A role model in my life has been my older sister who has Down syndrome. Through her, I have been exposed to persons with intellectual/learning disabilities, and greatly enjoyed forming relationships with this group of my peers. As I began my undergraduate career as a nursing student, I knew I wanted to continue working with adults with intellectual disabilities. However, I was surprised to learn that the United States currently lacks universal education for nurses in providing care for persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) while other countries, such as Northern Ireland, do provide that training. My desire and knowledge about such educational programs began to fuel the formation of a research project.

Globally, the number of persons with ID has expanded by 25 percent over the past ten years (Parrott, 2008). This has created an unprecedented level of need for health and social care that made me question what these persons think about their health, their access to health care and the nurses who help them. I specifically wanted to hear their voices. I then wanted to hear from the nurses who work with this population and how they perceive their roles. When I learned of the University of New Hampshire's International Research Opportunities Program (IROP) grants for summer research abroad, I teamed up with Associate Professor Joan Hahn of the Department of Nursing, who recruited a professional contact, Professor Owen Barr at the University of Ulster-Magee in Derry, to be my foreign mentor. Together we successfully applied for a grant, and I spent the summer of 2011 in Northern Ireland.

In 2007 the Bamford report indicated that the prevalence of persons with learning disabilities was 9.71 percent in Northern Ireland. The report was an independent review (2002–2007) that examined the law, policy and provisions affecting people with mental health needs or a learning disability. Learning disability is the term of choice in Northern Ireland for what Americans refer to as intellectual or developmental disability, previously known as mental retardation. By definition, learning disability may range from mild to profound, with an array of physical challenges, sensory impairments, and/or behavioral or mental health problems (WHO, 2009). According to the Bamford report, persons with learning disabilities have higher mortality rates, live with greater levels of ill-health, use primary care services less often and are less likely to take up health screening than the general population. And this occurs in a country with universal health care, free to every resident.