Pamela Block | PubMed Health

PubMed2005

Shake-It-Up: health promotion and capacity building for people with spinal cord injuries and related neurological disabilities.

PURPOSE: This is a description of a model demonstration project called Project Shake-It-Up. This project promotes the health and empowerment of people with spinal cord injuries and related neurological disabilities. It also builds the capacity of community organizations that provide services to this population. METHODS: Participants are involved in interactive seminars concerning health and advocacy on topics like nutrition and being assertive with healthcare providers. They take part in physical and recreational activities such as seat kayaking, kite-flying and hand cycling. Case coordinators support their project participation and personal goal attainment. RESULTS: Community organizations and university researchers developed a successful partnership. Individual members of the first cohort supported one another and benefited physically and psychologically. CONCLUSIONS: Project-Shake-It-Up provides positive initial signs of the value of combining the resources of universities and community agencies. Working together, these organizations can develop distinctive, multi-faceted programmes to support the health and empowerment of people with spinal cord injuries and other related neurological disabilities.

Activities of Daily Living↗

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Introducing disability studies to occupational therapy students.

This article is a work of collaborative ethnography about teaching and learning disability studies within the context of an occupational therapy graduate program. In spring 2004,14 occupational therapy students were introduced to disability studies by their cultural anthropologist (nonoccupational therapist) course instructor. During the one-credit course, they were expected to complete readings, watch films, attend guest lectures, and make a site visit. The occupational therapy students were required to write a journal to record personal reactions and new insights gained from these experiences. This article focuses on a thematic analysis of the students' journaled responses to the film "Dance Me to My Song," and a site visit to a local Independent Living Center. Students were expected to analyze these experiences from both disability studies and occupational therapy perspectives. The article addresses philosophical and practical differences between occupational therapy and disability studies and identifies opportunities for collaboration between occupational therapists and independent living specialists.

Anthropology, Cultural↗