Social participation of adolescents with cerebral palsy: trade-offs and choices.

This article reports on the findings of a qualitative study about the experiences and perceptions of adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) in relation to social participation. A phenomenological approach was used to interview 10 adolescents with CP, 17 to 20 years of age, selected using purposeful sampling. An iterative process of data collection and analysis resulted in four themes about social participation. The themes of experience, barriers, and supports, and tradeoffs supported the current view of participation as a dynamic interaction between person and environment. The fourth theme of making choices described the unique challenges facing adolescents with CP in terms of deciding what was most important and meaningful to them now and in their future. Health care professionals can support adolescents as they develop the capacity to make their own decisions during the transition to adult living by ensuring that assessments and interventions address social participation.

Advocacy in occupational therapy: exploring clinicians' reasons and experiences of advocacy.

BACKGROUND: Occupational therapy literature encourages therapists to advocate, yet any member of the team could advocate with/for people with disabilities. There is a need to determine why occupational therapists provide these services and how they learn to advocate. PURPOSE: The objective of this article is to understand the meaning of advocacy for occupational therapists by exploring their reasons for advocating. METHODS: Interpretive phenomenology and the social model of disability were used to interview 13 occupational therapists about their advocacy experiences. Data analysis was completed using a Gadamerian-based approach. FINDINGS: Occupational therapists advocate for a number of reasons; some relate to themselves, some relate to clients, and others relate to both. Learning about advocacy may be understood as taking place on a continuum of time. IMPLICATIONS: The occupational therapist's unique reason for advocating is to facilitate the client's occupational performance. A new definition of advocacy is presented based on study findings.