| Abstract [eng] |
Topic of the thesis: competences of a social worker, ensuring the availability of information and communication for people with mental disabilities. Research of the topic: research on the topic of people with mental disabilities is carried out by both foreign and Lithuanian scientists. C. J. Main and V. S. Shaw (2017) investigated the importance of professional competencies of professionals working with people with intellectual disabilities in effective service delivery. L. E. Gomez et al. (2015) described aspects of the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities in their research findings. Lithuanian researchers V. Vaicekauskienė and I. Beliavskaja (2016) revealed in their research how people with mental disabilities get involved in public life. S. Saveikienė (2018) studied the future perspectives of families where a person with an intellectual disability lives. I. Noreikienė and G. Žilinskas (2017) found out in their research how the state contributes to ensuring the right to access to information for people with mental disabilities. In her research, G. Kavaliauskaitė (2016) drew attention to the inclusion of people with mental disabilities in the education system. The aim of the work is to theoretically and empirically reveal the knowledge, abilities, skills that social workers must have and use in order to ensure the availability of information and communication for people with mental disabilities. Work problem: access to information and communication with the environment for people with intellectual disabilities is a considerable challenge. For social workers who provide services to persons with mental disabilities, an obstacle in the transfer of information may be too little application, society's attitude and other factors. Effective work with people with intellectual disabilities requires certain competencies. Tasks: 1. To analyze the theoretical aspects of the availability of information and communication for persons with mental disabilities. 2. To reveal the importance of project activities for increasing the availability of information and communication for persons with mental disabilities and to review the contribution of non- governmental organizations to increasing the accessibility of information for persons with mental disabilities. 3. Empirical research to identify the knowledge, abilities and skills of social workers, which are needed to ensure the availability of information and communication for persons with mental disabilities. 4. Empirical research to reveal how social workers cope with the challenges of communicating information and communicating with people with mental disabilities. Problematic questions: 1. What knowledge, abilities and skills of social workers help ensure the availability of information and communication for persons with mental disabilities? 2. In what ways do social workers cope with the challenges of communicating and transferring information to persons with mental disabilities? 3. In what ways do project activities or the activities of the non-governmental sector contribute to increasing the availability of information and communication for persons with mental disabilities? The object: is the competences required by social workers in order to ensure effective access to information and communication for people with mental disabilities. The survey sample: 1. Social workers with higher education in social work; 2. Social workers working with persons with mental disabilities; 3. Social workers with at least one year of experience working with mentally disabled persons. Theoretical and empirical methods: Theoretical work methods - analysis of scientific literature, conducted research, documents in order to reveal the competencies of the social worker, which, when working with people with mental disabilities, would ensure the availability of information and communication for them. Empirical methods - a semi-structured interview method, which aims to reveal the competencies needed by social workers, ensuring the availability of information and communication for people with mental disabilities. The qualitative content analysis method was used for the analysis of the research data, analyzing the data obtained during the semi-structured interview. Research results - social workers often use easy-to-understand language when communicating with people with mental disabilities. In order to adapt to the individual needs of customers, they use auxiliary tools such as icons, pictures, photos. In order to be better heard and understood, when communicating with service recipients, they create a calm and non-distracting environment, and use the facilities created by information technology. Digital tools: computer, mobile phone, video projector enable more efficient activities. Social workers encourage people with mental disabilities to communicate by including them in work activities and employment. Specialists develop direct communication by talking to clients in a way they understand. The most important professional skills needed by social workers in providing information to people with intellectual disabilities are empathy, the ability to apply psychological knowledge and credibility. During the research, it became clear that social workers are hindered in ensuring communication opportunities for people with mental disabilities: limited thinking capabilities of people with mental disabilities, negative public attitude towards people with mental disabilities and too little use of easy-to-understand language. According to the surveyed social workers, communication problems are the most appropriate to solve: talking with service recipients, analyzing situations, carrying out harmonious teamwork and increasing the inclusion of people with mental disabilities in society. |
