Published
Korotchenko A, Hurd Clarke L. ‘Becoming disabled yet again’: Experiences of power mobility device use among individuals ageing with mobility impairments. Ageing and Society. 2016 July;36(6):1238-1253. doi:10.1017/S0144686X15000288
Mortenson WB, Hurd Clarke L, Best K. Prescribers’ experiences with powered mobility prescription among older adults. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2013 Jan-Feb;67(1):100-7. doi:10.5014/ajot.2013.006122
Korotchenko A, Hurd Clarke L. Power mobility and the built environment: the experiences of older Canadians. Disability & Society. 2013 Sep 2;29(3):431-43. doi:10.1080/09687599.2013.816626
Mortenson WB, Hammell KW, Luts A, Soles C, Miller WC. The power of power wheelchairs: Mobility choices of community-dwelling, older adults. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2015 May 18; Early Online:1-8.
Wang RH, Mihailidis A, Dutta T, Fernie GF. Usability testing of multimodal feedback interface and simulated collision-avoidance power wheelchair for long-term-care home residents with cognitive impairments. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development. 2011;48(7):801-22. doi:10.1682/JRRD.2010.08.0147
Wang R, Korotchenko A, Hurd Clarke L, Mortenson WB, Mihailidis A. Power mobility with collision avoidance for older adults: User, caregiver and therapist perspectives. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development. 2013 Mar;50(9):1287-1300. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2012.10.0181.
Local Conferences
Korotchenko A, Hurd Clarke L. Canadians growing older with mobility impairments discuss aging, identity, and assistive technology. Paper to be presented at the Canadian Association on Gerontology, Vancouver, BC, October 18 — 20, 2012.
Abstract
Purpose: This paper examines how the use of power mobility devices shaped embodied and gendered experiences of disability and aging among 29 Canadian men and women.
Method: The data for this paper were drawn from 66.5 hours of in-depth interviews with 15 men and 14 women aged 51-92 (average age of 67) who utilized power wheelchairs and scooters as their main mode of mobility. The sample varied with respect to participants’ reasons for utilizing power mobility, their length and frequency of power mobility use, and the number of devices they employed. Participants were asked to discuss their current and past experiences of mobility device use and consider how their utilization of power mobility shaped their views of and feelings towards their aging bodies.
Findings: Our analysis revealed three overarching findings. First, participants who were aging with a disability perceived their use of power mobility to be a signifier of reduced social status and diminished physical capacity, with resultant stigmatizing effects on their sense of embodied identity and well-being. In contrast, those individuals who had acquired various disabilities with aging tended to view power mobility as an instrument of independence, a means of negotiating age-related bodily changes, and a way of challenging their increasing marginalization within a youth-centred society. Finally, the men’s and women’s embodied experiences of disability, technology, and aging were mediated by masculinity and femininity norms and ideals.
Discussion: We discuss our findings in light of the extant theorizing on aging, gender, disability, and the body.
National Conferences
Best, K., Mortenson, W., & Hurd Clarke, L. Collision avoidance and path planning technologies for older wheelchair users. Poster presented at the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), FICCDAT, Toronto, June 5 — 8, 2011.
Korotchenko A, Hurd Clarke L. Power mobility users: Views on path planning technologies for older wheelchair users. Poster presentation at Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), FICCDAT, Toronto, ON, June 5 — 8, 2011.
International Conferences
Korotchenko, A., & Hurd Clarke, L. “My machine, my legs”: Older adults discuss the body, disability, and assistive technology. Paper presented at the British Gerontology Conference, Plymouth, United Kingdom, July 5 — 7, 2011.
Rushton PW, Mortenson B, Viswanathan P, Wang R, Hurd Clarke L, CanWheel Research Team. Intelligent Power Wheelchairs for residents in long-term care facilities: Potential users’ experiences and perceptions. Presentation at Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), Indianapolis, Indiana, June 11-15 2014.