Early findings from Living Life to the Fullest showed that assistance dogs can play a significant part in the lives of disabled young people and can transform their experiences of living with disability. An assistance dog is an animal that supports a disabled person with tasks in everyday living. We explored these findings further in a smaller impact activity called The Canine Care Project, which found that an assistance dog did far more for disabled young people than practical tasks (although these are very important), but actually made them feel happier, safer and more at ease in social situations.
In the Chat article, Sally shares her experiences of being partnered with her assistance dog, Ethan. She also talks of the importance of having access to conducting research as a disabled young person outside of the academy:
'Throughout the pandemic we’ve been continuing our research looking at the lives of disabled young people and have been able to hear how animals can radically change disabled people’s experience of life. And with Ethan by my side, I know this to be true. He’s given me the confidence to do things that I wouldn’t have been able to do without him.'
