“Here we are together, at home you are alone” – social interactions and personal engagement during a group-based rehabilitation program for young adults with disability

Abstract

Side 2 av 41 "Here we are together, at home you are alone" -social interactions and personal engagement during a group-based rehabilitation program for young adults with disability Purpose: Young adults with disabilities often report feeling alone in their experience of disability. Group-based rehabilitation programs provide opportunities to participate in learning processes and share experiences of living with a disability. The aim of this study was to explore and interpret social interactions and personal processes of engagement and development of young adults with disabilities during a rehabilitation program. Methods: Fifty-four young adults attending a group-based rehabilitation program at Beitostølen Healthsports Center (BHC) participated in the study. A grounded theory methodology employing ethnographic data enabled an in-depth exploration of the social processes occurring during the rehabilitation stay.Results: The social environment was important to personal processes during the stay.Fundamental to the social processes was a culture defined by opportunities, competence, and involvement of the young adults that promoted feelings of safety and the freedom to challenge themselves. Being with peers with disabilities enabled a sense of community underpinned by a shared understanding. Peers fostered motivation to actively engage in the participation processes, built courage and promoted selfreflection. Conclusion:This article contributes to the understanding of the dynamic interactions between social contextual structures and interrelations, and personal processes of engagement and developmental experiences during a group-based rehabilitation program.

Dynamics of courage: Personal learning processes in an adapted physical activity- based rehabilitation context, a single case study

“…Because APA learning processes are highly person-centered and therefore unique, it is of great importance to understand how APA staff balance their professional knowledge with sensitivity to each learning situation (Pawlowski & Yun, 2019;Standal, 2008). In previous research courage is highlighted as a central personal attribute for engaging in challenging activities and learning processes (Miklos, Jahnsen, Nyquist, Hanisch, et al, 2021;Miklos, Jahnsen, Nyquist, & Ullenhag, 2021). Courage can therefore be understood as fundamental in APA based learning processes, promoting engagement and personal development by being the "energizing catalyst for choosing growth over safety needs" (Goud, 2005, p. 102).…”

“…The ethnographic approach enabled a holistic and in-depth understanding of individual experiences and social interactions within a naturalistic rehabilitation context (Reeves et al, 2013). The opportunity for comparing findings and interpretations from the single case into a variety of other cases from the larger project (Miklos, Jahnsen, Nyquist, Hanisch, et al, 2021) ensured that while the young woman's experiences were highly individual, the dynamics of her learning process were comparable to those of others. An initial inductive analysis of the single case was followed by a deductive thematic analysis (Timmermans & Tavory, 2012) drawing on the conceptual model of courage (Goud, 2005).…”

“…BHC is a Norwegian rehabilitation center providing residential four weeks group-based programs (Miklos, Jahnsen, Nyquist, Hanisch, et al, 2021;Røe et al, 2018) guided by the philosophy of APA for young adults with experience of living with a disability (Hutzler & Sherrill, 2007). The young adults program involved a variety of self-selected goal-directed activities with three to four sessions per day six days a week, carried out individually or in groups (Miklos, Jahnsen, Nyquist, Hanisch, et al, 2021). This provided an ideal opportunity to explore in vivo the complex learning processes underpinning a participation-focused rehabilitation intervention, (Atkinson & Pugsley, 2005;Imms et al, 2016;Reeves et al, 2013).…”

“…Participants were provided with verbal and written information about the larger ethnographic study (Miklos, Jahnsen, Nyquist, Hanisch, et al, 2021), before consenting to participate. In the present case study, a total of five staff members instructed and supported the climbing wall activity.…”

“…:2014/2055) and the Norwegian Data Inspectorate (NSD No.:48117). Staff and young adults attending the BHC program were informed about the study, both verbally and in writing, before consenting to participate in the larger ethnographic study (Miklos, Jahnsen, Nyquist, Hanisch, et al, 2021). Ethnographic data collection methods included participant observations and infield conversations (Atkinson & Pugsley, 2005;Reeves et al, 2013).…”