Belonging for women, LGBTQ+ and Black and ethnically minoritised people with learning disabilities: Findings from a qualitative, co-produced study in England

Belonging is a key aspect of human experience. This qualitative study examined where diverse people with learning disabilities feel belonging, what shapes belonging, and how it affects their health. Focus groups were held with people with learning disabilities across England who identify as women, LGBTQ+, and from Black and ethnically minoritised backgrounds. 12 participants also took part in an additional data collection activity; a go-along interview, ethnographic observation and/or photovoice. Our findings demonstrate shared themes and intersectional differences in participants’ experiences of belonging. We emphasise belonging as embodied and as felt in diverse places and across time. It is also relational, open-ended, and facilitated by several actors and factors, which reflect the multiple, social identities of participants. Experiences of non-belonging are grounded in ableism, which in turn are compounded by, and cannot be separated from, racism, sexism, and homo-, bi- and transphobia. Through empirical examples, we highlight the relationship between belonging and health as bi-directional and mutually reinforcing. To belong, people need to feel authentically themselves and valued in their complexity and uniqueness.