8 - Comparison: disability with ageing and ageing with disability

Summary

Introduction

In this chapter, I draw on the findings of the empirical study to compare the experiences of the two groups of study participants: the AwithD group and the DwithA group. In previous chapters, arguments made included both groups, sometimes signalling that there were variations in experiences or different emphases in the case of the AwithD group of participants – and it is on those differences that this chapter focuses. This chapter addresses the third research question of the present study: ‘In what ways do the social processes (as opposed to the medical processes) of first experiencing disability with ageing differ from those of ageing with disability?’ I start by briefly considering heterogeneity in the AwithD group and then introduce approaches to comparison between these two experiences. The main part of this chapter uses as subheadings the subjects of each of the three previous chapters – disabling bodies, disabling or enabling contexts, and responding to challenges – and, of necessity, repeats some of the discussion of those chapters.

Both groups could perceive themselves as disabled by their bodies and their contexts. This included loss of intimates, lack of material resources or supportive public services, and inaccessible physical environments. Both groups could be disabled by discrediting attitudes of other people and by overarching framings of disability as a diminished state of being (Campbell, 2001). However, many of those factors had detrimentally shaped life for longer for participants from the AwithD group. The discussion suggests that while differences have often been stressed in scholarship, there are also commonalities between the two experiences.

Both groups wanted similar outcomes for their lives, including connection with other people, meaningful activity and inclusion in what is considered the mainstream of life. While pointing to similarities, I do not lose sight of the cumulative disadvantage experienced by people living with disability over the long term (AwithD group), which can make later life extremely challenging. It should also be remembered that some participants in this study whom I categorised as experiencing disability with ageing (DwithA group) had experienced disability for a relatively long time too given that some had experienced disability onset in their late 40s or 50s. (The recruitment criteria are discussed again in more detail in the ‘Methodological annexe’.)

Heterogeneity in ageing with disability