A Social Report for Ireland Volume II - the NESC Website

254Quality of Life – Personal OutcomesIn previous chapters, at the end of the context section we included informationon the level of satisfaction with life for the population group being considered,that is for children, for people of working age and for older people. Unfortunately,for people with disabilities this information is not available. Instead, informationis presented on the quality of life of people with disabilities in Ireland based ona study of personal outcome measures. 166 Twenty three different dimensions ofa person’s quality of life were measured. The survey, based on a sample of 300people with disabilities 167 who regularly used a disability service, reported anaverage of 10 out of 23 personal outcomes fully present at the time of the study(March - June 2007).It should be noted that the study is not representative of people with disabilities. Itis based on a specific sample of people who have used specialist disability services.However, in the absence of other information, the results are presented to providean indication of the quality of life of people with disabilities in Ireland. The outcomesmost often present, and outcomes least often present, are shown in Figure 9.9.Figure 9.9Personal Outcomes Most Often Present, and Least OftenPresent, in a Sample of People with Disabilities, 2007%80707067 66 6660504057 575130202522 221817100I am Free From AbuseI Have PrivacyI Am Connected to FamilyI Realise My GoalsI Am SafeI Have the Best HealthI Choose My RoutinesI Choose With Whom I LiveI Live in Integrated SettingsI Choose ServicesI Choose Where I WorkI Excercise My RightsSource McCormack & Farrell (2007: 5)166. Personal outcomes are those outcomes that are important to the person. Twenty three outcomes measures are used in the PersonalOutcomes Measure (POM) which has been used across the English speaking world. These are: My Self: 1. I am connected to my family2. I have intimate relationships 3. I am safe 4. I have the best possible health 5. I exercise my rights 6. I am treated fairly 7. I am freefrom abuse and neglect 8. I have continuity and security in my life 9. I decide when to share personal information My World 10. Ichoose where and with whom I live 11. I choose where I work 12. I choose my daily routine 13. I have time, space and opportunityfor privacy 14. I use my environment 15. I live in integrated environments 16. I interact with other members of the community 17.I perform different social roles 18. I choose services My Dreams 19. I choose my personal goals 20. I realise my personal goals 21. Iparticipate in the life of the community 22. I have friends 23. I am respected.167. Of the sample of 300 people with disabilities who took part in the study, 256 had intellectual disabilities, 31 had physical disabilities,and 13 were on the autistic spectrum. The sample was from 27 service providers throughout the country. The sample of 300represents more than 5,000 adults with disabilities regularly availing of specialist services across the country. Fifty eight per cent ofthe sample were male and 58 per cent were 35 years of age or older.