July 2010: PhD Submitted!!!

Last month, after eight months of reading statistics books, doing some analysis, re-analysis, and writing, I finally submitted my PhD on the additional cost of disability in New Zealand which included results from the Impact of Physical Impairment Survey. I’m now working to get the findings up on this web site for all of you to read and use.  In the end 274 people logged onto the web site or took the paper-based survey and 251 had completed survey questionnaires that could be included in the analysis. For a recruitment plan that relied heavily on your email networks and those of a number of fantastic organizations (CCS Auckland, NZ Federation of Disability Information Centres, DRC Auckland) and the guidance and advice of Philip Patston, my mentor in this research, this was such a wonderful success!

To all of the participants – I will send out an email to let you know when the results have been uploaded here.  For those without internet access, I’ll be sending information through the post.

All the best

Laura

Thank you for getting the word out!

In addition to the numerous tips and referrals I have received from participants and organisations, I have been navigating the internet in search of people, businesses, groups and organisations that are focused on ensuring disabled people have the opportunity to lead ordinary and extraordinary lives.  From those that fit out your house and make it “your home” to those whose purpose is to give every kiwi an opportunity to get out and enjoy the fine ski fields and surf that New Zealand has to offer.  One lead takes me to another to another.  I’d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the time and support of the organisations who are getting the word out about www.impactofimpairment.com.  Many of the organisations that I’ve been in touch with are featured on the home page of the site but I think I’m going to need to develop a whole page dedicated to organisations, businesses, and information sources that contribute to an ordinary life.  Something for the ‘to do’ list! Watch this space!

 

5 weeks left – 90 participants to find!!!

There are less than 5 weeks to go in our campaign to find people to contribute to this web site. Thanks so much to all of you who have participated so far — and who have helped find others to contribute to this project.  If you’ve recently completed the survey and feel like this is something worthwhile – please circulate the information to your networks.

Thank you, also, to the organisations who have been contacting me about the research and helping to spread the word about this initiative.  We are making great progress — 111 participants to date – so 90 more to find between now and the end of May.

Auckland Region 38 participants
-Auckland City 23
-Manukau City10
-North Shore City 3
-Waitakere City 2
Hamilton11
Dunedin 9
Christchurch 8
Napier 5
Invercargill 4
Tauranga 4
Gisborne 3
Hastings 3
Timaru 3
Wellington 3
Blenheim 2
New Plymouth 2
Queenstown 2
Wanaka 2
Whangarei 2
Ahipara,Dannevirke, Kerikeri, Lower Hutt, Norsewood, North Canterbury, South Taranaki, Taranaki, Waihi, Waimate 1 each

Looking for a wide range of experiences and circumstances…

A number of people have called or emailed me about their experiences of taking the survey.  They ask: What if I’m pretty satisfied with the areas of life you are asking me about?  Is that helpful to the research?  My answer: Absolutely! Part of the reason we need to get 200+ people to take this survey is so that we can ensure the information we collect reflects the experiences and circumstances of a wide range of people.  If there is a good sized group of people who report being satisfied then we can explore some of the underlying characteristics of this group and what might make them satisfied – do they have support at home? Do they have the equipment that they need? If so, what types of equipment are they using? Do they have sufficient income to meet their needs? This information will prove most valuable when we consider other groups that  report being ‘dissatisfied’ with various aspects of their lives and their ability to meet their basic needs.  Maybe these groups lack sufficient income, lack support at home, lack certain types of equipment that could make a big difference in their everyday living.  The only way we’ll be able to find out is by comparing the different groups — and the more people in each group, the more we will be able to say about what makes one group more or less satisfied than the other.

7 weeks and counting….

Welcome to the Impact of Impairment web site and to my blog. Over the next 7 weeks I am going to be looking far and wide across the whole of New Zealand for people with a physical impairment who are willing to share information about what it really takes (…and costs!!!) to live an ordinary life in New Zealand.

The Goal

The goal is to identify all the additional resources – personal time, equipment, modifications, transportation, and support  – that make full participation in everyday life possible, enjoyable, and full of the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities that are available to non-disabled people.  I’m creating shopping lists of all the disability-related resources  people with a physical impairment currently have and still need and the total weekly cost of meeting those needs. This includes everything from the time a person spends waiting for a taxi, to the ramp that makes the home acessible, to a mobility scooter, to the hours of support required to get a meal prepared and the dishes done!

With your help

Ultimately,  this web site is going to be  a resource of information that everyone can use to  better understand how having an impariment impacts on disabled people’s pocketbooks, the quality of life they lead, and their ability to not only meet those universal basic needs (food, clothing, shelter) but to enjoy an adequate standard of living — an ordinary life in the community.

To date, 74 people have participated from across New Zealand.  In 7 weeks, we need at least 200 people to take part in order for the information that we find to be robust enough to really use.    Over the next few weeks, I’ll continue to update you on the progress we are making. 

 We know that the experience of disability (what is available, what the main barriers are, etc) is likely to change dramatically if a person doesn’t live in one of New Zealand’s larger cities and it is important that we pick up on the wide range of experiences and circumstances people with physical impairment have in New Zealand. Take a look at the list below. This indicates the geographic locations of those who have already participated in the project.

Is your community represented here?

• Auckland City 14
• Dunedin 8
• Hamilton 8
• Manukau City 8
• Christchurch5
• Invercargill 4
• Napier 3
• Timaru 3
• Gisborne 2
• New Plymouth 2
• North Shore City 2
• Taranaki 2
• Tauranga 2
• Waitakere City 2
• Wellington 2
• Kerikeri, Norsewood, North Canterbury, Waimate, Wanaka, Whangarei, Queenstown (1 each)