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Housing quality for disabled children

Posted on 26 August 2008

Policy makers need to give greater priority to the housing needs of disabled children, according to research undertaken by Dr Bryony Beresford from the University's Social Policy Research Unit.

Street of houses: photo by Dominic

Dr Beresford’s assessment of the evidence shows that, regardless of the nature of their disability, more than half of disabled children live in unsuitable housing. They are also more likely to live in homes which are unsuitable for their needs than any other group of disabled people.

Lack of space is the biggest single concern for these families, including space for family life, storing equipment and carrying out therapies. In addition, many families are having to manage with inadequate bathing or toileting facilities. Difficulties with moving around, or in and out of the home, is another common housing problem.

The evidence also suggests that disabled children are amongst the worst housed children. They are 50 per cent more likely to be living in overcrowded accommodation than other families. They also fare worse on nearly every measure of housing condition compared to families with non-disabled children.

Dr Beresford has published her findings in a Joseph Rowntree Foundation report which pulls together the evidence from her own research, other studies, and government statistics. It demonstrates that difficulties with housing are not just about ramps and wheelchair access, but include poor housing conditions, lack of space, and

The report has been adopted by a coalition of disabled children’s organisations, Every Disabled Child Matters, to campaign for Government action to address this issue.

About the researcher

Dr Bryony Beresford

Dr Bryony Beresford is a Senior Research Fellow in the Social Policy Research Unit

Contact

Email: bab3@york.ac.uk

Further information