Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. For young adults and adults with autism, the outcomes related to independence, social relationships, employment status, and living arrangements have been poor. This session will share research using PhotoVoice to explore the lived experience of young adults with autism in a community-based independent-living residence. Challenges and opportunities for independence as seen through photos and reflections on the OT role will be shared. Primary Author and Speaker: Paula J. Thompson-Costello Additional Authors and Speakers: Mackenzie Traub, Eleanor Sweeney, Mallory Schrier, and Hannah R. Dau

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. This study used Photovoice methodology with the parents of a child with a disability living in a marginalized community in a low- and middle-income country. Themes illuminate the influence of social problems and community and cultural stigma on parenting occupations and also demonstrate how parents can be empowered to become agents of change. OTs can use this knowledge to increase occupational satisfaction with parenting occupations and provide family-centered care. Primary Author and Speaker: Paula Ann Rabaey Additional Authors and Speakers: Hayley Manley Contributing Authors: Renee Hepperlen

Importance: Families with a child or children with a disability (CWD) living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are a marginalized population experiencing multiple contextual factors within a social model of disability that contribute to decreased occupational participation. Objective: To understand the advocacy messages that caregivers of CWD, living in an LMIC, wanted their community to learn about CWD. Design: Photovoice methodology was used with 10 parents of a CWD. Photographs, accompanying narratives, and focus group session transcripts were analyzed using Wang and Burris’s (1997) original Photovoice technique. Setting: Urban subdistrict of Lusaka, Zambia. A community venue was used for the focus group, and the community photograph exhibition occurred in the subdistrict. Participants: Ten parents of a CWD living in an urban subdistrict of Zambia who were currently participating in a community-based program, Kusamala+, which addressed stigma in the community and supported parents of children with disabilities through training. Results: Three themes were revealed: (1) “our children with disabilities should be shown love,” (2) “our children with disabilities should be well taken care of,” and (3) “our children with disabilities need help because they have different needs.” Conclusions and Relevance: The findings indicate that a social disability model lens and participatory action research can be used to reveal occupational injustices that hinder parents’ engagement in caregiving for their CWD in a marginalized community. Use of visual methodologies can be a powerful advocacy tool for marginalized populations. What This Article Adds: Our findings suggest that occupational therapists can better understand, and provide services to, families living in marginalized communities by using a social model of disability as a framework for evaluation and service provision. By highlighting issues of occupational injustice, occupational therapists can advocate for and empower communities of people with disabilities who face stigma and discrimination.

OBJECTIVE. We sought to understand the lived experience of 2 student veterans and identify factors influencing their higher education. METHOD. A qualitative research design was used with 2 student veterans who engaged in photovoice methodology. We analyzed their photographs, accompanying narratives, and discussion session transcripts using descriptive coding and thematic analysis. RESULTS. Data analysis revealed four themes: (1) reminiscence of past duty and reflections on military life, (2) transition from military life to civilian student life, (3) entry to a new stage of life, and (4) influence of the university and community environment. CONCLUSION. Findings from this study revealed factors influencing student veterans’ education and can be used to develop occupation-based interventions to assist veterans who engage in higher education.