Transition from adolescence to adulthood is a critical development in the lives of all young people but especially for those with impaired mobility. Contemporary young adults with mobility disorders are members of the first generation in which 90% or more of children born with severe disabilities survive to adulthood. In order to assist these young people in successful transition to adulthood, health care providers need a foundation of systematic research that identifies the range of transition experiences among young adults with and identifies patterns of transition associated with well-being and risk. The purpose of this innovative, mixed methods study is to develop a multidimensional typology of transition experiences for young adults with impaired mobility. Participants will be recruited through agencies that support workforce, educational, and health care participation. The typology will be developed from qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data will be collected from a Web-based message board through an asynchronous, anonymous interview. Structured instruments, also completed via the Internet, will assess subjective quality of life, psychological well-being, social role participation, and environmental factors (e.g., accessibility, social support, stigma) that are relevant to social role participation and well-being. Persons with impaired mobility are underrepresented in research: Functional impairments may interfere with speech production, reduce the energy available for sustained interaction, or compromise the respiratory support needed for breathing and talking. Web-based interviewing offers an opportunity for research participation previously unavailable to these persons. A multidimensional typology of transition experiences will provide the foundation for development of programs, services, and nursing interventions that will improve quality of life and well-being among young adults with mobility disorders. The typology will guide provide clinicians, educators, and others who work with this population with empirical indicators of clients' potential strengths, which can be optimized, or indicators of potential risks, which can be forestalled, thus improving practice. The research proposed here lays the foundation for a program of research with this population. ? ? ? ?
