Coping with disabilities: the perspective of young adults from different ethnic backgrounds in inner London

In April 1993, national reforms of the method of offering community health and social care have come into effect in the U.K. A cornerstone of the reforms will be the appointment of care managers by local authorities to oversee needs assessment and care of vulnerable people. A survey was undertaken of 65 young people with physical disabilities living in inner south east London, an area of deprivation and ethnic diversity. The aim was to ascertain the perceptions of young adults in terms of access to services, lifestyle and future plans. The information was intended to inform joint work by the local health and social services departments in their own needs assessment in implementing the Community Care Act. The majority of those interviewed were living with informal carers, usually their mother. Most people had complex disabilities and were wheelchair users, but it did not follow that those with greater need were being supported more by either statutory or voluntary sectors. In fact, people were losing what contact they once had, particularly with social services. Access to respite and organised social outlets was strictly limited, particularly for people with complex disabilities. Although over half the interviewees had taken formal examinations, only five were currently employed, and several had lost their job recently. Few had received advice about careers or independent living and almost half of those interviewed did not know where to go for family planning advice. Over 40% of interviewees were from ethnic minorities, and lived in close family networks where coping skills were similar to that of the white British group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)