Community services for young adults with motor disabilities – A paradox

Abstract

Purpose. To understand the contribution of educational, employment, transportation, and assured income service programs to the successful transition to adulthood of young persons with motor disabilities.

Method. Personal interviews of 76 young adults ages 20 to 30 years with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy (n = 54) or spina bifida (n = 22) varying in functional mobility. Content analysis of transcribed interviews was conducted and themes identified.

Results. ‘Paradox of Services' emerged as a dominant theme across all four service sectors. Services designed to encourage independence and full participation for the young adults in their communities often restricted their independence and employment options in young adulthood.

Conclusions. Services need to be more individualized and flexible to accommodate the environmental and personal needs of the young adults. Rehabilitation professionals have important roles at both an individual family level and the systems level to ensure the ‘best fit’ between persons with motor disabilities and the services available to them. Contemporary views of disability support rehabilitation intervention targeting both individual and environmental factors.

Keywords:

• Cerebral palsy
• spina bifida
• motor disabilities
• young adults

Acknowledgements

The study was funded by Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Johanna Darrah was funded by a New Investigator award from CIHR.