Improving the Physical Design of Supported Accommodation for People with Mental Health Problems and Intellectual Disabilities: A scoping review

Keith McAllister and Gavin Davidson have been working with colleagues in Praxis Care on a scoping review of the physical design of supported accommodation for people with mental ill health and intellectual disabilities to inform the planning, building and adaptation of supported accommodation for this population. The in-depth literature review identified the following physical design factors that may be successful in improving physical and mental health outcomes and facilitating recovery for service users:

• Private rooms which support autonomy with opportunities for personalisation
• Common areas with natural light and homely features
• Well-maintained outdoor spaces with greenery and furniture
• Located in good neighbourhoods with community accessibility and access to amenities
• Access to public transport
• Layout, configuration and furniture placement which supports and encourages social interaction between service users

A copy of the presentation of this review from the recent AMPS Environments by Design: Health, Wellbeing and Place conference can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4BQxmbfo2I.

DRN members have been working with partners to deliver an innovative new project on ‘Getting Involved in Research’ (Gavin Davidson, Paul Best, Berni Kelly and Lorna Montgomery). The project was a partnership between Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning, the Health and Social Care Board, the Mental Health Foundation, Praxis Care, Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University. The aim of this project was to co-produce a course that could be used as a general introduction for anyone who might be interested in getting involved in research, but could also be adapted by any new research projects using a participatory approach. The co-production process involved researchers with lived experience and representatives from different organisations involved from the beginning of the project to: develop the idea; design the content; deliver the course; and evaluate the process. Improved quality and accessibility of the course content was a key benefit of the coproduction process. The involvement of lived experience researchers in the delivery of the course also demonstrated that people with lived experience, who may have had little or no previous research experience, can make a positive and important contribution to research in a variety of ways. The course was run for the first time, through Open Learning at Queen’s, in May 2021. We took the opportunity to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the process of developing the course and of the course itself. Further details about the course and a related journal article are available on the following links for anyone who would like to use the resources for their own co-produced research projects:

https://pureadmin.qub.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/320003720/82e8ad49_9094_47e9_8190_2c1a93d88c5d.pdf

https://engage.hscni.net/opportunities/get-involved-in-research-open-learning-course/

All of the resources used to deliver the course are available at:   

https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/activities/getting-involved-in-research-an-introductory-course

After preparatory work, a week long field school was undertaken in Luanda, Angola.. This consisted of lectures, fieldwork and classroom sessions in September 2019. Field study trips involved 21 Architecture students from 2 Luanda Schools of Architecture (18 from Agostinho Neto University and 3 from Metropolitan University) to three ‘musseques’ (informal housing settlements that make up the majority of Luanda) critiquing opportunities for adding resilience to both the ‘musseques’ and wider city environment by making them for inclusive, shared spaces for all ages and abilities. Findings and ideas from the fieldwork were then collated into a book entitled ‘‘Lições de Luanda”. (Lessons from Luanda) launched on 11th November 2020 (Angolan Independence Day).  

The research by Dr Bronagh Byrne and recent SSESW doctoral graduate Dr Gillian O’Hagan used Photovoice to document the lives of autistic young people aged 11-15 years used in Northern Ireland during the lockdown period March-June 2020. A young people’s advisory group worked as part of the team in designing and analysing the research. This project makes recommendations for how autistic young people should be supported during any further pandemic and associated restrictions. The findings make particular reference to the educational and other supports normally engaged for autistic young people and how these services could be adapted and adjusted in future lockdown planning. 

The level of reported sexual offences is at its highest in Northern Ireland since recording started. However none of the statutory agencies involved in the justice system monitors the number of victims with a learning disability. The Rowan (Sexual Assault and Referral Centre) reported in November 2015 that 43% of people referred in the previous year had complex and additional needs. This included chronic illness, mental health problems, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. Despite this, there is limited knowledge of how best to identify people’s needs and how well current therapeutic programmes meet specific needs.

This project seeks to increase the knowledge of people with a learning disability about their rights in relation to the justice system process and how to access appropriate support by developing of an accessible guide. The project also aims to empower people with a learning disability to influence current support programmes from statutory and voluntary organisations by co-producing a counselling programme for victims of sexual violence and training PSNI and PPS staff on supporting people with a learning disability who are victims of sexual violence.

Disabled people access the justice system for various reasons. This includes as witnesses, jury members, defendants, utilising legal services in conveyancing, appeals to the benefits systems and engaging with tribunals. Also, there is evidence that disabled people are much more likely to be victims of crime. While some barriers have been identified to the justice system in Northern Ireland there is a lack of comprehensive research on this issue.

The project is investigating what the barriers are to deaf people accessing the justice system in Northern Ireland, seeking to empower deaf people in co-producing solutions to barriers to accessing the justice system. The project also aims to support the justice system in complying with domestic and international legal obligations by developing, piloting and evaluating training and empower deaf people to engage with the justice system in a more accessible manner, leading to fewer breaches of rights and discrimination.