Abstract of P. Schwarcz-Schur lecture

TO FEEL AT HOME; MOVING TO INDEPENDENT HOUSING

AMONG PHYSICALLY DISABLED ADULTS

P. Schwarcz-Schur1, O. Fitouss1, S. Samuel1, O. Ido2

1 Beit Hagalgalim, Israel; 2 David Yalin, Israel

The Discourse about the issues that concern disabled people

including housing has changed in recent years. Expressions like

equality, rights, integration and independence are spread among

professionals in the field as well as among researchers (Dejong, 1983;

Mendler & Naon, 2002; Gazit & King, 2006). But how do physically

disabled adults themselves feel about moving to independent

housing? This presentation will bring up the difficulties, questions and

expectations that accompany adults aged 22– 35 in relating to

independence in general and especially in the process of leaving their

parents’ homes. It is based on a mixed qualitative research that

includes interviews of 20 disabled adults out of whom 6 already live

independently and 14 adults who contemplate such a possibility and

questionnaires. The aim of the study is to understand how the

interviewees see their level of independency in their lives in general

and independent housing in particular. The study that is still at work

points at complex reactions among the interviewees towards

independency like the feeling of loneliness as a major factor to look for

a living outside their home but yet some of them view moving outside

home more as a reaction to the expectations of the outside world than

an inner need. The uniqueness of the study among other factors is

that two out of the four researchers were born physically disabled and

live independently .This fact deepens the outlook and raises

interesting questions in regard to the relations and boundaries

between researchers and interviewees.