Attitudes towards people with disabilities and assisted living

The League of the Strong NGO, together with the Kharkiv Institute of Social Research, conducted a study on the attitudes of the Ukrainian population towards people with disabilities, existing stereotypes about this category of citizens, opportunities to help people with disabilities, and attitudes towards assisted living.

The survey included 2,113 respondents from all over Ukraine, with the exception of the territories temporarily not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. Also, the survey was not conducted among citizens who left the country after February 24, 2022.

The results of the survey will be of interest to government authorities and civil society representatives working in the field of support for people with disabilities, as well as to all interested parties.

The results of the study showed that despite general support for the idea of assisted living, lack of awareness and funding are the main barriers to its implementation in communities:

  • The majority of respondents (75%) do not know anything about assisted living. 20% have heard something, but only 5% of respondents know it well. 78% of respondents have a very or rather good attitude to the idea of supported living for people from residential facilities in their communities. Poor attitude to this was demonstrated by 9% of respondents.
  • Only one third of respondents (32%) indicated that there are social services, organizations, and institutions in their communities that help people with disabilities, but there are not enough of them. Another 15% of respondents said that there are no such services and institutions in their communities at all. Only 12% believe that they exist and their number is sufficient.
  • Among the main benefits of supported community living for people with disabilities, 62% of respondents mentioned such aspects as improved quality of life and better inclusion of people in public life. 58% and 53% respectively mentioned improved mental and physical health
  • Among the main risks and challenges associated with the implementation of assisted living programs, 75% of respondents mentioned insufficient financial support. 58% indicated a lack of qualified specialists. 44% noted difficulties with adaptation of people from boarding schools, and 37% – negative attitude of the population.

The study found that the majority of the population supports the idea of sheltered housing for people with disabilities as an opportunity to improve their quality of life and integration into society. At the same time, low awareness of these programs, limited resources and a shortage of professionals hinder the effective implementation of this initiative in communities. These factors, together with the partial readiness of communities to adopt new approaches, indicate the need to strengthen information and financial support for the successful implementation of assisted living.

The study was organized by the NGO “League of the Strong” with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the project “Deinstitutionalization is Possible (DIM)”. The study represents the position of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.

Read the full text of the study