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Abstract
Extending choice and control over public services is central to current policies in England. Such policies have immense potential for independence and well‐being. However, it is still not clear how disabled people conceptualise choices, what choices are important, for which groups of people, in what areas of life and why. This paper presents findings from the first phase of a longitudinal qualitative study of choice and control over the life‐course. Semi‐structured interviews were carried out with 111 participants including disabled young people with progressive conditions; their parents; adults and older people with fluctuating support needs and those experiencing sudden deterioration in health. The findings suggest that while most people across all study groups wanted to be able to make choices in all areas of their lives, there are significant differences in the importance they attach to specific choices. The findings have implications for service reforms and identify some policy and practice issues that need to be addressed.
Acknowledgements
The research project reported in this paper was funded by the Department of Health. However, any views expressed are those of the authors alone. We would like to thank all of the people who took part in this project and the agencies helping with recruitment of the participants. We would also like to thank the research team, K. Baxter, J. Heaton, H. Arksey, W. Mitchell and P. Sloper for their invaluable contribution to this project.