Community Integration after Spinal Cord Injury: Using Photovoice to Identify Barr

Medical University Of South Carolina, Charleston SC

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Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): Spinal cord injuries (SCI) frequently result in lifelong paralysis leading to social isolation and a reduction in productivity. Individuals with SCI can lead more socially connected and productive lives if the environmental factors impairing social and community integration are identified and addressed. Participatory research efforts have the potential to serve as an effective means of promoting community integration by engaging individuals with SCI in the identification and documentation of environmental barriers and facilitators from their unique [unreadable] perspective. Application of participatory methodology facilitates focusing research efforts on the issues of greatest relevance to individuals with SCI and targeting interventions to the identified needs. The proposed one-year exploratory study will use participatory methodology in partnership with the disAbility Resource Center, an independent living center in North Charleston, SC, to explore environmental factors affecting the community integration of individuals with SCI in Charleston County, SC. The proposed study uses a non-experimental, qualitative design, incorporating the participatory [unreadable] methodology Photovoice to examine barriers and facilitators to community integration with 10-12 participants who have a spinal cord injury, and are at least one-year post injury. Participants will be trained to use cameras to document their perceptions of barriers and facilitators encountered in the community. The primary method of data collection will occur through the participants' generation of photographs representing their perceptions of barriers and facilitators to community integration and semi-structured individual interviews. During the interviews, the participants will interpret and discuss the photographs they have created. The interviews will be recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis will allow for the coding and categorizing of specific events, incidents, and actions that are revealed in the transcripts of the individual interviews. The anticipated outcome of this analysis is an increased understanding of participants' experiences with barriers and facilitators to community integration that supports the development of a checklist of the environmental factors that either help or hinder the participants' access to community services and resources. This checklist will be utilized to inform future intervention projects and health promotion activities that facilitate the integration of individuals with SCI into the Charleston community. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]