The experience of disabled people as customers in the owner occupation market

Abstract

Little is known about the extent of disabled people's exclusion from the owner occupation market. The focus of this research was to consider how disabled potential owner occupiers experience exclusion at the point of the sales rooms and viewing properties. A multiple case study was undertaken with 11 disabled people who had experience of accessing the owner occupation market. Analysis reveals that disabled people with mobility impairments encounter barriers which are physical, attitudinal and systemic. Conclusions are reached that disabled people meet barriers at the initial stages of buying a home because they are not taken into account at the design stage. Certain key changes in the design of homes for owner occupation are required in order for people with physical impairments to approximate equal terms with other customers in the owner occupation market.