1. Research Articles
1.1. ‘When he’s up there he’s just happy and content’: Parents’ perceptions of therapeutic horseback riding https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5566172/pdf/AJOD-6-307.pdf
1.1.1. Summary: This research article talks about what THR is, the aim of this therapy, the psychological and physical benefits, and several informative outcomes of THR. The article states that those that do THR get a sense of accomplishment and achievement. It is then stated that horseback riding for people with disabilities promotes physical, social and emotional healing. The research article seeks to answer the following question: what are parents’ perceptions and experiences of THR lessons for their children with disabilities? The participants were participants parents of children with disabilities who participated in THR lessons at the South African Riding for the Disabled Association. There was a qualitative design and thematic analysis was used to create themes after the audio-recordings were transcribed. There were three main themes found, parents’ perceived effects of THR on their children with disabilities, parents’ personal experiences of the service itself, and parents’ perceived reasons for improvements in their children. Most parents spoke optimistically about the program and noticed the physical effects from the program (Boyd & Roux, 2017).
1.1.1.1. Reflection:Reflection: This research study really shows the positive effects of therapy through the witnesses, which are the parents. I noticed that a lot of the themes that are stated in the research article are similar to what parents say about my service learning site. Reading these findings and being able to learn more about how THR began and how it is being looked upon makes me excited to add this information into my brochure.
1.2. Effects of Therapeutic Horseback Riding on Cognition and Language in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder or Intellectual Disability: A Preliminary Study https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6637059/pdf/arm-2019-43-3-279.pdf
1.2.1. Summary:This research article is focused on investigating if THE can improve language and cognitive function in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or intellectual disability (ID) through a prospective case-control study on children diagnosed with ASD or ID. Those in the THE group underwent conventional therapy and 30 minutes of THR peer week for 8 weeks while the control group only received conventional therapy. The cognitive domain of Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II [BSID-II]) were assessed at baseline and at 8 weeks after treatment. There was no baseline difference between the two groups and there were no statistically significant differences in language or cognitive abilities between the two groups at 8 weeks after treatment. Which then it is stated that there is a possibility that might improve language and cognitive abilities (Holm, et al., 2013).
1.2.1.1. Reflection:Reflection: It is interesting to read these findings and then try to understand it based off of what I have heard and seen at my service site. It is interesting that analysis has shown that THR might improve language and cognitive abilities. I know that there are a few individuals at my site that are autistic and it would be interesting to note any changes outside of physical improvement. That would help so many children. I know that 30 minutes is the amount of time that the patients are on the horse, and my supervisor explained to me all of the benefits. It is definitely interesting to read how much more THR can help these individuals through scientific facts.
1.3. Therapeutic Horseback Riding Outcomes of Parent-Identified Goals for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An ABA′ Multiple Case Design Examining Dosing and Generalization to the Home and Community https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4136476/pdf/nihms609073.pdf
1.3.1. Summary:r This research article examined whether different doses of therapeutic riding influenced parent-nominated target behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder. They had three types, during the session, at home, and in the community. A single subject baseline, multiple case design was used 1, 3, and 5 times/week. The findings showed that 70 % of the target behaviors were better during Intervention and improvement was retained in 63 % of the behaviors during withdrawal. Lastly, the effect of the therapeutic riding sessions generalized to home and community (Kwon, Sung, Ko, & Kim, 2019).
1.3.1.1. Reflection:This research article also shows how positively THR affects those with autism. This research article is definitely more complex than the previous ones but it definitely will make my point stronger when making my brochure. This research article makes me want to pay more attention to those that are autistic at my service learning site and see their improvement.
1.4. Dealing with Stigma: Experiences of Persons Affected by Disabilities and Leprosy
1.4.1. Summary: This research paper explored the impact of stigma on the lives of people who have health problems specifically leprosy. It states that there are four identified domains in which stigma impacts on the lives of people through emotions, thoughts, behaviour, and relationships. The researchers tried to get a diverse group of individuals and used a qualitative approach. In-depth interviews were used to gain insights into the ways participants deal with stigma in their daily lives. An important result to take note of was groups expressed being identified as “different,” because of leprosy or their disabilities (Lusli, et al., 2015).
1.4.1.1. Reflection: This research article is really interesting. I love that it talks about stigma and the impact that is has on people’s lives. Now having read a lot about stigma it is interesting to be able to see the similarities throughout the results. However, in this research article, when reading the findings I thought about the first conversation that I had with my supervisor during orientation. The article states that the participants were identified by others as different. My supervisor told me on my first day that we do not use the terms different, disabled, or incapable. She shared with me the different stories about the children and adolescents stating that is makes them feel unworthy. That conversation has stuck with me and I always try my best to always refer to anyone that is differently abled with that term and to be respectful with the words that I choose.
1.5. Stigma: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5837924/pdf/nihms926761.pdf The Burden of Stigma on Health and Wellbeing: A Taxonomy of Concealment, Course, Disruptiveness, Aesthetics, Origin, and Peril across 93 Stigmas
1.5.1. Summary: This article has gathered various research articles that look at stigmatized identities and conditions. The article lists 93 stigmatized statuses and seeks to organize stigma into meaningful categories, and still put the differences and similarities about stigmas. An important part that the article addresses about stigma is that a large number of studies state that individuals with stigmatized statuses have been shown to access less social support to cope with stigma-related stressors, experience greater social isolation, and report more adverse psychological outcomes.(Pachankis, et al., 2017).
