March of Dimes Canada (MODC), officially the Rehabilitation Foundation for Disabled Persons, Canada is a registered national charity established in 2005 by Ontario March of Dimes. MODC aims to provide community-based rehabilitation services and resources across the country to people with physical disabilities.March of Dimes in Canada has no affiliation with the American organization. Like its American counterpart, it began in 1951 with the Marching Mothers fundraising campaign to eradicate polio.After vaccination programs effectively eliminated the threat of the disease, mandates changed to offering programs and services for people of all ages with physical disabilities, particularly in Ontario.For many years various provincial organizations operated under the name March of Dimes as members of the Easter Seals March of Dimes National Council.In 2005, however, Ontario March of Dimes acquired the exclusive right to use 'March of Dimes' in Canada, and now operates March of Dimes Canada as a national subsidiary. It no longer has any affiliation with Easter Seals (Canada).March of Dimes Canada continues to work with polio survivors through Polio Canada, a national support network for people suffering from post-polio syndrome, or the late effects of polio.It is also attempting to establish Conductive Education programs across the country, which Ontario March of Dimes imported to Canada from Europe in the 1990s..
IntroductionYoung people with disabilities are disadvantaged in learning and developing the skills they need to gain successful and sustained employment in Canada. This includes the development of digital skills, which are increasingly essential to participate in many aspects of society. The purpose of this study was to explore how young people with disabilities develop their digital skills outside of school.MethodsUsing a community-based research approach the study specifically aimed to: 1) identify the challenges and opportunities in current community-based digital skill development pathways in Canada; and 2) develop recommendations to improve these pathways. In consultation with community members, we conducted a world café and focus group, which then informed persona development, journey mapping, and recommendation ideation exercises. A total of 22 participants were included in the study.ResultsOur study developed seven pathways that captured the diverse experiences and complex ways young people with disabilities attain digital skills in Canada. The pathways revealed that many young people seeking to improve their digital skills need to start with information seeking, balance growth while managing their disability, continually take initiative, maintain self-motivation and self-advocacy, and cope with emotional stress. We also found that cost, inaccessible programs and technology, rapid technological change, fragmented systems, andwork place inequity are ongoing challenges to digital skill development, while community support and free online resources create key opportunities for young people.DiscussionThrough community consultation, we concluded that accessible and inclusive community-based digital skill development pathways require systemic change in Canada, led by the federal government, supported by collaboration across systems and organizations, and anchored in the lived experiences of young people with disabilities.
Introduction:The transition from hospital to home is a critical clinical juncture marked by significant risks. Third Sector Organizations (TSOs) are well-positioned to support these transitions through volunteer-based programs. Given the increasing complexity of patient needs and the push for reduced hospital lengths of stay, the integration of community resources into transitional care becomes vital. Objective:Study objectives were i) to identify where TSOs are engaged in supporting post-hospital transitions, ii) to document the characteristics of transitional care models delivered by TSOs, and iii) to characterize the clients participating in these volunteer-supported programs. Methods and Results:Forty-eight articles that reported on a community-based program delivered by a third-sector organization supporting adults transitioning from hospital to home were included. Study results suggest that TSOs can fill critical gaps in transitional care by leveraging local knowledge and providing personalized, practical, and psychosocial support. TSOs leveraged volunteers to offer personalized, community-based support that addressed both practical and psychosocial needs during care transitions; however, significant variability in program structure and limited evaluation data hindered the assessment of effectiveness and transferability. All programs were time-limited, engaged volunteers in service delivery, and provided home-based and community-based services. Conclusions:This review highlights the importance of integrating volunteers and TSOs into health systems to develop a more comprehensive approach to transitional care. However, the scalability of volunteer and third-sector-facilitated programs may be challenged by a lack of consistency in programs and reporting, which can undermine transferability and evidence-based practice.
Background Stroke is among the top contributors to disability and can impact an individual's cognition, physical functioning, and mental health. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, several community-based organizations have started delivering stroke programs virtually. However, participants' experiences in these programs remain understudied, and evidence-based guidelines to inform and optimize virtual stroke program development and delivery are lacking. Thus, this study aimed to describe the perspectives and experiences of individuals with stroke who participated in virtual community-based organization stroke programs, including perceived access and participation facilitators and barriers and suggestions for improving these programs.Methods A qualitative descriptive design was used to gather participant experiences through semi-structured interviews. Audio-recorded interviews were conducted on Zoom and transcribed verbatim. Adult participants who had experienced a stroke and attended at least one Canadian virtual community-based organization stroke program were recruited. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.Results Twelve participants (32-69 years, 2-23 years post-stroke, eight women and four men) participated in this study. Five themes were identified: (1) motives to join virtual community-based organization stroke programs, including gaining peer connections, knowledge and information; (2) perceived barriers to accessing and participating in virtual community-based organization stroke programs, including technology inequities, difficulties navigating technology, and inadequate facilitation; (3) perceived facilitators to accessing and participating in virtual community-based organization stroke programs, including remote access, virtual platform features and program leader characteristics/skills; (4) unmet needs during virtual community-based organization stroke programs, including in-person connection and individualized support; and (5) suggestions and preferences for improving virtual community-based organization stroke programs, including program facilitation, content and format.Conclusions Study findings highlight opportunities to improve virtual community-based organization stroke programs to optimize participant experiences and outcomes. Addressing the barriers and suggestions identified in this study may improve virtual community-based organization stroke programs' access and quality.
