Interviewing People with a Learning Disability About Their Residential Service

Thirty‐six people with a moderate to severe learning disability were interviewed concerning their accommodation service. The interview consisted of 49 items, grouped in five categories: material, physical, developmental, social and emotional well‐being. Three question techniques were used: open questions, closed questions and requests for opinions, augmented by line drawings depicting facial expressions (happy, sad, etc). The findings demonstrate that consumers can make an important contribution to the review of services they receive, but that the interview process is by no means easy. Implications for involving service users in the development of individual plans (IPs) are discussed. Based on the respondents' comments, suggestions are made for the development of accommodation services. It is concluded that the design of effective service planning and evaluation strategies, is dependent upon the refinement of augmentative communication technologies and consumer education.