“If I were a social services boss then I should go to university to learn about different religions, about the cultural backgrounds.” 33-year-old Asian disabled man interviewed in West Yorkshire.
Limited understanding of cultural differences by community care providers is contributing to a lack of confidence in support services among Asian disabled people, according to two research studies for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published today. They suggest that social, religious and other needs are misunderstood or neglected in the belief that Asian people should ‘fit in’ with existing services.
Disabled adults
- In-depth interviews with 28 Asian disabled people aged 18 to 40 in the North of England found a widespread lack of confidence and trust in existing provision that contributed to a low take-up of community care services.
- Restricted use of care services did not mean that levels of need were low. Those interviewed reported feelings of isolation, forced dependency on their families and frustration at not being able to move freely at home.
- Many disabled people reported that community services were difficult to reach and inappropriate - although small things such as provision of Asian vegetarian and Halal food choices at day centres, or a place where Muslims could pray, would have helped to restore their confidence.
- Several interviewees felt they had been discriminated against because of their disability and race - sometimes by services providers, but also by attitudes within their own families and communities.
- Participants identified a number of ways that care services could improve. These included non-discriminatory decision-making by managers and practical support at home that took account of personal preferences as well as family or religious obligations.
Ayesha Vernon, the study’s author, said: “Participants wanted to see continuing consultation and a partnership between service providers and local Asian disabled people. They also wanted service providers to talk to them personally about their needs. There was a strong sense that existing community care services were designed to meet the priorities of those who provided them, irrespective of the user’s personal or cultural needs.”
Disabled young people
- Researchers from the Centre for Research in Primary Care at the University of Leeds interviewed 29 young Asian people with disabilities and members of their families in the West Midlands and West Yorkshire. Many said they felt excluded from services by cultural insensitivity and by stereotypes of culture and disability that did not take account of their needs.
- Families faced problems that were similar to those encountered by white families in obtaining practical, social and financial support. Comparing themselves with brothers and sisters, young people said they missed out on social opportunities and were discriminated against in education and employment. They also reported a lack of understanding within their own communities.
- Young people generally described their family relationships as loving and supportive, although families sometimes had low expectations of what they could achieve. Over-protectiveness was a particular cause of tension, especially for young disabled women and their parents.
- Ideas about leaving home and independent living did not always carry the same significance for young Asian disabled people as for their white counterparts. Many young people appeared to be seeking a balance between greater control over their lives and an active role in their families.
- As well as making sense of disability, young people wanted to enjoy their ethnic, cultural and religious identity. Their ideas and values often combined elements of their British identity with their ethnic, religious and cultural heritage.
Yasmin Hussain, co-author of the report, said: “Policy and practice needs to reflect the diversity of experience that we found in these young people’s lives and not simply assume that Western ideas about disability and independence have the same meaning and appropriateness for South Asian young people and their families. In particular, services need to become more sensitive to the cultural and religious values held by young people and their families and recognise how these interact with the experience of disability.”
