Intersectional Stigma of Place-Based Ageing (ISPA) Project - One year on

The Intersectional Stigma of Place-Based Ageing (ISPA) Project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council to understand and help tackle the negative consequences of stigma and promote inclusive ageing.

In September 2022 we began the journey to provide insights into the structures and systems that drive exclusion to tackle the inequalities experienced by older disabled adults.

To celebrate the year 1 mark of the ISPA Project, we have published a Year 1 Overview (opens new window) that highlights our work in:

• Developing a stigma framework
• Exploring the representation of disability in homes and neighbourhoods
• Connecting ‘ageing-in-place’ to lived experiences of stigma
• o-production and building a cohort of disabled Community Peer-Researchers
• Tackling inequalities via organisational change, policy and practice
• Making Change via an Inclusive Living Alliance

We also launched the ISPA Webpages and ISPA Youtube channel (opens new window) alongside our Twitter / X account @ISPAProject (opens new window) to share details of our work. Please do explore in more detail the aims and objectives of the project and meet the ISPA team.

Building our networks

An inclusive approach is vital and means co-producing our research and ensuring that lived experience is central in all we do. It also means working with practitioners and policy makers, current and future, to ensure insights via ISPA create impact. To support this work, in year 1 we have established groups of community peer-researchers, a project advisory board and early career network.

We are working together to help tackle the negative consequences of stigma, which are compounded by damaging narratives that blame individuals themselves for their own exclusion from key support services. To develop a better approach, we need to understand how stigma attached to where people live, disability, and ageing intersect to give nuanced insights to the structures and systems that drive exclusion and to tackle inequalities experienced by older disabled adults.

ISPA Activity to explore

Our ISPA poster highlighting our year 1 analysis was presented at the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing conference (May 2023) and generated a lot of interest, and the next steps of ISPA are accessing and gaining insights from further datasets. See our supporting video (opens new window).

The first year of the ISPA project has focused on conducting both quantitative and qualitative secondary analysis exploring and understanding stigma (see the ISPA year 1 overview (opens new window)). The quantitative analysis (opens new window) has focused on preliminary analysis of English survey data.

(opens new window)Co-production and building a cohort of disabled Community Peer-Researchers (CPRs) is at the heart of the ISPA Project. We have established a thorough process and training support for our group of older (45+)  CPRs who will participate and conduct research on the lived experiences of disabled people.

Year 1 has focused a lot on building our ethical processes and building data collection methods. We have established four groups of CPRs, including three in Scotland and one in the South of England. Year 2 will see us establish further groups in the North of England and Wales. Please contact Dr Dianne Theakstone to get more involved.

Year 1 Overview gives insight to the fragmented, inter-connected landscape that overlaps strategies around housing, technology, sustainability, ageing, health and social care.

Making Change via an Inclusive Living Alliance

We have been building an Inclusive Living Alliance to support implementation of home and neighbourhood modifications.

We started this with our first ISPA Conference in May 2023 held at Glasgow with 40 policy makers, practitioners and people with lived experiences of ageing and disability.

It was a successful and dynamic 2 days, hearing from a range of high-level policy makers alongside people delivering inclusive design and tackling stigma in health, housing and social care arenas.

Our Inclusive Living Alliance will promote future proofing social housing for healthy ageing and was developed to be both a planning and facilitation tool for officers, board members and tenant groups.

When we began the project, we had letters of support from some key players in the housing sector across Scotland, England and Wales.

And we are delighted that in year one, 14 more amazing partners have joined our Inclusive Living Alliance, including:

The Inclusive Living Alliance will also be supported by Housing LIN and SFHA and contribute to breaking down barriers created by stigma (linked to ageing, disability, and place) beyond the project.

This will be a mechanism for supporting organisations and academics to work together to improve quality of life and wellbeing that centralises the experiences of older disabled adults in planning inclusive environments, encourage co-production and facilitate positive organisational change that supports accessible and inclusive practice in homes and neighbourhoods.

There is a lot of activity to explore and get involved in, please do get in touch!

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Contact ISPA Team

The Intersectional Stigma of Place-Based Ageing (ISPA) Project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and runs from September 2022 to September 2027.

In partnership with University of Stirling, Unversity of St Andrews, Housing LIN, Newcastle University, Unversity of Bristol and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations.