The aim of the research is to inform ways which might promote positive life opportunities.
Paul Boyle, Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, wants to contact people with cerebral palsy, aged 18 to 25 and who use wheelchairs all the time, to ask them if they would be willing to write about their experiences and to be interviewed.
Mr Boyle said: “I want to find out more about the lives of young people affected by cerebral palsy as they mature from adolescence to adulthood.”
Cerebral palsy affects one in 400 children in the UK, one of the largest groups of people living with disability, and the condition places heavy demands on health, education, social services and families.
Mr Boyle said 90 per cent of children with cerebral palsy reach adulthood but added: “Practitioners know that conditions such as cerebral palsy can curtail a person’s capacity to function in society due to limitations with mobility and self-initiated movement and it is common for posture to be compromised. As a consequence, limited ability to participate or to be independent often results in a life with ongoing varying levels of disability throughout the lifespan.
“Adults with cerebral palsy are more likely to be disadvantaged in terms of recreational activity, socialisation and employment. A 2013 study found that young adults with cerebral palsy are functionally and socially disadvantaged compared with their non-disabled peers. It highlighted the need to improve arrangements for such young people. And achieving the right to be included in mainstream society was firmly placed within the context of national legislation in the UK during the beginning of this century.
“The study aims to explore the lived experience of transition from adolescence to adulthood for young people with cerebral palsy and in so doing throw light on what might promote positive life opportunities.”
To take part, contact Mr Boyle at p.boyle@brighton.ac.uk.