218247 A participatory action strategy to enhance community awareness of and social participation by people with disabilities

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Els R. Nieuwenhuijsen, PhD, MPH, OTR , Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabillitation, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
Nancy Vandewiele Milligan, PhD, OTR/L , Occupational Therapy Program, Wayne State University, Detroit
Carolyn Grawi, MSW, LMSW, ACSW , Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, Ann Arbor
With the growing number of individuals with disabilities, communities need to do more to strengthen the awareness of disability-related accessibility and social participation. The objectives of this pioneer project are 1. to investigate the level of awareness of disability-related issues in arts and culture among stakeholders in a Midwestern town, and 2. to assess the need for a bold, sustainable action plan. Qualitative data were collected from four focus groups: 1. managers of arts and culture organizations, 2. people with disabilities, 3. caregivers and service providers, 4. other stakeholders. Key strategic questions were explored: what is the level of awareness, what is done and what needs to be changed? Results: 40 individuals (17 males and 23 females, between 18 and 84 years of age) voluntarily participated in the focus group discussions in the fall of 2009. Several themes emerged: 1. Lack of awareness/promotion of accessibility and disability-related participation in arts and culture events, lack of awareness of access issues among people with disabilities, lack of awareness of the health implications of arts and culture; 2. A need for a central connector, one location for information sharing (using telephone or the internet); 3. A need for related policies. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health was used to identify and map the key issues for analysis, revealing a wide range of environmental factors influencing participation by people with disabilities in arts and culture events. Plans for a participatory action strategy (at the individual, community and policy level) will be discussed.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1. explain the benefits of using a three stage participatory action strategic approach (needs assessment, action, scaling up) 2. demonstrate how the ICF environmental factors can be applied (stage one) 3. analyze the needs identified by 4 focus groups and identify a plan for action

Keywords: Disability, Community Participation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I am the principal investigator of this project
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.