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Abstract
Purpose: Access to adaptive equipment is a crucial factor that can determine if a child or youth with disabilities is going to participate in physical activities, sports and play in different local settings. A prerequisite for success is awareness of and specific knowledge concerning the equipment and its use among relevant actors. The aim of this paper is to explore how important groups of actors working with young people with disabilities perceive their level of knowledge concerning adaptive equipment and discuss these actors’ role in children and youths’ opportunities to obtain relevant equipment to participate in activities.
Methods: An online, population-based national survey was distributed to: (1) occupational therapists and physiotherapists, (2) teachers, and (3) leaders and coaches in sports clubs in Norway.
Results: The findings generally indicate that overall knowledge concerning adaptive equipment among the three groups is limited. However, significant statistical difference is found, indicating that occupational therapists and physiotherapists have higher levels of general knowledge, about the accessibility of equipment, regulations and legislation and that they are more familiar with adaptive equipment than teachers, leaders and coaches.
Conclusions: A practical implication of the results is that the actors’ varying knowledge and experiences need to be brought together to form a coherent picture of how the equipment will be used and by whom. This can contribute to an increased understanding concerning adaptive equipment and its importance among different actors, which could help more young people with disabilities to participate.
Important actors must utilize the knowledge and experience possessed by young people with disabilities concerning adaptive equipment.
Improved access to knowledge concerning adaptive equipment among important actors is required.
Increased collaboration between different actors relating to adaptive equipment and participation is needed.
Implications for Rehabilitation
Acknowledgements
The author thanks the supervisors Trond Bliksvaer and Eva Robertson for reviewing and providing valuable suggestions in the work with the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
The author reports no conflicts of interest.
This study was conducted according to the procedures approved by the Data Inspectorate.
Notes
1 In this study ‘youth’ is defined as people up to age 30.
2 In Norway, everyone with a referral from a doctor, manual therapist or chiropractor can receive this treatment against the payment of a deductible. Physiotherapists without an agreement with the municipality are not included in this study because their service is not open to all, but rather only to those who chose it and can offer money for the full treatment themselves.
3 Including principals, assistants, social workers and social educators who worked in schools.
4 Including other volunteers with roles in clubs and associations.
5 The web-based solution Easyfact was used for collecting data.
6 A cut off of 30 years was chosen because the main target group for the advisory where the study was conducted is children and youths with disabilities up to age 30.
7 Occupational therapists and physiotherapists: χ2 = 63, p < 0.001; teachers: χ2 = 13, p < 0.05; leaders and coaches: χ2 = 21, p < 0.001.
8 The respondents who did not report ‘familiar with’ the regulation system for adaptive equipment and ‘familiar with’ NAV Centre for Assistive Technology support and loan out adaptive equipment, reported that they are ‘not familiar with’ these aspects (not included in the figure).
9 χ2 = 69, p < 0.001.
10 χ2 = 42, p < 0.001.
11 χ2 = 8, p < 0.05.
12 χ2 = 23, p < 0.001.
13 In the questionnaire, the respondents were limited to choosing only two alternatives regarding this variable.
14 Analysis not prepared in tables or figures.