”Tur att jag inte blev omprövad i år” : samtal om ett villkorat liv med personlig assistans
Egard, Hanna and Hedvall, Per-Olof LU
(2021)
In Nordisk välfärdsforskning / Nordic Welfare Research
6(1).
p.20-20
- Abstract
- Sweden is often highlighted as a pioneering country in terms of personal assistance (PA) and human rights. However, research shows that the assessment of PA is guided by a medical understanding of disability and by austerity rather
than by disability policy. Furthermore, the number of people with state-funded PA has decreased. The purpose of the article is to illuminate the contradictions that characterize life with PA in today’s Sweden. PA is about being able to influence one’s living conditions, to participate and to exercise self-determination, but also about lack of power and control since the right to PA can be withdrawn. The article draws on a participant-based research circle in which users and their representatives were among... (More) - Sweden is often highlighted as a pioneering country in terms of personal assistance (PA) and human rights. However, research shows that the assessment of PA is guided by a medical understanding of disability and by austerity rather
than by disability policy. Furthermore, the number of people with state-funded PA has decreased. The purpose of the article is to illuminate the contradictions that characterize life with PA in today’s Sweden. PA is about being able to influence one’s living conditions, to participate and to exercise self-determination, but also about lack of power and control since the right to PA can be withdrawn. The article draws on a participant-based research circle in which users and their representatives were among the participants. The results highlight the complex relationships between personal support and the opportunity to shape one’s existence. PA is considered crucial for everyday life, relationships, work and health. Contacts with the authorities evoke powerlessness, and the fear of losing the PA is palpable. The article contributes knowledge about the social aspects of disability and how reforms and cutbacks influence people’s lives. Such knowledge is essential as, in a Swedish context, PA has become a matter of need rather than of human rights. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Sverige framhålls ofta som ett föregångsland gällande personlig assistans (PA) och mänskliga rättigheter. Forskning visar dock att bedömningen av rätten till PA styrs av en medicinsk förståelse av funktionshinder och av ekonomiska snarare än funktionshinderpolitiska mål. Nedskärningar har medfört att antalet med statlig assistansersättning har minskat. Syftet med artikeln är att belysa de motstridiga upplevelserna av att ha PA i dagens Sverige. Det handlar om att å ena sidan kunna påverka sina livsvillkor, vara delaktig och utöva självbestämmande och å andra sidan om avsak- nad av kontroll och makt över myndigheters beslut och omprövning av rätten till PA. Artikeln baseras på en deltagar- baserad forskningscirkel där bl.a.... (More)
- Sverige framhålls ofta som ett föregångsland gällande personlig assistans (PA) och mänskliga rättigheter. Forskning visar dock att bedömningen av rätten till PA styrs av en medicinsk förståelse av funktionshinder och av ekonomiska snarare än funktionshinderpolitiska mål. Nedskärningar har medfört att antalet med statlig assistansersättning har minskat. Syftet med artikeln är att belysa de motstridiga upplevelserna av att ha PA i dagens Sverige. Det handlar om att å ena sidan kunna påverka sina livsvillkor, vara delaktig och utöva självbestämmande och å andra sidan om avsak- nad av kontroll och makt över myndigheters beslut och omprövning av rätten till PA. Artikeln baseras på en deltagar- baserad forskningscirkel där bl.a. assistansanvändare och deras företrädare var medforskare. Resultatet belyser de komplexa sambanden mellan ett personligt utformat stöd och möjlighet att forma tillvaron. PA tillskrivs en avgörande och grundläggande betydelse för vardag, relationer, arbetsliv och hälsa. Kontakter med myndigheter väcker maktlös- het och bristande kontroll. Rädslan för att mista assistansen är påtaglig. Artikeln bidrar med kunskap om de sociala aspekterna av funktionshinder och om hur politiska reformer och nedskärningar gör avtryck i människors liv. Detta är angelägen kunskap då PA i en svensk kontext har blivit en fråga om behov snarare än mänskliga rättigheter. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/0dd466a3-70e7-418f-9d47-9bd4a306be07
- author
- Egard, Hanna
and Hedvall, Per-Olof
LU
- organization
- alternative title
- “Luckily I wasn’t re-examined this year” : talking about living conditions with personal assistance
- publishing date
- 2021-05-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- disability, personlig assistans, oberoende, living conditions, neddragningar, Disability, Personal assistance, Independence, Living conditions, Austerity
- in
- Nordisk välfärdsforskning / Nordic Welfare Research
- volume
- 6
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 31 pages
- publisher
- Universitetsforlaget AS
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85121376317
- ISSN
- 2464-4161
- DOI
- 10.18261/issn.2464-4161-2021-01-03
- project
- Den personliga assistansens välfärdsvinster
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 0dd466a3-70e7-418f-9d47-9bd4a306be07
- date added to LUP
- 2021-05-07 09:36:19
- date last changed
- 2023-05-05 11:08:15
@article{0dd466a3-70e7-418f-9d47-9bd4a306be07,
abstract = {{Sweden is often highlighted as a pioneering country in terms of personal assistance (PA) and human rights. However, research shows that the assessment of PA is guided by a medical understanding of disability and by austerity rather<br/>than by disability policy. Furthermore, the number of people with state-funded PA has decreased. The purpose of the article is to illuminate the contradictions that characterize life with PA in today’s Sweden. PA is about being able to influence one’s living conditions, to participate and to exercise self-determination, but also about lack of power and control since the right to PA can be withdrawn. The article draws on a participant-based research circle in which users and their representatives were among the participants. The results highlight the complex relationships between personal support and the opportunity to shape one’s existence. PA is considered crucial for everyday life, relationships, work and health. Contacts with the authorities evoke powerlessness, and the fear of losing the PA is palpable. The article contributes knowledge about the social aspects of disability and how reforms and cutbacks influence people’s lives. Such knowledge is essential as, in a Swedish context, PA has become a matter of need rather than of human rights.}},
author = {{Egard, Hanna and Hedvall, Per-Olof}},
issn = {{2464-4161}},
keywords = {{disability; personlig assistans; oberoende; living conditions; neddragningar; Disability; Personal assistance; Independence; Living conditions; Austerity}},
language = {{swe}},
month = {{05}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{20--20}},
publisher = {{Universitetsforlaget AS}},
series = {{Nordisk välfärdsforskning / Nordic Welfare Research}},
title = {{”Tur att jag inte blev omprövad i år” : samtal om ett villkorat liv med personlig assistans}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/97543399/tur_att_jag_inte_blev_omprvad_i_aar_samtal_om_ett_villk.pdf}},
doi = {{10.18261/issn.2464-4161-2021-01-03}},
volume = {{6}},
year = {{2021}},
}