Introduction - advocacy and learning disability, Robin Jackson and Barry Gray; principles and types of advocacy, Jan Walmsley; intergraty and advocacy, Michael Kendrick; exploring the role of values in the management of advocacy schemes, Tim Clement; professional consciousness and conflict in advocacy, Colin Goble; the legal context of the advocacy service, Deborah Baillie and Veronica Strachan; thoughtsfrom a UK citizen advocacy scheme, Mike Pochin; self advocay and research, Dorothy Atkinson; the role of self advocacy - stories from a self advocacy group through the experiences of its members, Fred Spedding, Elizabeth Harkness, Louise Townson, Andy Docherty, Niall McNulty and Rohhss Chapman; the neglected dimension - advocacy and the families of children with learning disabilities, Nick Pike; advocacy with people with communication difficulties, Janet Scott and Jane Larcher; some observations on the American advocacy scheme, Michael Kendrick; better and worse - overview of formal advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities in Australia, Dimity Peter; advocacy - the last frontier in special education?, Colleen Brown.
Advocacy is a critically important element in the development of effective services with a learning disability. It is seen by many as the critical link between theory and practice in creating a truly inclusive society. This text presents an in-depth examination of the historical, legal and philosophical contexts within which advocacy services have developed. The kind of professional and practical issues and problems confronting those running and using advocacy services are discussed, and the role of advocacy is examined. Chapters covering advocacy with families and with people with communication difficulties are included to contain information for practitioners. A survey of the development of advocacy services in the US, Canada, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand provides an international perspective.