Positives through participation: Staff views of the benefits of Men's Sheds for an intellectual disability population Authors- .Connolly, S. Guerin and K. Treacy -University College Dublin, St Michaels House.

Issued on October 4 2019

Positives through participation: Staff views of the benefits of Men's Sheds for an intellectual disability population

1. Connolly¹, S. Guerin¹ and K. Treacy²

¹University College Dublin, Ireland; ²St Michaels House, Ireland

Introduction: This study aims to explore staff views on the benefits for men who participate in the Men's Shed movement, with a particular focus on the benefits and transferability of the model and its associated benefits to a male population for men with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Methods: Using a qualitative design, nine semi‐structured interviews were carried out with two groups; community‐based Men's Sheds facilitators and ID professionals working with men in a specialist service. Interviews examined the issues including the contribution of Men's Sheds in ID, and supports and challenges for implementation. Data were subjected to a thematic analysis to examine recurring themes.

Results: The reported benefits of participation in Men's Sheds largely mirrored those suggested by Ryff and Keyes (1995) across both community and ID specific populations. Challenges were also reported in the transferability of the model to an ID population, including concerns regarding risk management.

Implications: While challenges exist in applying this model in ID, the perceived benefits of participation in Men's Sheds appear to outweigh potential barriers. For ID populations, Men's Sheds are perceived to offer an enabling environment where the social determinants and sense of disabled masculinity that can often be experienced by this group can be challenged and counteracted.

Keywords Intellectual disability, Men's development, Men's Sheds, Qualitative study