Key Findings at a Glance
Access Living identified eight key themes from focus group conversations with 154 participants, the overwhelming majority of whom where Black and/or Latinx.
Theme 1: Criminalization and Racism
The most common experience that every participant shared after their shooting was feeling criminalized and racialized. They felt that not only did people assume that they must have gotten shot because they were Black or brown, but that also they must have been participating in criminal activity at the time they were shot.
Theme 2: Youth at Time of Injury and Time Delay in Sharing Stories
The average age of the participants at the time of their injury was 13 to 19 years old. Many of the participants we interviewed had been injured 10 to 20 years earlier. However, because of the social stigma of having been shot, the focus group conversation was the first time they had shared their experience publicly since their injury.
Theme 3: Immigration Status or Lack of Status
Participants who were immigrants experienced problems that were specific to not having status, or not having the right status to qualify for services. Language barriers and lack of trust in the U.S. health system made it much more difficult for disabled survivors to access supports.
Theme 4: Health Care Struggles
The greatest influencing factors in interviewees’ recovery were the quality and duration of 1) health care services they received after their initial injury and 2) rehabilitation care.
Theme 5: Differences Between Male and Female Survivors
Both male and female participants noted they did not get reproductive health information after their injury and as they aged. More of our female participants, however, had found some informal peer support.
Theme 6: Mental Health Struggles
Many participants mentioned having to adjust to a new normal; some reported falling into depression and substance misuse. Exploring alternatives to their passions, discovering new parts of their identity and finding peer support helped in their recovery process.
Theme 7: Family and Friend Support
How family members and friends responded to participants after they acquired their disability varied widely. Some participants said their family members treated them as though they were fragile; others pushed them to be “strong and independent.” The participants said that having mental health services accessible to both the survivor and their families is essential.
Theme 8: Access to Housing and Independent Living Resources
Multiple participants experienced unwanted housing moves because their homes couldn’t accommodate them once they became disabled. Participants also consistently stated that peer support groups would have helped them on their journey. They wanted support for personal care, insurance coverage, wheelchairs and other devices.