Feasibility of the Participatory Experience Survey and the Setting Affordances Survey for use in evaluation of programmes serving youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Participation by youth with disabilities in recreational activities has been shown to promote the development of important skills needed for transition to adulthood. The Participatory Experience Survey (PES) and the Setting Affordances Survey (SAS) were developed for use by recreational programmes serving youth with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities (SIDD) to assess participant experiences and ensure that participants are afforded optimal opportunities to develop these skills. This paper presents a feasibility evaluation to determine the appropriateness of the PES and the SAS for use in a programme evaluation context. METHOD: The PES and the SAS were used to evaluate a programme serving youth with SIDD in the greater northwest region of the United States. Three recreational activities were evaluated: an art project, trip to a zoo and a track practice. Programme volunteers used the SAS to assess opportunities and affordances offered within each activity. The PES was then given to 10 young people in each activity to capture their experiences. It was hypothesized that each setting would afford different experiences and developmental opportunities because of the differing nature of the activities. RESULTS: The PES and SAS were found to be feasible for conducting a programme evaluation. All three settings offered varying types of experiences and affordances. Notably, as measured by the SAS, opportunity for skill development was greater in more structured activities; the zoo had the fewest opportunities for skill development and the art project had the most skill development opportunities. Youth answered 'no' most often to 'asking for help' and 'helping a kid', suggesting changes to offer more opportunities to develop these skills would be beneficial in all three activities. CONCLUSION: These new instruments offer programmes a means to more fully include young people with disabilities during programme evaluations, leading to better-structured, more supportive programmes.

School participation, supports and barriers of students with and without disabilities.

BACKGROUND: We compared school participation patterns of students ages 5-17 with and without disabilities and examined whether features of the school environment were perceived to help or hinder their participation. METHODS: Parents (n = 576) residing in the USA and Canada completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) via the internet. RESULTS: Parents of students with disabilities reported that their children participated less frequently in school clubs and organizations and getting together with peers outside the classroom and that they were less involved in all school activities. Parents of students with disabilities also were significantly more likely to report that features of the environment hindered school participation and that resources needed to support their child's participation were not adequate. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of students with disabilities report that their children are participating less in important school-related activities. Barriers limiting school participation include features of the physical and social environment as well as limited resources.

Youth with disabilities' perspectives of the environment and participation: a qualitative meta-synthesis.

Meta-syntheses can enhance our knowledge regarding the impact of the environment on the participation of youth with disabilities and generate theoretical frameworks to inform policy and best practices. The purpose of this study was to describe school-aged youth with disabilities' perspectives regarding the impact of the environment and modifications on their participation. A meta-synthesis systematically integrates qualitative evidence from multiple studies. Six databases were searched and 1287 citations reviewed for inclusion by two independent raters; 15 qualitative articles were selected for inclusion. Two independent reviewers evaluated the quality of each study and coded the results section. Patterns between codes within and across articles were examined using a constant comparative approach. Environments may be more or less inclusive for youth with disabilities depending upon others' understanding of individual abilities and needs, youth involvement in decisions about accommodations, and quality of services and policies. Youth implemented strategies to negotiate environmental barriers and appraised the quality of their participation based on the extent to which they engaged alongside peers. This meta-synthesis generated a framework illustrating the relationship between the environment, modifications and participation, and provided a conceptualization of participation grounded in the lived experiences of youth with disabilities. Findings reveal gaps in current knowledge and highlight the importance of involving youth with disabilities in decision making.