Stakeholder Recommendations to Increase the Accessibility of Online Health Information for Adults Experiencing Concussion Symptoms

Outlining the Invisible: Experiences and Perspectives Regarding Concussion Recovery, Return-to-Work, and Resource Gaps

Appropriate supports and accommodations are necessary to ensure full concussion recovery and return-to-work (RTW). This research investigated barriers and facilitators to concussion recovery and RTW, and resource gaps reported by adults with concussion (‘workers’) and workplace and healthcare professionals (‘workplaces’). Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with workers (n = 31) and workplaces (n = 16) across British Columbia. Data were analyzed using inductive content analysis. Facilitators to workers’ concussion recovery and RTW included treatment, social support, and workplace and lifestyle modifications. To address barriers, both groups recommended: (a) widespread concussion and RTW education and training (b) standardized concussion recovery guidelines; (c) changing attitudes toward concussion; (d) mental health supports; and (e) increasing awareness that every concussion is unique. Findings can inform best practice for concussion recovery and RTW among professionals in workplaces, healthcare, occupational health and safety, and workers’ compensation boards.

Mild-to-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review with Focus on the Visual System

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major global public health problem. Neurological damage from TBI may be mild, moderate, or severe and occurs both immediately at the time of impact (primary injury) and continues to evolve afterwards (secondary injury). In mild (m)TBI, common symptoms are headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Visual impairment is especially prevalent. Insomnia, attentional deficits and memory problems often occur. Neuroimaging methods for the management of TBI include computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The location and the extent of injuries determine the motor and/or sensory deficits that result. Parietal lobe damage can lead to deficits in sensorimotor function, memory, and attention span. The processing of visual information may be disrupted, with consequences such as poor hand-eye coordination and balance. TBI may cause lesions in the occipital or parietal lobe that leave the TBI patient with incomplete homonymous hemianopia. Overall, TBI can interfere with everyday life by compromising the ability to work, sleep, drive, read, communicate and perform numerous activities previously taken for granted. Treatment and rehabilitation options available to TBI sufferers are inadequate and there is a pressing need for new ways to help these patients to optimize their functioning and maintain productivity and participation in life activities, family and community.

The State of Web Accessibility for People with Cognitive Disabilities: A Rapid Evidence Assessment

Increased digitisation of day-to-day activities was occurring prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic only accelerated the virtual shift, making web accessibility an urgent issue, especially for marginalised populations. Despite decades of work to develop, refine, and implement web accessibility standards, people with cognitive disabilities regularly experience many barriers to web accessibility. To inform ongoing work to improve web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities, a systematic review was conducted. The main question guiding this review is: what are the state-of-the-art of interventions that support web accessibility for citizens, 9 years of age and up, living with cognitive impairment? A set of 50 search strings were entered into three academic databases: SCOPUS, ProQuest, and Web of Science. Systematic screening procedures narrowed the search returns to a total of 45 included papers. A data analysis revealed themes associated with the lived experiences of people with cognitive disabilities, tools for improving web accessibility, and methodological best practices for involving people with cognitive disabilities in research. These findings have immediate implications for ongoing research and the development of meaningful solutions to the problem of web accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities.

Accessibility and Digital Mental Health: Considerations for More Accessible and Equitable Mental Health Apps

Digital mental health is often touted as a solution to issues of access to mental health care. However, there has been little research done to understand the accessibility of digital mental health, especially for those with disabilities. In this piece, we define accessibility as it relates to mental health apps, describe the current state of accessibility in the digital world broadly and in mental health apps more specifically, outline why accessibility matters in mental health apps, and identify future steps to better incorporate accessibility into research and development of mental health apps.