Linda’s Story through Photovoice: Achieving Independent Living with Dignity and Ingenuity in the Face of Environmental Inequities

Abstract

For older people with disabilities environmental design will become increasingly important to their quality of life as they expect supportive structures within community settings to facilitate their functioning, independence and well-being. This paper reports on photovoice research to amplify the issues one older woman with mobility limitations as a result of visual and neurological challenges experienced in a small city located in the south central part of the USA. The use of photovoice to illuminate these issues was one substudy of a larger scale project focusing on positive aging in this small city, the home to a large state-assisted university. The authors, which includes Linda, the principal photovoice researcher, offer a rationale guiding photovoice, describe the photovoice method the participatory research model incorporated, identify the environmental inequities the participant experienced in her community and immediate living situation, and document the affordances she developed to support her mobility, safety and quality of life. The authors then discuss how a community exhibit supported dissemination of the participant's photovoice content to the general community, and the outcomes the participant experienced in the form of empowerment and environmental enhancements ensuing from the combined influence of photovoice and community-based dissemination of her findings.

Part 1: A review of using photovoice as a disability research method: Implications for eliciting the experiences of persons with disabilities on the Community Based Rehabilitation programme in Namibia

“…In 20 of the 21 studies, participants were purposively selected and only one utilised random selection (Russinova et al 2014 ). The sample size ranged from one participant (Bishop, Robillard & Moxley 2013 ) to 82 participants (Russinova et al 2014 ). Seven studies had sample sizes in the range of 6–10 participants (Agarwal et al 2015 ; Akkerman et al 2014 ; LaDonna & Venance 2015 ; Newman 2010 ; Schleien et al 2013 ; Shumba, Kloppers & van der Westhuizen 2012 ; Tijm, Cornielje & Kwaku 2011 ).…”

“…It was also used in one study with persons with visual and speech impairment (Lassetter et al 2007 ). Although photovoice relies heavily on visual perception, three studies included persons with visual impairments (Agarwal et al 2015 ; Bishop et al 2013 ; Cordova et al 2015 ).…”

“…Once a participant assumes ownership, it is easy to recruit others in the photovoice project (Bishop et al 2013 ).…”

Incorporating Art-Making into the Cultural Practice of Social Work

“…(Apel, 2002, p. 3) An important aim of healing may involve the exposure of people whose environments are degraded in sensual beauty, whether that is part of built Incorporating Art-Making into Social Work 239 or natural environments. Social workers should not discount this possibility since the degradation of the senses experienced by people whose status is diminished can be a principal form of oppression (Bishop, Robillard, & Moxley, 2013). The contributions of the arts to the realization of a positive environmental aesthetic are powerful ways humans can better their societies (Berleant, 2005;Greene, 2001), uplift themselves emotionally, and consider avenues of self or cultural advancement.…”

‘Closer to my world’: Children with autism spectrum disorder tell their stories through photovoice

“…It involves the use of photography by participants to document their daily lives and experiences so as '1) to enable research participants to record and reflect their community's strengths and concerns, 2) to promote critical dialogue and knowledge through group discussion of photographs, and 3) to reach policy makers' (Wang & Burris, 1997, p. 369). Literature suggests that photovoice is effective for engaging and allowing meaningful participation in research by people often underrepresented, including people with mobility limitations due to neurological conditions (Bishop, Robillard, & Moxley, 2013) and mental illnesses (Cabassa, Nicasio, & Whitley, 2013), as well as migrants, homeless people, people living with HIV, gender based violence survivors and people with chronic diseases (Catalani & Minkler, 2010;Hergenrather, Rhodes, Cowan, Bardhoshi, & Pula, 2009). As Povee, Bishop, and Roberts (2014) note on their work using photovoice with people with intellectual disabilities, participatory approaches to research such as photovoice allow greater meaningful participation and influence by people with intellectual disabilities in research as they become actively engaged partners or co-researchers.…”