This research area focuses on various aspects of disability, participation, and citizenship. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities emphasises the right to equal life opportunities and demands equality, self-determination, and high accessibility in societal support. Despite both international and national commitments to conventions and laws that highlight the rights of people with disabilities, historical and contemporary experiences have revealed significant challenges. These challenges include negative attitudes and stigma, restrictive everyday practices, and welfare systems that are not tailored to individual needs.
The department's research in this area spans multiple target groups and perspectives. It covers studies on individuals' living conditions, the organisation and interventions of welfare actors, the implementation of reforms, and the nature of policies and laws designed for these individuals. The department has particular expertise in issues concerning people with intellectual or mental disabilities, as well as studies on collaboration between different actors such as municipalities, regions, and user organisations. Of special interest is the influence of target groups at the individual, organisational, and systemic levels. One of the key research programmes, UserInvolve, delves into influence issues in the area of mental health through projects conducted by researchers from several Swedish universities in collaboration with user organisations and municipal, regional, and national bodies. This programme also tests various forms of co-creation in research. Other projects related to disability and participation focus on recovery-oriented interventions, everyday life in the shadow of the pandemic, support for work and study for young people, intimate partner violence, and changing services for Indigenous people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
Within this research area, scholars collaborate through several Swedish and international networks. Examples include the Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR), the European Network for Mental Health Service Research Evaluation (ENMESH), the Swedish Network for Disability Research (SNHF), and the Centre for Evidence-Based Psychosocial Interventions (CEPI). The department also hosts the Umeå Centre for Disability Research (UCFF), a multidisciplinary centre encompassing all faculties at Umeå University. Additionally, there is a well-developed collaboration with FoU Västernorrland in this area.
