Toward New Understandings of a Good Life for People Experiencing Impairment: An Art- and Community-Based Research Protocol

Almost half of all Canadians live with sensory, cognitive, or physical impairment due to injury, illness, or ageing. Yet, research investigating the complex relationship between well-being and impairment is limited. Existing research has largely rendered invisible peoples' experiences of a good life while living with impairment. In response, researchers are calling for interdisciplinary research that integrates new paradigms. Using innovative qualitative and visual research methods, our team will work with 24 women living with impairment as a result of cancer and/or its treatments to explore how creative practices can contribute to new understandings of a good life. Participants will be invited to complete mixed-media arts workshops during which they will create artwork representing their experiences of well-being while living with impairment. After the workshops, each participant will be asked to complete an individual interview about their experiences and their creative work. Next, a rough cut of a film will be produced from the workshop recordings and participants will be invited to provide feedback at a private screening. The research will culminate in a public screening of the film and an exhibit of participants' work. Audience members (health professionals, students, participants, and the general public) will participate in a discussion following the screening and will be asked to complete a short survey about the event. This research will enhance public understandings of what it means to live well with impairment. In addition, the research will potentially impact health practices through querying dominant biomedical paradigms focused on curative approaches and distress.