Not such an ordinary life: a comparison of employment, marital status and housing profiles of adults with and without intellectual disabilities
Tizard Learning Disability Review
ISSN: 1359-5474
Article publication date: 15 October 2019
Issue publication date: 5 November 2019
Abstract
Purpose
Having paid work, relationships and a choice of where to live are common policy priorities for adults with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to compare outcomes with respect to these three priorities between adults with intellectual disability and the general population in Jersey.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 217 adults with intellectual disability known to services, and 2,350 adults without intellectual disability using a stratified random sample. Data on employment, marital status and accommodation profiles were compared.
Findings
In sum, 87 per cent of adults with intellectual disability were currently single vs 16 per cent of adults without intellectual disability; 23 per cent of working-age adults with intellectual disability were in paid employment vs 92 per cent of working-age adults without intellectual disability; and 57 per cent of adults with intellectual disability lived-in sheltered housing vs 2 per cent of adults without intellectual disability.
Social implications
Very few adults with intellectual disability are in paid employment or intimate relationships, and the majority live in sheltered, supported housing, with very few owning their own home. There is a significant disconnect between policy and reality. Considerable work is required to make an ordinary life the reality for adults with intellectual disability.
Originality/value
This study adds to the body of evidence that suggests people with intellectual disabilities are less likely to experience an ordinary life. Furthermore, it illustrates that despite Jersey being an affluent society, the same difficulties and barriers exist there for persons with an intellectual disability as in other jurisdictions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all service users, their families, service providers and support staff who contributed to this research, and also the following research staff who contributed to data collection: Andrea Bowring, Carolann Romeril, Rachel Foster, Callum Gray, Dermot Harrison, Jane Nicole, Judith Russell and Helen Sands. The authors are also very grateful to the Government of Jersey Health and Community Services and Les Amis Services for their support to complete this research.
Citation
McMahon, M., Bowring, D.L. and Hatton, C. (2019), "Not such an ordinary life: a comparison of employment, marital status and housing profiles of adults with and without intellectual disabilities", Tizard Learning Disability Review, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 213-221. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLDR-03-2019-0014
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited