Participation Outcomes Among Black Children with Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Aim

Participation disparities among Black children with disabilities are widely documented in a variety of disciplines. Grounded in the Social Model of Disability and Disability Critical Race Theory, the purpose of this scoping review was to examine the extent to which occupational therapy has contributed to the study of participation outcomes among Black children with disabilities.

Methods

Empirical studies published from 2010 to 2021 that reported participation outcome data published in nine frequently cited journals were included in this scoping review. Twenty studies were found to meet the criteria.

Results

Participation outcomes were reported for six occupations: play, social participation, activities of daily living (ADLs), education, sleep, and health management). The majority of studies reviewed recruited small samples of Black children with disabilities and provided limited to no description of the specific participation differences by racial/ethnic demographics.

Conclusion

Occupational therapy has made few contributions to the growing literature on participation disparities for Black children with disabilities. Implications for practice are discussed.

Keywords:

• Black children
• critical race theory
• disability
• occupational therapy
• participation
• scoping review

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The contents of this research project were developed under a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant #90DPHF0005-01-00 (P.I. Sandy Magaña). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Notes on contributors

Jasmine P. Brown-Hollie

Jasmine P. Brown-Hollie, MS, OTR/L, is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her research focuses on educational and health disparities and other related issues for racially and ethically diverse children with disabilities and their families. She is also an early intervention occupational therapist.

Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar

Yolanda Suarez-Balcazar, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Illinois Chicago. Her research focuses on identifying the social determinants of health impacting families of color of children with disabilities and designing culturally tailored interventions.