Environmental factors affecting the occupations of children with physical disabilities

Abstract

Children with physical disabilities encounter environmental constraints that limit their participation in daily occupations. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to work together with parents to discover environmental situations which presented substantial challenges to their children. The study took place in a city of 92,000 people in southern Ontario, Canada. Twenty‐two families who had a child with a disability between the ages of 3 to 12 years participated. Through focus groups and individual interviews, participants identified environmental factors which supported or hindered the daily occupations of their children. Social and institutional barriers were identified as the most significant environmental barriers. Although many physical barriers were identified, participants believed that attitudes or lack of knowledge prevented these barriers from being changed. The primary themes for change emerging from this study include parents’ desire for more control, increased use of inclusion as a means to change attitudes, a need for a more flexible bureaucracy related to disability issues and a profound concern about the societal view of normality.