Ward Bethan, Weatherhead Ste, Greenhill Beth
Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, Liverpool, UK.
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Prescot, UK.
J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2025 Jan;38(1):e70000. doi: 10.1111/jar.70000.
The Welfare Reform Act (2012) has been criticised for harming claimants, particularly through functional assessments. Although many people with intellectual disabilities in the UK receive welfare benefits, their experiences of undergoing functional assessments are under-researched.
Eight participants with intellectual disabilities were interviewed about experiences of welfare assessment. Transcripts were analysed qualitatively using interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Analysis suggested five group experiential themes: 'Living in fear: I was nervous and scared'; 'The system is marginalising: Other people are better than me'; 'Relationship with the assessor: His attitude fucking stunk'; 'Others as a safe base: Someone there that you know, and you trust'; and 'Responding with empowerment: That's where I really shined'.
People with intellectual disabilities experience functional assessments as scary and oppressive. Assessment reinforced the stigma associated with having an intellectual disability and, to a lesser extent, claiming benefits. Individual, structural and policy levels interventions are discussed.
《福利改革法案》（2012年）因伤害福利申请者，尤其是通过功能评估而受到批评。尽管英国许多智障人士领取福利金，但他们接受功能评估的经历却鲜有研究。
对八名智障参与者进行了关于福利评估经历的访谈。使用解释现象学分析法对访谈记录进行了定性分析。
分析得出五个群体体验主题：“生活在恐惧中：我很紧张、害怕”；“系统在边缘化：其他人比我强”；“与评估者的关系：他的态度糟透了”；“他人作为安全基础：有你认识且信任的人在那里”；以及“以赋权回应：那是我真正出彩的地方”。
智障人士将功能评估视为可怕且压迫性的。评估强化了与智障相关的耻辱感，在较小程度上也强化了申领福利金的耻辱感。文中讨论了个体、结构和政策层面的干预措施。
