A thematic report on relationships with family and friends among disabled people in the UK

Preethi Premkumar, Nicola Martin, Alex Bacon, Adam Hyland, Scarlett James, Georgie O’Brien, Shaminder Takhar, Piers Wilkinson

Research output: Book/ReportCommissioned report

Abstract

This report explores the lived experiences of disabled people regarding relationships, loneliness, and connectedness in the UK. The aim of this qualitative literature review was to identify disabled people’s preferences in forming social networks and relationships, any barriers they may face and the impact, and any improvements to schemes, designs, adaptations and services, building on previous work by the University of Leed’s Centre for Disability Studies 2021 report “The lived experience of disabled people in the UK: a review of evidence”.
Across 10 themes, we identified that disabled people experience a variety of barriers that make it hard to establish and maintain relationships that can lead to social isolation and loneliness. Specifically disabled people:
● Often have smaller networks than nondisabled people and are more dependent on these networks. Disabled people's dependence on a smaller network can lead to alternate definitions of friendship.
● Face a lack of social capital due to factors such as lack of autonomy and the cost of living as disabled individuals, increasing their dependency on their network.
○ Outside of family and service workers these networks are regularly homophilic; preferring relationships with people similar to oneself
● Are regularly made to feel as an 'other' by social perceptions and therefore do not feel they fit in. As a result, disabled people can internalise negative societal perceptions and self-isolate.
● There are disparities in experiences, particularly perceptions, for individuals who acquired their impairment compared to other disabled people, and this has a significant impact.
● Navigate additional barriers in relationships regarding roles; often balancing “traditional” nondisabled roles with aspects of caregiving and increased dependency, especially for partner and parent/child relationships.
● Identity and self-expression are at the core of the relationships
○ Disabled people value sexual identity as much as their nondisabled peers, but face stigma about their sexual expression. Often there is an assumption of disabled people as being asexual.
○ LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer community) disabled people face heightened stigma and therefore due to their dependency on their smaller networks are not able to explore their sexuality/ gender identity in the same ways as nondisabled people.
● Seek greater independence and autonomy within their lives, and significantly face the assumption of incompetence by nondisabled people to the detriment of all relationships
● Are not afforded the same access to education and information regarding sexual health, sexual wellbeing, family planning and relationships.
Suggested improvements regularly included greater training and support for caregivers and service professionals to have a more holistic understanding of disabled people’s lives, initiatives to break down social perceptions and stigma, and significant changes to existing services to improve access to education, information, social opportunities, and other communities.
Overall, the findings suggest that whilst there may be legislative protections and conventions that promote the rights of disabled people, the lived realities are overwhelmingly different; where a disabled person’s preference for socialising is less of a factor than whether they can access the opportunities to socialise in the first place. Furthermore, the qualitative research landscape disproportionately draws participants from institutional, clinical, and service orientated settings, and does not fully reflect the diversity of the disabled community.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages31
Publication statusAccepted/In press - Apr 2023

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