Debilitating landscapes of care and support: envisaging alternative futures

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'.

Beyond the institution versus home care dichotomy: Lessons from a feeding‐tube medical home

“…I am also a long‐time member/user of the FTAF Facebook group and a scholar/advocate involved in various disability spaces in my community. I'm working toward ethical, emancipatory research that advocates for a better understanding of the needs and experiences of my community (Chalachanova et al., 2020; Douglas, 2016; Macpherson et al., 2021; Nagar, 2014).…”

Health geographies III – Landscapes of care

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Post‐pandemic cities: An urban lexicon of accelerations/decelerations

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