Understanding everyday harm between young people with cognitive disability and support workers

This article develops a typology of everyday harm from empirical data to understand the many, often subtle, ways that people with cognitive disability experience harm in their relationships with paid support workers. The analysis draws on the concepts of recognition and misrecognition to highlight how interpersonal relationships and organisational environments (policies and culture) interrelate and influence harm occurring in everyday interactions. We use the term everyday harm to describe the negative impact a person experiences from these common actions and inactions. The data were from interviews with 36 pairs of young people and support workers. The typology identifies six types of everyday harm – to emotions, mental health, physical health, growing and learning, relationships and reputation. This typology opens space to consider nuanced responses and restorative practices to address this previously hard-to-name harm and raises the positive expectation for everyday steps to counter harm.