Lived experience

Knowledge and insight that comes from personally living with disability or a mental health condition.

What it means

Lived experience is the knowledge, insight and understanding that comes from personally living with disability or a mental health condition, or from caring closely for someone who does. It is first-hand understanding, built from real life, rather than knowledge gained only through study or professional training.

This kind of experience gives a person a particular perspective on what supports actually help, what barriers get in the way, and how services feel to use. Lived experience is increasingly valued in the design and delivery of supports, because the people who use services often understand their strengths and gaps in ways that others may miss.

In practice

Lived experience is drawn on in many ways. People with lived experience may help shape services, sit on advisory groups, guide research, or take part in decisions about how supports are provided. Some roles are built directly around it, such as peer workers, who use their own experience to connect with and support others.

Valuing lived experience means listening to people who use supports and treating their perspective as genuine expertise. In everyday practice, this can lead to services that are more respectful, more practical, and better matched to what people really need. It also recognises that people are the experts in their own lives.

A real example

For example, Naomi lives with a psychosocial disability and now works as a peer worker. Because she has been through similar experiences, she connects easily with the people she supports and helps them feel understood. When her organisation reviews how it runs its programs, it asks Naomi and others with lived experience for feedback, and their input leads to changes that make the service easier and more welcoming to use.

Lived experience — FAQs

What does lived experience mean?
Lived experience is the knowledge and insight that comes from personally living with disability or a mental health condition, or from caring closely for someone who does. It is first-hand understanding built from real life, rather than knowledge gained only through study or professional roles. This perspective is valued because it reflects what using supports and facing barriers is actually like.
Why is lived experience valued in disability services?
Lived experience is valued because people who have used supports often understand what genuinely helps and what gets in the way in ways others may miss. Their insight can make services more respectful, practical and better matched to real needs. Involving people with lived experience recognises them as experts in their own lives and helps shape supports that work better.
What is a peer worker?
A peer worker is someone who uses their own lived experience of disability or a mental health condition to support others going through similar situations. Because they have been through comparable experiences, peer workers can build trust and connection, offer practical understanding, and show that recovery and a good life are possible. Peer work is one role built directly around lived experience.
Can carers have lived experience?
Yes. Lived experience includes the understanding that comes from caring closely for someone with disability or a mental health condition. Family members and carers gain first-hand insight into the daily realities, supports and barriers involved. This perspective is valuable, though it is different from the experience of the person living with the condition themselves, and both viewpoints matter.
How is lived experience used to improve supports?
Lived experience is used in many ways, such as shaping how services are designed, sitting on advisory groups, guiding research, and working in peer roles. By listening to people who use supports and treating their views as real expertise, organisations can spot gaps and make practical improvements. This helps create services that better reflect what people actually need.

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