Addressing Institutionalized Racism in Rehabilitation Practice for Black People with Traumatic Brain Injury
Aperçu du projet
Black persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) continue to have unmet needs and enough racial health disparities research exists to suggest that rehabilitation institutions are not upholding their mandate to provide treatment and services for Black clients. Although racism has been recognized as a fundamental contributor to racial health disparities, it remains unexamined in rehabilitation sciences. The objectives of this project are to address this gap by (1) addressing the lack of research about the first-hand experiences of Black persons with TBI by using critical race theory to examine what the stories of Black TBI survivors, family caregivers, and rehabilitation providers tell us about racism in rehabilitation practice; and (2) use anti-racism as an entry point to examine what these groups of people tell us about the types of investments needed in rehabilitation programs and services to promote hopeful Black futures. The first study involving narrative interviews reveals that racism in TBI rehabilitation for Black patients begins with the construction of deficit narratives that lead rehabilitation professionals to have lowered investments and expectations for their futures. The last study builds upon these rehabilitation experiences and describes how anti-racist rehabilitation care requires specific components in programs and services and particular requirements from Black and non-Black rehabilitation professionals. This research project furthers our understanding of the complexities and nuances of institutional racism across the rehabilitation journey of Black persons.
Chef d'équipe
Samira Omar , University of Toronto