ABSTRACT

This paper explores the impact of policy changes and budget cuts on services and support faced by people with learning disabilities. Drawing upon collaborative research in England and Scotland and interviews with commissioners and support organisations, we show how landscapes of care and support are unstable and fragmented. We identify how pressures of time, resource and precaritisation in the workforce are creating ‘debilitating landscapes of care’ that further erode the capacities of both the people that work in the sector and people with learning disabilities. Some challenges that people with learning disabilities face in this context include finding appropriate local support, narrowing access as a result of reductions in benefit entitlements and identifying quality providers amid a complex array of private and charitable provision. Capacity to cope with these challenges is contingent on access to quality advocacy, supportive family, friendships, productive occupational learning environments and peer support, but these are not always available. The impact of COVID-19 has only served to intensify some of the issues we identify and the urgent need for a response. Our analysis is inspired by Berlant’s (2007) conception of ‘slow-death’ and Puar’s (2017) associated conceptualisation of ‘debility’.

摘要

本文探讨了政策变化和预算削减对有学习障碍的人所面临的服务和支持的影响。根据在英格兰和苏格兰的合作研究以及对专员和支持组织的采访，我们展示了护理和支持的格局是如何不稳定和支离破碎的。我们确定了时间、资源和劳动力不稳定的压力如何造成“令人衰弱的护理环境”，进一步削弱在该部门工作的人和有学习障碍的人的能力。在这种情况下，有学习障碍的人面临的一些挑战包括寻找适当的当地支持、因福利权利减少而缩小获取范围，以及在一系列复杂的私人和慈善机构中确定优质提供者。应对这些挑战的能力取决于能否获得高质量的宣传、支持性的家庭、友谊、富有成效的职业学习环境和同伴支持，但这些并不总是可用的。COVID-19 的影响只会加剧我们发现的一些问题以及对响应的迫切需求。我们的分析受到 Berlant (2007) 的“缓慢死亡”概念和 Puar (2017) 相关的“虚弱”概念化的启发。