'I am a normal man': a narrative analysis of the accounts of older people with Down's syndrome who lived in institutionalised settings

This paper is a narrative analysis of the accounts of six older people with Down's syndrome who spent part of their childhood in institutional environments. The study aimed to find out how the participants talked about themselves. Different types of narrative analysis were used, including those of Murray (Qualitative psychology: a practical guide to research methods, London, UK, Sage, 2003), Gergen & Gergen (Hist Social Psychol, Hillsdale, NJ, Erlbaum, 1984) and Labov & Waletsky (Essays on the verbal and visual arts, Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1967). All of the participants spoke about their childhood, current and future lives. Most participants were able to reflect upon their strengths, limitations and hopes. The analysis highlighted the commonalities across the accounts: loss, abuse, health, significant others, transition, resilience and identity. Significantly, none of the participants identified themselves as having 'Down's syndrome' or a 'learning disability,' nor did they identify with being 'older'. Instead, individuals identified themselves in relation to gender and social roles. The accounts varied in terms of their form, structure, coherence and reflexive capacity. Clinical implications are discussed.