Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations.
This study explores OT students' perceptions of a disability simulation assignment. Results indicated that although students gained insight into the disability experience, the majority felt it was disrespectful, providing a narrow, limited view of this experience. The results are important for OT and OT assistant educators because they inform them about the benefits and limitations of including disability simulations in their curriculum.
Primary Author and Speaker: Linda Olson
Additional Authors and Speakers: Emma Lopez, Emily Zeigler, Nureen Ansari, and Micala Giammarino
PURPOSE: Research has demonstrated a need for disability simulation within health care education to increase health care students' understanding of the lived experience of people with disabilities (Pebdani & Bourgeois, 2019; Santaro et al., 2017). The challenge is identifying the most effective way to meet this need. A variety of approaches has been used to increase awareness and empathy in students. These approaches include virtual reality simulations, interacting with standardized patients, incorporation of patient educators into the curriculum, high fidelity simulation, and disability simulations (meaning students attempt to assume characteristics associated with various disabilities, such as being blindfolded to replicate being blind). Results of research studies exploring the benefits of these approaches have yielded mixed results regarding their impact on attitudes, beliefs, and barriers (Pebdani & Bourgeois, 2019; Ryhl, 2018). While this education is important for all health care professionals, it is especially important for occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students, due to our holistic nature and focus on client-centered care. The purpose of this session is to present findings of a research study exploring occupational therapy students' perceptions of a community disability simulation assignment.
DESIGN: This study is a retrospective analysis of data collected as part of routine educational experiences of students enrolled in an OTD Introduction to Occupation, Health and Wellness course. As part of this course, students engage in a community disability simulation assignment and submit a paper reflecting on their experience. Reflection papers submitted over the past three years (110 papers) were included in the study. The qualitative method of thematic analysis was used to identify common themes across the reflection papers, define the essence of these themes and describe how these themes can inform occupational therapy education.
METHOD: The six-step method for conducting thematic analysis, as defined by Nowell et al. (2017) was used to guide data analysis. All papers were de-identified by the PI and reviewed by two members of the research team. Key concepts were highlighted as initial categories for coding. Following this, the team met to discuss these concepts and revised codes as needed. Disagreements regarding concepts and coding were resolved through discussion and consensus. The team collaborated to generate themes from coded data. Final themes were defined and named through team consensus.
RESULTS: Preliminary findings suggest four main themes: increased awareness of living with a disability, safety concerns, limited access to businesses and spaces, and feelings of disrespect assuming the role of someone with a disability
CONCLUSION: Although student simulation increased awareness of living with a disability, feelings of disrespect in assuming a disability role overshadowed the positive aspects of the experience. Suggestions for enriching this experience included talking to patient educators about
References
Nowell, L.S., Norris, J.M., White, D.E., & Moules, N.J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Pebdani, R. N., & Bourgeois, P. J. (2019). Alternative Educational Approach to Wheelchair Accessibility Awareness. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(6), 7306205080. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.036111
Ryhl, C. (2018). Simulating Disability in Universal Design Teaching: A Critique-Abandoning Try-It-Yourself in Teaching Universal Design in Architecture. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 256, 572-578. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000127
Santoro, J. D., Yedla, M., Lazzareschi, D. V., & Whitgob, E. E. (2017). Disability in US medical education: Disparities, programmes and future directions. Health Education Journal, 76(6), 753-759. https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896917712299
