부산대학교 도서관

Abstract\nPoints of interestPeer work with people with disability often engages people with lived experience of disability to address social exclusion and isolation experienced by their focus people. This paper discusses findings that are part of a project evaluation wherein peer workers with varied disabilities aimed to support focus people to make community connections for their focus people. Focus people lived in disability group homes in regional New South Wales, Australia, after relocating from a large-scale institution. All lived with complex support needs. Using qualitative methods, researchers interviewed seven peer workers over twelve months about their peer work experiences. Drawing on reflexive thematic analysis the authors argue that successful peer work with people with disability must acknowledge interdependencies across individuals’ identities as people with disability, the environment in which peer work takes place, the structure of support around peer workers, and the systemic drivers of social exclusion.Peer workers identified with their focus people’s disability, were empathetic towards them and confident about making connections with their community;Peer workers experienced ableist attitudes toward them and their focus people from staff in disability group homes;Peer workers struggled to learn about and to communicate with focus people who had complex communication access needs;Peer work objectives were modified to refocus on personal peer worker relationships rather than the project’s original objective of making community connections;Peer workers made positive connections with their focus people by spending time with them and joining them in activities;The research demonstrates interdependencies in peer work with people with disabilities, involving peer workers’ identification with disability, the peer work environment, the peer work model, and systemic drivers of social exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]