Housing Projects in Social Mix Cohabitation
What do Autistic People Think About it?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15173/cjae.v4i1.5679Keywords:
Housing, Accommodation, Quebec, LodgingAbstract
Many autistic adults wish to find a stable, long-term living environment where they can live into the community. However, little research has been conducted on what autistic people want regarding housing, and even fewer are those who address the issue from the perspective of cohabitation in social diversity. What do autistic people say about cohabiting in a social mix setting? Are they interested in cohabiting with families, people of different age generations, or students? This article presents the results of an exploratory research conducted in collaboration with a non-profit organization whose mission is to support and promote inclusion for Autistics. A questionnaire was developed in collaboration with the community organization and autistic individuals and relatives. The voluntary sample consists of 370 people: 179 autistic participants (who completed the questionnaire either independently or with assistance) and 191 people who responded on behalf of their autistic relatives. The results show that around 4 out of 5 people are interested in living together in a social mixed residential project made up of autistic and non-autistic people. The interest in living together in a social mixed residential project varies little based on socio-demographic characteristics and independent living support or accompaniment needs. The analysis of comments offers insights into the reasons why people are interested (or not) in living together in a social mixed residential project. Considerations include the potential for mutual assistance, socializing and sharing interests, personal space, peace and quiet environment, compatibility of interests and lifestyles with roommates and neighbors, as well as the openness and knowledge of others regarding autism.
References
Académie canadienne des sciences de la santé. L’autisme au Canada : réflexions pour l’élaboration de futures politiques publiques : croisements entre les données probantes et les savoirs expérientiels. Académie canadienne des sciences de la santé. https://cahs-acss.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ACSS-Lautisme-au-Canada-Reflexions-pour-lelaboration-de-futures-politiques-publiques.pdf
Baker, F. et Douglas, C. (1990). Housing environments and community adjustment on severely mentally ill persons. Community Mental Health Journal, 26, 497–505.
Bardin, L. (2013). L’analyse de contenu. Presses Universitaires de France. https://doi.org/10.3917/puf.bard.2013.01
Botha, M. et Frost, D. M. (2020). Extending the Minority Stress Model to Understand Mental Health Problems Experienced by the Autistic Population. Society and Mental Health, 10(1), 20-34. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156869318804297
Brownlow, C., Bertilsdotter Rosqvist, H., et O'Dell, L. (2015). Exploring the potential for social networking among people with autism: challenging dominant ideas of ‘friendship’. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 17(2), 188-193. https://doi.org/10.1080/15017419.2013.859174
Camm-Crosbie, L., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S., et Cassidy, S. (2019). 'People like me don't get support': Autistic adults' experiences of support and treatment for mental health difficulties, self-injury and suicidality. Autism, 23 (6), 1431-1441. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361318816053
Crompton, C. J., Cos, M., Michael, D. et Fletcher-Watson, S. (2020). Residential Care for Older Autistic Adults: Insights from Three Multiexpert Summits. Autism in Adulthood, 2 (2), 121-127. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2019.0080
Dansereau, F., Charbonneau, S., Morin, R., Revillard, A., Rose, D. et Séguin, A.-M. (2002). La mixité sociale en habitation rapport de recherche réalisé pour le Service de l'habitation de la ville de Montréal. https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/1983493
Dansereau, F., Germain, A. et Éveillard, C. (1996). Le quartier Angus, un exemple de mixité sociale programmée. Plan Canada, 36(1), 33-38.
Dehan, P. (2007). Intergénérationnalités. In L’habitat des personnes âgées : du logement adapté aux Éphad, USLD et unités Alzheimer. Éditions du Moniteur.
Dorvil, H., Morin, P., Beaulieu, A. et Robert, D. (2005). Housing as a Social Integration Factor for People Classified as Mentally Ill. Housing Studies, 20 (3), 497-519. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673030500062525
Germain, A., et Rose, D. (2010). La mixité sociale programmée en milieu résidentiel à l’épreuve des discours critiques internationaux : le cas de Hochelaga à Montréal. Lien social et Politiques (63), 15-26.
Kinnaer, M., Baumers, S. et Heylighen, A. (2014). How do people with autism (like to) live? Inclusive designing: Joining usability, accessibility, and inclusion, 175-185.
Kinnaer, M., Baumers, S. et Heylighen, A. (2016). Autism-friendly architecture from the outside in and the inside out: an explorative study based on autobiographies of autistic people. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 31(2), 179-195. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-015-9451-8
Kyle, T. et Dunn, J. R. (2008). Effects of housing circumstances on health, quality of life and healthcare use for people with severe mental illness: a review. Health et Social Care in the Community, 16 (1), 1-15. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2524.2007.00723.x
Lawson, L. P., Richdale, A. L., Haschek, A., Flower, R. L., Vartuli, J., Arnold, S. R. et Trollor, J. N. (2020). Cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of quality of life in autistic individuals from adolescence to adulthood: The role of mental health and sleep quality. Autism, 24 (4), 954-967. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908107
Lonsberry, A., Johnston, P., Dever, M., Lieu, T., Côté, S. et Lai, J. (2023). Le logement dans l’optique de l’autisme. Alliance canadienne de l’autisme. https://autismalliance.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Housing-Through-an-Autism-Lens_FR.pdf
McGlaughlin, A., Gorfin, L. et Saul, C. (2004). Enabling adults with learning disabilities to articulate their housing needs. British Journal of Social Work, 34, 709–726.
Milton, D. E. M. (2012). On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’. Disability et Society, 27 (6), 883-887. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008
Nadesan, M. H. (2013). Constructing Autism: Unravelling the 'Truth' and Understanding the Social. Taylor et Francis. https://books.google.ca/books?id=0X-0AAAAQBAJ
Nagib, W. et Williams, A. (2017). Toward an autism-friendly home environment. Housing Studies, 32(2), 140-167.
Nelson, G., Sylvestre J., Aubry, T., George, L. et Trainor, J. (2007). Housing choice and control, housing quality, and control over professional support as contributors to the subjective quality of life and community adaption of people with severe mental illness. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 34, 89–100.
Nguyen, P., d’Auria, V. et Heylighen, A. (2020), Detail matters: exploring sensory preferences in housing design for autistic people, in P. Langdon, J. Lazar, A. Heylighen et H. Dong (Eds), Designing for Inclusion (132-139). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43865-4_14
Nicolaidis, C., Milton, D., Sasson, N. J., Sheppard, E. et Yergeau, M. (2019). An Expert Discussion on Autism and Empathy. Autism in Adulthood, 1(1), 4-11. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2018.29000.cjn
Schnapper, D. (2005). Idéal et limites de la mixité sociale : Les arguments du débat public. Informations sociales, 125, 6-15. https://doi.org/10.3917/inso.125.0006
Wright, J. (2015). The missing generation. Spectrum. https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/the-missing-generation/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Isabelle Courcy, Nuria Jeanneret, Baudouin Forgeot d'Arc
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
CJAE accepts articles that have not been published in any other journals/proceedings, unless copyright permission is assured, and have not been submitted for consideration to any other journals/proceedings at the time of submitting to the Canadian Journal of Autism Equity for consideration. While a paper is under consideration by CJAE, you agree not to submit the work to other journals/proceedings until review by CJAE is completed and a decision has been rendered.
