A couple of years ago I was contracted to write a manual on personalised
services, based on a test project with participating groups in 4 different
municipalities in Sweden. The evaluating of the project clearly showed that
people answered “satisfied” or even “have more influence” in spite of
evaluated “hard facts” giving evidence to the opposite. However, in my
experience the “problem” is rarely located within “disabled people”
themselves. What shows up in evaluations are instead the expectant role,
services prescribe for disabled people and our response to this. Basically,
it is in the asking, in the phrasing of the questions, you have to look.
If somebody absolutely needs the services somebody else provides or does not
provide – the power structure is unequal. Thus, if the person in power asks
a question that is phrased (or could be thought of as phrased) like: Are you
satisfied? The customer both knows that s/he is expected to be satisfied,
AND also knows what is provided and how. This last thing is the most
important, since not having a script for alternative ways of providing
services (as if the limits of the particular provider did not exist) and how
they could be organised (as if the existing organisation was not already in
place), disables you from seeing any other option than the one you are stuck
with. So you will answer “satisfied” because you have no notion of how it
could be otherwise.
It is like asking someone born and breed in Luton (with no inclination for
travels and no knowledge about the outside world) if s/he is “satisfied”
living in Luton.
To change the manuscript and enable people to actually verbalise and demand
improvements is a long process. I realise that there might not be the
support or money available for you to enact such a process. Maybe a start
could be to look over the questions in questionnaires, making them more
open-ended. First asking, what is important to you? or how/when would you do
this if you did not need help doing it? and who would you want to help you
with this/how would you like to chose the person helping you?
Then the follow up question, Can you do this under the present services? How
often can you do this? Etc.
This will give you the reality behind abstract concepts like “satisfaction”.
The project I’m writing about was run by a small business
(staff-cooperative) called BOSSE. The results was not that great
(municipalities are generally not inclined to changes) but they certainly
learned the pitfalls and also how some of it could be achieved. If you are
interested they can be reached at <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
[log in to unmask] Tell them I referred you to them and that it
is about the PPS-project.
I did also get ideas about this area (when writing up this part of the
manual) from the DEMOS report Personalisation through participation,
http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/personalisation
Susanne
--------------------------------------------
Susanne Berg
Skarpnäcks Allé 41
128 33 SKARPNÄCK
Sweden
telephone/fax: +46 (0)8 15 73 54
mobile phone: +46 (0)705 15 73 56
e-mail home: <mailto:[log in to unmask]> [log in to unmask]
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