Impact of professional reorientation of people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) in the photo & video production industry

Daniela Mitici; Viorel Agheana

doi:10.56663/rop.v11i1.42

Authors

Daniela Mitici University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, M.S.Ed.
Viorel Agheana University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Senior Lecturer, PhD.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56663/rop.v11i1.42

Keywords:

professional reorientation, disability, Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), photo-video industry

Abstract

This qualitative research explores the therapeutic effects of photography and video making on the mental health of disabled people, mainly paraplegics and tetraplegics. We will see to what extent the artistic creative process and the professional reconversion might concur to the rehabilitation and integration of people with limited physical capabilities. Furthermore, we will determine how they perceive the experience and whether it generated positive or negative thoughts about the acquired disability. Last but not least, we will try to find out if the artistic process has improved the self-esteem of the subjects, as well as their perceived quality of life. Although we found that all study participants have low self-esteem, it does not influence their self-image, with the identified traits generally being positive and adaptive. The study also showed that references to manifested disability are very weak, which indicates that disability is not considered to be a defining characteristic for the analyzed group, but just another aspect of personality.

Author Biography

Viorel Agheana, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Senior Lecturer, PhD.

Viorel Agheană has a PhD in Educational Sciences and is a member of the Department of Special Psychopedagogy, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Bucharest, since 2013. Areas of academic expertise include language disorder therapy, research methodology, children's rights and inclusive education. He has over 15 years of experience in special education as a teacher and speech therapist in many institutions, and has participated in numerous national and international projects as a member or coordinator. Viorel Agheana is also a researcher with vast experience in language disorders, special education and the recovery of children with intellectual disabilities, UNICEF expert and the coordinator of the Master’s Programme “Psychopedagogy of the Inclusive School - PpSI” of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences. Author and co-author of studies, chapters in collective volumes, articles in specialized journals, papers at national and international conferences, generally addressing topics related to special education and topics that approach different methods of education and therapy from a theoretical and practical applied perspective.

References

American Association of Neurological Surgeons. (2021, March 12). American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Source: https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Spinal-Cord-Injury

Bickenbach, J. O. (2013). International Perspectives on Spinal Cord Injury. World Health Organization, International Spinal Cord Society.

Bratu, M., Verza, F., & Foloştină, R. (2012). Assessing the impact of large residential institutions on the quality of life of mentally retarded people. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 33, 692-696.

Brewster, L. &. (2018). The daily digital practice as a form of self-care: Using photography for everyday well-being. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine, 621–638.

Fehlings, M. S.-R. (2014). Global prevalence and incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury. Clinical Epidemiology, 309-331.

International Labour Organization (ILO) & OECD. (2018). Labour market inclusion of people with disabilities. Buenos Aires: International Labour Organization.

Levi R., H. C. (1996). The Stockholm spinal cord injury: Psychological and financial issues of the Swedish annual level-of-living survey in spinal cord injury subjects and controls. Spinal Cord, 152-157.

Lozhko, M. (2021, February 26). https://blog.depositphotos.com/. Source: Depositphotos Blog: https://blog.depositphotos.com/therapeutic-photography.html

Ministerul Muncii și Solidarității Sociale. (2010, November 11). http://anpd.gov.ro. Source: Ministerul Muncii și Solidarității Sociale: http://anpd.gov.ro/web/conventia/

Tomassen, v. A. (2000). Return to work after Spinal Cord Injury. Nature publishing group, 51-55.

United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York: United Nations.

Weiser, J. (1999). PhotoTherapy Techniques: Exploring the Secrets of Personal Snapshots and Family Albums. Vancouver: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Weiser, J. (2004). PhotoTherapy Techniques in Counseling and Therapy: Using Ordinary Snapshots and Photo-interactions to Help Clients Heal Their Lives. The Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 23-53.