Experiences of Social Participation for Canadian Wheelchair Users with Spinal Cord Injury during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Noémie Fortin-Bédard, Annabelle de Serres-Lafontaine, Krista L. Best, Caroline Rahn, Elizabeth Turcotte, Jaimie Borisoff, Shane N. Sweet, Kelly P. Arbour-Nicitopoulos and François Routhier
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Noémie Fortin-Bédard: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
Annabelle de Serres-Lafontaine: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
Krista L. Best: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
Caroline Rahn: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
Elizabeth Turcotte: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada
Jaimie Borisoff: British Columbia Institute of Technology, Vancouver, BC V5G 3H2, Canada
Shane N. Sweet: Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC H2W 1S4, Canada
Kelly P. Arbour-Nicitopoulos: Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2W6, Canada
François Routhier: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, QC G1M 2S8, Canada

Disabilities, 2022, vol. 2, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic life changes for people with spinal cord injury (SCI). The objective of the study is to explore the social participation of Canadian wheelchair users with SCI during the first wave of COVID-19. Methods: Fourteen participants from Quebec and British Columbia participated in a multi methods cross-sectional study. Three themes were identified, including (1) perceived participation restrictions for people with SCI and their loved ones, which revealed interruptions and changes in service provision during COVID-19, barriers and inconveniences to maintaining life habits and strategies developed during the pandemic to continue participating in meaningful activities; (2) There was no change in life habits (but some subjects found new ways to perform some activities), which highlights that life simply continued as usual and the participants developed new pastimes and interests; and (3) future hopes and concerns, which explained participants’ concerns about changes in interpersonal relationships after the pandemic. This study highlights daily participation challenges for people with SCI during the pandemic. Even though the use of technologies, delivery services and social support seemed to facilitate engagement in meaningful activities, mental health challenges and concerns for future relationships persisted for some.

Keywords: COVID-19; manual wheelchair; social participation; spinal cord injury; rehabilitation; social support (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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