RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities' voting rate within the United Kingdom remains significantly below the population average despite government enacted voting promotion measures. No published academic literature directly involves people with intellectual disabilities when considering their UK general election experiences - this study aims to address this omission. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people with intellectual disabilities (N = 20) about their election experiences during the 2017 (n = 18) and 2019 (n = 8) general elections. Six participants were interviewed around both elections. Data was analysed with template analysis. RESULTS: Eight themes were produced - election information, political knowledge, political opinions, voting choice process, polling station experience, voting outcome, capacity and support. Theme interactions impacted on election experiences. CONCLUSIONS: While acknowledging diverse experiences, voting outcomes and experiences were particularly impacted by factor interactions concerning election information and/or polling station accessibility, capacity and support. Voting promotion interventions and future research should consider these areas.
Asunto(s)
Discapacidad Intelectual , Humanos , Reino Unido , PolíticaRESUMEN
People with learning disabilities have both increased mortality and an increased morbidity; there is poor uptake of health promotion, unrecognized health needs and poor access to health care. They also have a reduced ability to understand, retain and implement advice and information and have difficulty in both identifying and communicating health care problems. There is a great disparity between their health and that of people in the general population. A Health Action Plan is a personalized plan that states the health needs of a person with a learning disability and how these needs should be met; it can support the person in managing their own health needs, and identify which ordinary healthcare services and professionals are needed to enable people to have the necessary support to stay healthy. Including people with disabilities is an essential step in creating sustainable communities.