We know that there is a certain amount of stigma associated with owning a mobility product, but to what extent if this factual.
We have undertaken a survey of mobility aid users, and with over 350 responses, our findings are fairly conclusive. The results are show below:
Overall stigma associated with owning mobility aids.
With 33% of users stating that they felt there was a stigma attached, our initial thoughts have been proven correct.
However, if we look deeper into the survey results we can also see which products seem to generate the most stigma, and not surprisingly mobility scooters are the highest. Is the reason behind this, being that mobility scooters are in the public domain? The below chart shows which products are associated with the greatest amount of stigma.
Which Products Attract the Greatest Stigma?
Does the age of the user affect the stigma felt?
It seems younger users feel greater stigma than older users. The graph clearly shows the stigma felt declines in line with age. Does society look at younger mobility aids users different to older users? The above stats would suggest yes.
Is society changing?
It would appear so. There seems to be growing acceptance of mobility product users, this would be partially due the growth in the number of products in the public domain, and also the ageing population fuelling the growth of the market.
Conclusion
It seems that there is a stigma attached to owning mobility products, especially scooters. It also seems especially prominent among the younger mobility aid users and mobility scooter users. On a positive note, most users feel that the stigma is becoming less of an issue.