Recommendations from children and young people with disabilities for enhanced participation in local communities

Abstract

Participation of children and young people with disabilities is often restricted and needs to be higher on the agenda of relevant municipal service providers. With a sociology of childhood perspective and based on thematic analysis of two focus group discussions and one individual interview with children and young people with various (dis)abilities, we present and discuss their recommendations for achieving increased participation in activities and services within their local communities in two Norwegian municipalities. The findings are presented as six themes concerning service development participation, local activities, staff interaction, language and respect, community meeting places for youth with functional variations and inclusive built environments. Our findings should be of immediate concern for service providers, healthcare staff, policymakers and others who are responsible for services and policies aiming at increasing children’s participation in their daily life environments.

Keywords:

• Children
• young people
• participation
• services
• disabilities
• recommendations

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Joe Thomas, Institute of Health and Management, Australia

SUBJECTS:

• Children and Youth
• Disability
• Research methods

Acknowledgments

We thank all the participants, especially children, youth, young adults and staff participating in the FGDs and the interview and the participating municipalities.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Disclosure of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Research Council of Norway, Grant number 296365.

Notes on contributors

Marikken Høiseth

Marikken Høiseth, PhD in Design from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), is Associate Professor and Deputy Head of the Department of Design at NTNU. She leads NTNU’s PhD programme in Design and is a researcher at SINTEF Health Research. Her research interests include human-centred design, design for and with children, meaning-making processes, service design, user experience, social semiotics, healthcare design, and co-design.

Marit Støylen

Marit Støylen is a service designer with a Master’s degree in Design from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design. Before joining SINTEF and the reported research project, she worked on creating high-quality user experiences for various organisations. She has significant experience in qualitative research and effectively conveying the user’s perspective.

Arne Henning Eide

Arne Henning Eide (PhD) is Chief Scientist at SINTEF Health Research and Professor at Department for Social Work at NTNU. His research interest spans disability research, participation and inclusion, access to health services and community-based participatory approaches.

Dag Sverre Ofstad

Dag Sverre Ofstad holds a PhD in Professional Practice from Nord University Bodø, Norway. He managed the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Disabilities in Children and Youth (NKBUF). Ofstad was the Project Manager and researcher for the project “Developing a Method for Strengthening the Quality of Municipal Services to Children and Youth with Disabilities” supported by the Research Council of Norway. His research focuses on youth development, exploring how relational interactions help them understand themselves and harness their capacities, talents, and entrepreneurial qualities for their own and society’s benefit.

Emil Hansen

Emil Hansen, with a Master’s degree in Economics specialising in socioeconomics, has a diverse career in healthcare management and public service. He has served as a hospital director in Norway and Spain, a State Secretary in the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the president of the ‘Healthcare Leadership Association.’ He also has experience as a researcher at NKBUF.