Participation in Everyday Life
Mission
This research cluster is organized to contribute to the theoretical foundations of occupational science through systematic and careful examination of the occupational, social, cultural, political, and historical dimensions of participation in everyday life. Occupation is situated in sociocultural worlds which affect meaning for individuals, families and collectives, and provide both affordances and constraints for participation in everyday life. Developmental trajectories are formed through participation in life, enacted through moments of engagement, and lived across lives; lives that are in motion. The dynamic nature of lived lives is marked by both ordinary and extraordinary experiences. Of particular interest are ways in which ordinary participation is extraordinary such as moments or periods of transformation, disruption, healing, transcendence, and bursts of learning. These characteristics of daily life experience are also identity shaping for individuals and ways in which cultural practices and beliefs are contested, negotiated, and adapted. These research endeavors are both compelling and complex and often benefit from collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches. In addition, this work provides vehicles for exploring new possibilities for disciplinary alliances and formations.
Our past research in this area has been funded by NCMRR, NICHD of the NIH, the National Cancer Institute of NIH, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the Department of Education, and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation.
Past and Current Projects
Boundary Crossing: A Longitudinal and Ethnographic Study, 2000 - 2004
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, (Grant # 1 R01 HD38878-01A1); Dr. Mary Lawlor (PI), Dr. Cheryl Mattingly (Co-PI); $1,455,400.
Long Term Research Supplement for Under-represented Minorities, 2001 - 2003
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, (Grant # 3 R01 HD38878-02S2); Dr. Cheryl Mattingly (Co-PI) and Dr. Lanita Jacobs-Huey (Co-PI); $520,447.
Life Experiences of Adults with Spina Bifida, 2001-2004
Long Term Disability Supplement, Boundary Crossing, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health (Grant # 3 R01 HD38878-01A1S1); Dr. Mary Lawlor (PI), Dr. Cheryl Mattingly (Co-PI), and Dr. Ann Neville-Jan (Co-PI); $657,698.