“I don’t like to take advantage”: How disabled adults get by with limited community resources in rural America

People with disabilities face barriers to accessing resources and supports they need to live independently in their communities. These barriers are amplified in rural communities where access to transportation, healthcare, personal care supports, food, and internet/communication technology can be limited. This study aims to better understand not only the limitations that rural people with disabilities face when trying to access community resources but also the strategies and solutions they employ to navigate these limitations. Using photo-elicitation interviews, the research team interviewed 12 rural community members with disabilities. We used thematic analysis to identify three core themes related to rural resource access. First, people with disabilities in rural areas described limited access to resources, particularly access to transportation which in turn limited their ability to access other services. Secondly, reliance on social capital and disability organizations emerged as critical sources of support that individuals leveraged to navigate their limited access to community resources. Finally, while social capital and community-based organizations are critical supports, systemic barriers continue to limit access to rural community resources impacting individuals access to care and quality of life. Increased community living supports and funding for community-based organizations in rural communities is critical to ensure that people with disabilities in all communities across the country have access to the resource they need to live independently in their communities.

残障人士在获取社区独立生活所需的各类资源与支持时，往往面临诸多障碍。这类障碍在农村地区更为凸显——农村地区的交通、医疗、个人照护支持、食品及互联网/通信技术的可达性本就有限。本研究旨在深入探究农村残障人士在获取社区资源过程中所遭遇的各类局限，同时剖析他们为克服这些局限所采用的应对策略与解决方案。研究团队采用照片激发访谈法（photo-elicitation interviews），对12名农村残障社区居民进行了访谈，并通过主题分析法（thematic analysis）提炼出与农村资源可达性相关的三大核心主题。其一，农村残障人士普遍反映自身资源可达性不足，其中交通资源的匮乏进一步限制了他们获取其他服务的能力；其二，依托社会资本（social capital）与残障组织（disability organizations），成为残障人士弥补社区资源可达性不足的关键支持路径；其三，尽管社会资本与社区组织（community-based organizations）能够提供重要支持，但系统性阻碍仍持续制约农村社区资源的可达性，进而影响个体的医疗服务获取与生活质量。加大农村社区的社区生活支持力度与社区组织资助投入，是保障全国各社区残障人士均可获取独立生活所需资源的关键举措。