We are very excited to share the first publication from the Chronic Illness inclusion Project research with you.

Stories of our Lives is a compilation of 5 case studies from our 8 week online focus group on benefits and work last autumn. (Pdf and Word versions attached). These powerful testimonies illustrate some of the themes we will be exploring in our final project report:

•  Energy impairment is a common experience across many different health conditions and disease categories.
• People with energy limiting chronic illness have a strong desire to contribute to society but are locked out of mainstream employment models.
• The strategies for inclusion and equal citizenship of people with ELCI often lie outside of formal employment.
• Assessment systems for disability benefits do not capture the impact of energy impairment, especially the cognitive features.
• Existing forms of disability employment support do not address the barriers to work with energy limiting chronic illness

There is much more to tell and we hope to secure support to produce a full policy report on social security and employment with chronic illness in due course.

The Chronic Illness Inclusion Project is about much more than social security and employment. Look out for our manifesto for inclusion and final report at the end of 2019.

With best wishes,

Catherine Hale.

Please download paper at reclaiming-chronic-illness

Stories of Our Lives | PDF version 

Stories of Our Lives | Word version

For further information about the project please follow the link chronic-illness-citizenship-mobilising-collective-voice-social-change/