1.5.1.1. Reflection: This is another research paper that I had trouble following along with, but luckily when rereading it I was able to comprehend it. As I continue to read more and more about stigma research I realize that there are millions of people that are affected by the consequences of stigma. Throughout my time at my service learning site we talked about stigma but never about the terrible consequences that it brings. It also did not surprise me to learn that various studies have shown that stigmatized statuses have been shown access to less social support. At my service learning site that is something that we talk about quite frequently. A lot of the parents at Star Riders look for social support for their children. Luckily there are places like Christine Marie Star Riders that provide social support for those that are differently abled.
1.6. Reducing Stigma and Discrimination to Improve Child Health and Survival in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Promising Approaches and Implications for Future Research https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4205916/pdf/uhcm-19-142.pdf
1.6.1. Summary: This article states that stigma and discrimination related to social standing (being differently abled) and health can significantly affect child health. It emphasizes that social processes of stigma and discrimination can have dreadful effects on the health and welfare of individuals, families, and whole communities. This important to note as this issue goes beyond just those affected. The article mentions resilience, which is an important ability that one uses to overcome stigma. As one can tell based off of previous research stigma affects infant mortality rate and child development. The results are divided into five sections on the different types of stigma that are significant. It is also important to note that interventions directly addressing stigma and discrimination were identified for HIV and not for any of the other listed health conditions. This needs to be changed. An important part of the results indicate that addressing access and empowerment related to marginalization could improve child health outcomes in marginalized populations (Nayar, Stangl, Zalduondo, & Brady, 2014).
1.6.1.1. Reflection: Stigma research is complex, and it has taken me a while to grasp all of the previous literature on this topic and the findings in this article. One big takeaway that I got from this article is that stigma has dreadful effects on health. When learning that I can’t help but think of the children at my service learning site and how much stigma affects their little bodies and future psychological health. Another interesting that I noticed is that HIV is heavily looked upon in this research article to help create stigma interventions. The term resilience stood out to me the most, as it is not talked about much in research articles about stigma. The resources that I found did not mention resilience at all. Resilience unfortunately is how those that are differently abled overcome the stigma that they face everyday.
2. Deliverable
2.1. Pamphlet: Disability Stigma needs to be reduced, and this is why.
2.1.1. The following pamphlet states what disability stigma is, drivers of disability stigma, ways in which disability stigma plays out, the effects of disability stigma, and lastly my experience at Christine Marie Star Riders (the improvements that I have noticed psychologically and physically in the children at my site). Stating my experience at Christine Marie Star Riders will help those that read this pamphlet to get an unbiased, outside perspective that will hopefully change their mind about how they view those that are differently abled. Findings from my research articles will be included and cited as well as important resources. My goal is to help the parents at my service learning educate other people about about this stigma, and to become a part of this important conversation that needs to happen to end disability stigma.
2.1.1.1. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ByE7HEwkmPY6IwJCXok9qBgGpg6XTdWArEXHzR_WIZw
3. Identity, Multiculturalism, Ethics, and Service Reflections
3.1. I am a Latina
3.1.1. Being a Latina is a big part of my identity. I carry my culture on my sleeve and it is a part of myself that I am very vocal about. Unfortunately, it is also a part of myself that fights discrimination everyday. This helps me empathize with the children at my service site. A lot of them get put in a box and mistreated because of the way that they look. Although I will never fully understand what they go through everyday physically I can understand the stereotypes and stigma that they fight everyday. They are continuously being discriminated against and society does not acknowledge this issue.
3.2. Past Experience with Providing Service to My Community
3.2.1. My first semester at CSUMB I took my lower division service learning course. I was taught about the difference between serving, helping, healing, and fixing. Although it was a great course, it never taught me about how to serve as a future psychologist. Thankfully, this course has taught me how to properly serve my community and the children at my site. I now know how to serve my community and still take care of myself. I am able to make a greater impact at my service site and look at the individuals at my site through a healthy perspective. I am going to be able to make a much bigger impact than just "helping". I will be unbiased with scientific proof and with that evidence, possibly change some perspectives.
3.3. Ethics at Christine Marie Star Riders
3.3.1. My service learning site is incredibly ethical. They help those who are not fortunate enough to spend thousands of dollars on THR with free lessons once a week. Their staff is made up of volunteers, and they feed everyone lunch. They are a non-profit organization is and are a great example of how we should be ethical when seeking to help the community.
3.4. First-generation Student
3.4.1. Being a first-generation student is an important part of my identity. It helps me value my education and motivates me to pursue higher education. Surprisingly, this part of identity did not come out much during my time at Christine Marie Star Riders. Only once, I talked to a mom of one of the adolescents that comes to Star Riders and we talked about being a Latina. She asked me about my experience as a first generation student and being far away from home. It was a great feeling to connect with her on a deeper level due to a part of my identity that she identified as well.