Independent living possibilities of people with disabilities from the perspective of professionals of the Primorsko-goranska County

Neovisno življenje predstavlja pravo i potrebu svake osobe s invaliditetom (OSI) da donosi vlastite odluke i preuzme kontrolu nad svojim životom, da mu se ne nameće nikakav stil života te da uživa jednake mogućnosti za sudjelovanje u zajednici kao i ostali članovi. Donošenjem Konvencije o pravima osoba s invaliditetom, pravo na neovisno življenje i uključenost u zajednicu posebno je istaknuto Člankom 19. U Republici Hrvatskoj istraživanja neovisnog življenja osoba s invaliditetom su relativno novo područje (Tarandek, 2014). Upravo zbog toga u okviru znanstveno-istraživačkog projekta „Platforma 50+“ (2020-2023) provedeno je i istraživanje na temu „Mapiranje sastavnica neovisnog življenja“, a ovom radu bit će prikazani preliminarni rezultati jednog dijela tog istraživanja. Projekt provodi Zajednica saveza osoba s invaliditetom u Hrvatskoj (SOIH) u partnerstvu s Edukacijsko-rehabilitacijskim fakultetom Sveučilišta u Zagrebu i 11 partnerskih saveza osoba s invaliditetom, članova SOIH-a. Koordinatorica projekta za Edukacijsko-rehabilitacijski fakultet je prof.dr.sc. Daniela Bratković. Cilj kvalitativnog istraživanja u ovom radu je analizirati čimbenike, odnosno pretpostavke, neovisnog življenja OSI iz perspektive stručnjaka koji im pružaju podršku. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 7 stručnjaka s područja Primorsko-goranske županije koji imaju iskustva u radu s osobama s invaliditetom, a izabrani su metodom namjernog uzrokovanja. U svrhu prikupljanja podataka koristio se fokus grupni intervju, a za obradu dobivenih rezultata tematska analiza. U okviru kvalitativne analize definirana su četiri tematska područja: obilježja svakodnevnog života, oblici sustavne i stručne podrške i mogućnost izbora, pristup prostorima, objektima i uslugama te samoodlučivanje. U svakom području pojavilo se nekoliko tema i podtema. Rezultati istraživanja ponudili su pregled mogućnosti i prepreka za ostvarivanje neovisnog življenja OSI iz perspektive stručnjaka Primorsko-goranske županije, ali i nekolicinu prijedloga za unaprjeđenje mogućnosti za neovisno življenje OSI.Independent living represents the right and need of every person with disabilities (PWD) to make their own decisions and take control of their lives, not to have any lifestyle imposed on them, and to enjoy the same opportunities to participate in the community as other members. With the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the right to live independently and be included in the community was highlighted in Article 19. In the Republic of Croatia, research of the independent living of persons with disabilities is a relatively new field (Tarandek, 2014). Therefore, within the framework of the scientific research project "Platform 50+" (2020-2023) research was conducted on the topic "Mapping the components of independent living", and this paper will present the preliminary results of one part of that research. The project is implemented by the Union of Associations of Persons with Disabilities in Croatia (SOIH) in partnership with the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Zagreb and 11 partner associations of persons with disabilities, members of SOIH. The coordinator of the project for the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences is professor Daniela Bratković, PhD. The aim of the qualitative research in this paper is to analyze the factors of independent living for PWD from the perspective of the experts who provide them with support. 7 experts from Primorsko- goranska County who have experience in working with PWD participated in the research, and they were selected using the method of intentional causation. Focus group interviews were used to collect data, and thematic analysis was used to process the obtained results. During the qualitative analysis, four thematic areas were defined: characteristics of everyday life, forms of systematic and professional support and the possibility of choice, access to spaces, facilities and services, and self-determination. Several themes and subthemes emerged in each area. The results of the research offered an overview of the possibilities and obstacles for achieving independent living for the PWD from the perspective of the experts from Primorsko-goranska County, as well as several suggestions for improving the possibilities for independent living of the PWD