A right to opportunity for friendship Our friendships are the most valuable relationships we have. We gain in various ways from different friendships and without friendships, people of all ages suffer. Friendships also form one of the foundations of our ability to cope with the problems that life throws at us. Research has shown that friendship provides an emotional support network in times of crisis, boosts happiness and reduces stress, improves self-confidence and is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.1 So when people with disabilities, including who are deafblind, say they want friendships but experience considerable difficulties in making and maintaining them and that can really impact – on their lives in a profound way we need to think about that. – believes disabled people should have the same opportunity as everyone else to make and sustain those friendships. Tackling this issue is something we cannot ignore both on an – individual level but also on a wider societal level. We just over 1000 More than half (53 per cent) people with a range of disabilities about that as a disabled person there their experiences of friendship. From are more barriers to making and keeping the number of friends they have friends rising to over three quarters to the barriers and challenges that they – (77 per cent) for young disabled people face in maintaining friendships. We also aged 18-34 looked at the particular obstacles facing people who are deafblind and make some recommendations for change. Over half of disabled people (53 per cent) report Six per cent of disabled feeling lonely, rising to 77 per cent for people have no friends at all young people Almost one in four (23 per cent ) say that the Government’s recent changes to welfare benefits and eligibility for social care have made it harder for them to make and sustain friendships Almost one quarter (23 per cent) say they feel quite or very lonely on a typical day Friendship, 1004 people with disabilities, Jan 2015
A right to opportunity for friendship Our friendships are the most valuable relationships we have. We gain in various ways from different friendships and without friendships, people of all ages suffer. Friendships also form one of the foundations of our ability to cope with the problems that life throws at us. Research has shown that friendship provides an emotional support network in times of crisis, boosts happiness and reduces stress, improves self-confidence and is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle.1 So when people with disabilities, including who are deafblind, say they want friendships but experience considerable difficulties in making and maintaining them – and that can really impact on their lives in a profound way – we need to think about that. believes disabled people should have the same opportunity as everyone else to make and sustain those friendships. Tackling this issue is something we cannot ignore – both on an individual level but also on a wider societal level. We just over 1000 people with a range of disabilities about their experiences of friendship. From the number of friends they have to the barriers and challenges that they face in maintaining friendships. We also looked at the particular obstacles facing people who are deafblind and make some recommendations for change. Six per cent of disabled people have no friends at all More than half (53 per cent) that as a disabled person there are more barriers to making and keeping friends – rising to over three quarters (77 per cent) for young disabled people aged 18-34 Over half of disabled people (53 per cent) report feeling lonely, rising to 77 per cent for young people Almost one in four (23 per cent ) say that the Government’s recent changes to welfare benefits and eligibility for social care have made it harder for them to make and sustain friendships Almost one quarter (23 per cent) say they feel quite or very lonely on a typical day Friendship, 1004 people with disabilities, Jan 2015
campaign-loneliness-a-right-to-friendship.docx