‘I shouldn’t be living there because I am a sponger’: negotiating everyday geographies by people with learning disabilities

Abstract

Learning disability policy has for some time been framed by the goal of inclusion which purports to enable people with learning disabilities to lead a ‘life like any other’ person. This article examines the extent to which this is the case in England, by tracing the lived experiences of people with learning disabilities within their communities. The article draws on two interlinked qualitative studies involving interviews that examined their local place-based experiences of inclusion and exclusion. The findings reveal ‘moments of inclusion’ and opportunities for social encounter from peer support, but these were situated amidst wider experiences of exclusion and harassment.

Keywords:

• Intellectual disabilities
• community care
• inclusion
• exclusion
• independent living
• belonging

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the advocacy organisation and self-advocates involved in both studies.

Notes

1. We use the term ‘disabled people’ here as it is the term used in British disability studies to convey how people are disabled by society. We similarly recognise and respect the use of the people-first term ‘people with disabilities’.

2. We understand the body as incorporating the mind, rather than as a distinct entity.