Securing a home in British Columbia for adults with intellectual disabilities: A family perspective.

The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the experiences of families/caregivers who provide support for intellectually disabled family members as they navigate government systems in order to find and secure a home for their disabled family members. The study focuses on families in northwestern British Columbia. Policy analysis, complemented by feminist and critical disability theory, serves as the framework for the study that used ethnographic and autoethnographic methods to explore the experiences of caregivers in this distinct subculture. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with eight family members/caregivers. Thematic analysis of the data was used to determine significant issues that these families/caregivers face. Twelve subthemes emerged from the data analysis and as a result of the findings specific areas were explored: the experiences of the family caregivers the experiences of the researcher who is part of the subcultural group lessons from Canadian history the present and the future in British Columbia and recommendations. This research provides a snapshot of the lived experiences of families/caregivers supporting an intellectually disabled family member and the impact of current policies on these families. Future research should focus on the voices of the intellectually disabled individuals - citizens within our society. --Leaf ii.