Abstract
Disability support services and related policies have changed significantly throughout history in Aotearoa New Zealand, from institutionalisation to community-based support with recognition of the importance of disabled people's autonomy. These shifts have been brought about mainly through the advocacy of disabled people and their supporters on the one hand, and fiscal efficacy influenced by neoliberal ideologies on the other. Despite these changes, recognition of the autonomy of people with learning disabilities is still limited, largely due to individualistic notions of autonomy. Relational autonomy is a concept that expands the individualistic understanding of autonomy to how relationships and the environment around individuals enhance or hinder their autonomy (Mackenzie, 2014).
This thesis is a case study of a disability organisation called Friend-Link in Dunedin, New Zealand, which originally aimed to support people with learning disabilities in establishing and maintaining friendships with people without disabilities. The organisation has since evolved into a community space for people with learning disabilities. This research aimed to explore the extent to which relational autonomy was present in the organisation, harnessing Institutional Ethnography as the methodology. It involved analysing repeat interviews and organisational documents to derive knowledge from everyday experiences. The findings suggest that various aspects of the organisation's structure and approach, such as the value of respect and flexibility, the organisation's small size, an accessible physical office, and relationships among the funder, the Board, the coordinators, and Friend-Link members, have enabled relational autonomy. Relational autonomy was expressed through changes at the organisational, relational, and individual levels. While the framework of relational autonomy acknowledges that environment and relationships are key factors in enabling individual autonomy, findings also recognised that individuals' autonomy shapes the environment and relationships. The findings of this research have implications for considering disability support service model, where a bulk-funded organisation like Friend-Link can build communities for and by people with learning disabilities and enable their autonomy.