The following is an interesting report of the cost of living of disabled
people. Just published on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website is
'Disabled people's costs of living'. This research presents 'budget
standards' for groups of disabled people in an attempt to establish the
extent of additional costs which disabled people face. Read it at:
http://www.jrf.org.uk/redirect.asp?url=findings/socialpolicy/054
The report summary states:
It is well known that disabled people face additional costs to enable them
to meet their needs. However, there has been no clear evidence about the
true extent of these costs. This research, conducted by the Centre for
Research in Social Policy with the support of Disability Alliance, presents
budget standards for groups of disabled people who have different needs
arising from physical or sensory impairments. The budget standards represent
the amounts disabled people (of working age) require in order to cover the
costs of an acceptable and equitable quality of life. They were developed by
disabled people themselves, through a series of rigorously conducted focus
groups. The budgets were not based on 'wish lists'. Rather, they represent
the minimum essential resources necessary to meet disabled people's needs,
to enable them to achieve, as far as possible, a 'level playing field' with
non-disabled people. They were arrived at through debate and negotiation
within the focus groups.
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