Hicks Emily C, Traci Meg A, Korb Karin
Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, United States.
Karin Korb LLC, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, United States.
Front Rehabil Sci. 2022 Sep 5;3:876099. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2022.876099. eCollection 2022.
People with disability often experience stigma and discrimination, and people with disability in rural areas may experience these at higher rates. Additionally, people with disability in rural areas may have fewer opportunities for physical and social participation due to barriers in the built environment. Activities such as disability simulations and inclusive, interdisciplinary community planning workshops (i.e., I2Audits) seek to draw awareness to and address these problematic experiences. The present study used thematic analysis from qualitative research to examine the advantages and disadvantages of using disability simulations and I2Audits in rural communities. Findings suggest that disability simulations increase stigmatization, lead to feelings of embarrassment and discomfort, and do not capture the experiences of people with disability. On the other hand, I2Audits lead to meaningful environmental changes, create feelings of empowerment, and center the lived experiences of people with disability within a bio-psycho-social model of disability. Results suggest that not only can I2Audits be a powerful tool to draw attention to physical barriers that people with disability face, but they also draw attention to the multi-level changes needed to increase opportunities for participation and address sources of stigma and discrimination in rural areas.
残疾人常常遭受污名化和歧视，农村地区的残疾人遭受这些的比例可能更高。此外，由于建筑环境中的障碍，农村地区的残疾人参与体育和社会活动的机会可能更少。诸如残疾模拟和包容性跨学科社区规划研讨会（即I2审计）等活动旨在提高人们对这些问题经历的认识并加以解决。本研究采用定性研究的主题分析方法，考察在农村社区使用残疾模拟和I2审计的优缺点。研究结果表明，残疾模拟会增加污名化，导致尴尬和不适的感觉，并且无法反映残疾人的经历。另一方面，I2审计会带来有意义的环境变化，产生赋权感，并将残疾人的生活经历置于生物心理社会残疾模型之中。结果表明，I2审计不仅可以成为引起人们对残疾人所面临的身体障碍关注的有力工具，还能引起人们对农村地区增加参与机会以及消除污名化和歧视根源所需的多层次变革的关注。
