Identifying built environment factors influencing the community participation of adults aging with long-term physical disabilities: a qualitative study

Abstract

This study qualitatively explored how adults aging with long-term physical disabilities perceive the built environment to influence their community participation. A convenience sample of community-dwelling adults with long-term physical disabilities ages 45–65 participated in virtual semi-structured interviews until thematic saturation was reached (n = 20). Data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Five themes were identified: vigilance and sense of safety, accessibility of and access to transportation, community environment accessibility, sense of community, and access to support, spaces, and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple participants described their neighborhoods as unsafe and reported not leaving their homes in months due to inaccessible home entrances or pandemic-related concerns. These results enhance our understanding of how this population perceives environmental barriers to community participation, particularly in low-resourced neighborhoods during the COVID-19 pandemic. These results may inform researchers, community organizations, and funding agencies in intervention development and implementation to address built environment barriers.

Points of Interest

• Adults aging with long-term physical disabilities value participating in their communities but often face barriers in the built environment

• Common built environment factors that influence community participation for this population include the perceived safety of one’s neighborhood, the accessibility of community buildings, access to transportation, and environments that facilitate a sense of community and belonging

• The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected access to various supports and spaces for adults aging with long-term physical disabilities, which in turn restricted their community participation

• Poorly resourced neighborhoods may increase community participation restrictions for adults aging with long-term physical disabilities

Keywords:

• Built environment
• physical disability
• aging
• community participation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the participants who gave their time and effort in participating in the interviews as part of this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report that there are no competing interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The underlying data sets generated and analyzed during the current study cannot be sufficiently de-identified and, therefore, cannot be made publicly available due to ethical considerations. Data can be made available, for the purpose of further research, from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPCP0001-01-00).