Making volunteerism more inclusive: Advice from older adults with physical disabilities
Presentation
Overview
Overview
Description
Participation in volunteer activities can provide a wealth of physical and emotional benefits for older adults. However, older adults with disabilities often do not have the same opportunities to participate as their non-disabled peers. This study explores the experiences of older adults with physical disabilities to identify opportunities to help community organizations become more inclusive. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 older adults, from three Midwest towns, who identified as having serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs. Participants had to have volunteered with an organization in the last year. An iterative process between initial analysis of data and selection of new participants was used. Participants in this study were also selected purposively for maximum variation in terms of type of disability/impairment, race, gender, and age. The constant comparative method of analysis was used to identify themes from the data. The thematic findings convey participants’ discussions of the ways that organizations could better include older adults with disabilities. Five themes related to organizational facilitation were identified from the interviews: Inclusive Advertisement, Learn from People with Disabilities, Flexibility and Creativity, Support and Training, Focus on Strengths. Participants in this study noted that while it can be challenging for organizations to include older adults with disabilities, non-profit and other community-focused organizations have a responsibility to include people with disabilities as volunteers. Participants’ discussions of organizational facilitation included several important insights that can help expand knowledge of how to support older adults with mobility-limiting disabilities.
