Definition: Disability
Having a physical or mental impairment that has substantial and long term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day to day activities.107Disability definition
Homelessness perspective108Homelessness and disability in the UK
People with a disability are more at risk of experiencing homelessness and find it harder to exit homeless services into housing than someone who does not have a disability. In 2022, 21% of households in Scotland assessed as homeless were identified as having two or more additional support needs.109Statutory Homelessness Live Tables (2022)
The main obstacles for people with a disability is to obtain housing is to:
Gambling perspective
People experiencing a disability are at higher risk of experiencing harm from their gambling.111Association Between Problem Gambling and Functional Disabili... : Journal of Addiction Medicine (lww.com) People experiencing functional disability, such as difficulty in at least one activity around daily living, were found to be more than three times as likely to experience gambling harm.112Association Between Problem Gambling and Functional Disabili... : Journal of Addiction Medicine (lww.com) Functional disability was defined as experiencing difficulty in at least one of seven activities of daily living in the study.
Activity
Drag and drop the correct word to complete each sentence to enhance your understanding of how the design of gambling products may contribute to risk.
In addition to the way products are designed, people with disabilities may be at higher risk of experiencing harm from their gambling. 113https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8393320/
Activity
Choose true or false for each statement.
For these reasons, it is important to consider the many ways we can provide support and harm reduction. When supporting people with a disability, remember:
- Gambling is a hidden addiction - beware of the hidden risks.
- Aim to build gambling into overlapping topics of discussion, mention it when talking about money management, debt planning or community networks.
- Adopt a life skills approach while contributing to resilience and realistic, positive coping mechanisms.
- Storytelling can also be an effective tool when working within disability. If possible, involve the wider support network including alternative community activities and participation.