Social and Digital Participation: School and the Internet as an Integration Arena for Children and Young People with Physical Disabilities

The aim of the project is to map the degree of social participation and the scope of social networks among children and young people with physical disabilities.

Social participation and social networking are crucial to children's living conditions and quality of life in a number of areas, and point to a successful entrance into independent adulthood. Social participation does not necessarily mean physical interaction. Based on NOVA's surveys of children and young people's use of social media, the project will extend this research to include children with disabilities.

The project also wants to identify factors that can explain variations in the extent of social networks and use of the Internet. Such factors include the role of the school and various aspects of the child's family situation, including the parents' own network and financial situation. Knowledge that describes and explains variations will in turn form the basis for interventions aimed at developing measures that can improve social participation and integration.

The research use a quantitative survey design with a gross population of 1300 families.