chilongozi

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Despite the increase in research about workplace inclusion, the current literature is dominated by a negative focus on the barriers managers face as they attempt to hire people from disadvantaged groups, including people with disabilities. This open access book offers a positive and practical guide to workplace inclusion that focuses on the opportunities and strategies for managers to succeed and to develop and capitalize on the strengths and resources of individuals.

Unlike some works with a broader societal focus, this contributed volume puts the spotlight firmly on what happens inside workplaces and organizations. It shifts focus from a reactive view of organizations acting on external motivations and pressures towards a proactive view, based on internal motivation, opportunities, and untapped resources. Each chapter is written on a specific theme by a leading expert, digesting the theory and applying it to real-world cases. It will be of great interest to executive education and MBA students, as well as HR practitioners and policymakers.

Table of contents:

Front Matter

• Introduction / Eric Breit, Siri Yde Aksnes, Paul Boselie, Jasmijn van Harten

• Executive Strategies / Jo Ingold, Qian Yi Lee, Veronica Sabo, Angela Knox

• Human Resource Management / Paul Boselie, Jasmijn van Harten, Laura van Os

• Inclusive Leadership / Siri Yde Aksnes, Eric Breit

• Mentorship / Heidi Enehaug, Øystein Spjelkavik

• Workplace Accommodations / Tanja Dall, Mikkel Bo Madsen

• Inclusive Job Design / Thomas Bredgaard

• Co-Worker Support and Resistance / Kjetil Frøyland

• Trade Unions and Union Representatives / Tone Lindheim

• External Support and Collaboration / Magne Bråthen

• Structural Characteristics / Julie Ulstein

• Conclusion / Eric Breit, Siri Yde Aksnes, Paul Boselie, Jasmijn van Harten

Back Matter

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[From the Introduction by Paula Lombardi:]

This book was developed to support the Granite State College introductory courses EDU 617 and 717, Students with Disabilities. Chapters 1-11 are developed to align with the disability summary assignments. Each of these concise chapters explains the corresponding section of the disability summary template. This eBook is a work in progress and will evolve as high quality open resources become available.

Chapters 12-23 provide an introduction to each of the 13 IDEA disabilities. Some chapters are more comprehensive than others, depending on the availability of open resources.

Table of contents:

Introduction

Resources and Copyright Notice

I. Foundational Competency and Teacher Education Standards

1. IDEA Definitions

2. Identification/Diagnosis

3. Prevalence

4. Etiology

5. Characteristics and Impact on Learning

6. Intellectual Functioning

7. Adaptive Behavior

8. Universal Design for Learning

9. Interventions, learning strategies, teaching methods and accommodations

10. Assistive Technology

11. Systems of Support

12. Specific Learning Disability

13. Intellectual Disability and Developmental Disability

14. Autism Spectrum Disorders

15. Emotional Disturbance

16. Traumatic Brain Injury

17. Orthopedic Impairments

18. Other Health Impairments

19. Visual Impairments/Blindness

20. Deaf/ Hearing Impairments

21. Deaf Blindness

22. Multiple Disabilities

23. Speech and Language Impairment

Appendix

Updates

Assistive Technologies to Support Students with ADHD

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