Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Life Opportunities Survey (LOS) was a large scale longitudinal survey of disability in Great Britain, which ran from 2009-2014. It was the first major ONS social survey to explore disability in terms of the social barriers to participation that people experience. The survey compared the experiences of disabled people with those of non-disabled people. Prior to the LOS, various surveys of disability had been carried out. The LOS aimed to meet the following long term information needs on experiences of disabled people living in Great Britain:dynamics of disability over time, including the factors associated with transitions and onsets of impairmentsocial participation by disabled people up-to-date prevalence rates of impairmentsThe LOS was set up to track the experiences of disabled people over time to assess transitions through key life stages, such as moving from childhood to adulthood or in and out of work. The longitudinal design enabled three distinct groups to be followed over time:a disabled groupa comparison group of non-disabled peoplea larger non-disabled group, monitored for the onset of impairment over timeRespondents were interviewed every 12 months, whether they were resident in the original household or had since moved. Following the baseline survey only the first two groups were interviewed face-to-face. The third group were monitored over time via a shorter telephone interview to check for the onset of an impairment. If any member of the household had experienced the onset of impairment, they were invited to take part in a face to face interview. Further information about the LOS series is available from the ONS Life Opportunities Survey webpage. End User Licence and Special Licence LOS data: Users should note that there are two versions of each LOS study. One is available under the standard End User Licence (EUL) agreement, and the other is a Special Licence (SL) version....