ABSTRACT
Adults with disabilities have long been at the forefront of disability advocacy in the United States. Grounded in the tenets of radical disability studies and principles of disability justice, this study explored the lived experiences of 12 adults with disabilities, including intellectual disability and developmental disabilities, with a particular focus on self-advocacy. Two focus groups were primary data sources. Three participants and one university-based researcher analyzed the data collaboratively. Iterative data collection and analysis yielded 8 primary codes and 22 subcodes. We discuss a subset of our findings, focusing on three major themes. The findings illuminated how adults with disabilities conceptualised self-advocacy expansively, including self, other, and the collective. Participants also described problems they faced advocating. Finally, adults with disabilities shared solutions to inequities at individual, group, and societal levels. This project illustrates the importance of centering adults with disabilities in research and policy with implications for future thought.
Subject(s)
Disabled Persons , Intellectual Disability , Adult , Child , Developmental Disabilities , Focus Groups , Humans , Research Personnel , United StatesABSTRACT
Acinic cell carcinoma is a rare tumor of the head and neck that mainly affects the parotid gland but occasionally involves the minor salivary glands of the upper aerodigestive tract. The authors present a case report of an occurrence of a low-grade acinic cell carcinoma of the true vocal fold, which they believe to be the first reported case of this type of carcinoma in this location. Laryngoscopy and laser excision was completed for what was initially thought to be a granuloma, and pathology confirmed low-grade acinic cell carcinoma of the right true vocal fold. The mass was well circumscribed and did not invade adjacent structures. After complete excision, postoperative radiation therapy was used to reduce local recurrence.