FLOW: The Effects of a Dance Program on the Self-Esteem of Pediatric Manual Wheelchair Users

Abstract

Dance has been established as a therapeutic tool for the disabled population through the intentional targeting of physical outcomes including gait, mobility, and balance. This has been documented through a multitude of research studies on the program Dance for PD (Parkinson’s Disease) (Aguiar et al., 2016). Dance as a therapeutic tool to target psychosocial outcomes has not been well established in the literature, though. This 14-week doctoral capstone experience (DCE) highlights the benefits of dance as a therapeutic tool to target psychosocial outcomes including self-esteem and confidence. Due to the nature of the Skills on Wheels (SoW) program and their collaboration with Kids Dance Outreach (KDO), the target population for this capstone experience was pediatric manual wheelchair users (PMWUs). The pilot program, Fueling Life on Wheels (FLOW) is a wheelchair based dance program utilized to empower PMWUs to grow in their self-esteem and wheelchair skills confidence. The FLOW program took place over a two week period, structured as five one-and-a-half hour sessions. The single subject, repeated measures, convergent parallel mixed-methods data analysis found that self-esteem did increase amongst the participants. It also found that overall wheelchair skills confidence decreased amongst the participants. The caregiver interviews also provided support to the overall satisfaction of the program. This pilot program has established the need for further investigation on the effects of dance on the self-esteem and confidence of not only PMWUs, but also the larger community of disabled individuals. FLOW has been established as a sustainable program that will continue after this DCE. The findings from this DCE are being shared through professional publication and the furtherment of research on dance as a therapeutic tool for the disabled community.