Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Medical Device Usability And Accessibility Information On Purchasing Decisions Of People Without Disabilities, Maysam M. Ardehali

Theses and Dissertations

The disparity between people with and without disabilities in timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment is exacerbated by inaccessible medical devices. The industry appears reluctant to address the shortcomings or provide usability and accessibility information to enhance the purchasing decisions of people with disabilities. This reluctance is mainly caused by the lack of market motivation based on perceptions of market size and the profitability of investments in accessibility evaluation and improvement. This study aims to challenge this notion by demonstrating that usability and accessibility information do not solely benefit what may be considered a “niche market,” and the purchasing decisions of …

Falling Into Action, Kent Hoffman

The Goose

Kent Hoffman explores human movement, his own mobility, and how it influences the way he moves on land. This personal essay, told through the lens of disability and accessibility, outlines his experience of living with Becker muscular dystrophy. Hoffman's approach to walking and mobility is heavily influenced by a fear of falling. As his mobility is changing, he's adapting and seeking out new ways to move on land. Different modes of mobility determine the way we experience personal movement, but accessibility determines who is welcome in spaces in the first place. Accessibility in the form of providing equal access is …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Overcoming The Inner Critic: The Therapeutic Use Of Self-Portraits With Older Adults, Brenda Echeverry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Older adults are a growing and vulnerable population who experience discriminatory practices that impact their access to equitable housing, employment, and healthcare which was made even more obvious during the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. A community engagement project was developed and facilitated by the writer to support older adults with the psychological effects of surviving the pandemic. This project also helped to increase accessibility to expressive arts therapy in the writer’s local community. Expressive arts therapy is an effective and accessible method to support mental health and wellness for people of all ages. Engagement with the arts helps …

Accessibility Of The Kelapa-Seribu Islands Community To Health Service Facilities, Jehan Fakhirah, Eurika Putri Andita

Cities and Urban Development Journal

Background: Disparity in access to rural-urban health services is a global health priority problem. The health extension program is a basic preventive, promotive, and curative service targeting households to improve family health status with effective implementation, especially on remote islands. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the utilization of health education programs and related factors in Kelapa Island, Pulau Seribu.

Aims: This study aims to assess the utilization of health education programs and their factors in Kelapa-Seribu Islands.

Methods: A mixed cross-sectional study at the household level in Kelapa-Seribu Islands. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select the …

Advocacy For Accessible Air Travel, Alexandra Bruce, Lydia Kite, Zeida Gutierrez

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Problem: Passengers with disabilities decreased participation in air travel due to anxiety fear of injury, and damage to their assistive technology devices limits their ability to participate in occupations where air travel is used.

Purpose To highlight a need for occupational therapy (OT) collaboration with airlines and related stakeholders; and to advocate for more accessible air travel within the airline industry that can lead to a more safe experience for air travelers with disabilities.

Accessibility, Acceptance, And Equity: Examining Disability-Linked Health Disparities As Nursing And Communication Scholars, Sarah Parsloe, Stacey M. Carroll

Nursing Communication

People with disabilities (PWD) experience health disparities, often related to contextual factors beyond the physical differences in body structure and function. The purpose of this article was to develop a research agenda for nursing and communication scholars that explores how developing accessible and empowering communication environments in healthcare contexts might mitigate disability-linked health disparities. We focused on two broad research objectives: developing both accessible communication environments and empowering communication environments in healthcare settings. Elements proposed as comprising accessible communication environments were: making health literacy accessible, addressing complex communication needs, and communicating the embodied experience of disability. Empowering communication environments were …