The Silent Majority: Understanding and Supporting Access and Inclusion for People with Disabilities Living in Predominantly Low-Resource Communities

James H. Rimmer, Phuong T. M. Quach, Stephanie Ward, Hui-Ju Young, Harshvardhan Singh and Byron Lai ()
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James H. Rimmer: School of Health Professions Research Collaborative and National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
Phuong T. M. Quach: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
Stephanie Ward: School of Health Professions Research Collaborative and National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
Hui-Ju Young: School of Health Professions Research Collaborative and National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
Harshvardhan Singh: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA
Byron Lai: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA

Disabilities, 2023, vol. 3, issue 4, 1-9

Abstract: People with disabilities are often isolated from their community due to issues with accessibility and inclusion, which are worse in low-resource communities. Creating meaningful change will require an understanding of strategies that work at a community-wide level to foster community engagement among people with disabilities. This study utilized a qualitative grounded theory approach to identify barriers and facilitators of community access and inclusion of people with disabilities from the perspectives of 12 neighborhood presidents of low-resource areas within the state of Alabama in the United States. Four themes were identified: (1) community engagement is a process from accessibility to inclusion; (2) knowledge supports people’s needs and empowers systemic changes to policies and laws; (3) neighborhood resources beget further resources; and (4) change necessitates benevolent leadership. Based on these themes, we generated a substantive theory called the Neighborhood Engagement Theory, which health professionals can utilize to support neighborhood presidents in creating systemic change for people with disabilities.

Keywords: disability; participation; engagement; public health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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