Defining the research field

This section presents my rationale for choosing to focus on the Hamilton- Haldimand-Niagara-Brant region and further provides a description of my immersion into the field of age-related vision loss.

3.3.1 Geographic Context

This study took place within the Hamilton-Haldimand-Niagara-Brant region, specifically within the communities of; Hamilton, Burlington, Dundas, Dunnville, and Stoney Creek. I chose this region for a variety of reasons. First, the region has a higher proportion of seniors aged 65+ (14.6%) as compared to the rest of Ontario (12.8%) as demonstrated in the Population Health Profile for the

Hamilton-Niagara-Haldimand-Brant local health integration network (LHIN). Second, the region includes both large urban centres as well as smaller rural regions which enabled a diverse sample distribution. For example, while

Hamilton (population 519,949), which includes both Stoney Creek and Dundas after an amalgamation by the province in 2001, and Burlington (population 175,779) are considered medium-sized cities, Dunnville (population 12,000) is a smaller incorporated rural community in Haldimand county. This provided

region, and as a result, I have developed relationships with key organizations such as the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), the Haldimand Abilities Centre (HAC) and the Hamilton Council on Aging (HCoA), which allowed for greater immersion into the field and a more seamless process related to participant recruitment. A discussion of my immersion into the research field will follow. My immersion began prior to beginning data collection and continued well after data generation was completed.

3.3.2 CNIB and HAC

In March 2011, I began working as a research assistant on a grounded theory study funded by the Drummond Foundation in partnership with the CNIB. The research was conducted in both London and Toronto. The study aimed to understand the processes of participation and social inclusion experienced by older adults with ARVL. This project was my first immersion into the field of low vision and provided a unique opportunity to work alongside research staff at CNIB. At the same time, I was providing placement supervision to occupational therapy candidates from McMaster University at the HAC. This supervision occurred on three separate occasions from June-August 2012, November- December 2012, and in July-August 2013. HAC is a partnership between the Hamilton Alzheimer's Society, Brain Injury Services, and CNIB Outreach and provides programs and services to individuals aging with a chronic disability. This placement supervision experience provided me with the opportunity to work alongside regional CNIB staff. These experiences supported my immersion within the low vision literature as well as provided me with an opportunity to practice my interviewing skills while learning about the experiences of older adults with vision loss. At the time when I was ready to begin recruitment for my study, I had established contacts with both the research department at the national CNIB office as well as the regional staff located within Hamilton- Haldimand-Niagara-Brant and was able to negotiate their assistance in the recruitment of five older adult participants (P1-P5).

During the process of data collection, I was offered a position with CNIB for a part-time one-year contract beginning June 2013. The position was for a government grant writer position in the Foundation Relations department.

Working part-time with CNIB allowed for further immersion into the field as I was responsible for developing government grant proposals to support CNIB

programs and services offered to blind or partially sighted Canadians, including older adults with ARVL. The position exposed me to a variety of documents which helped to support my learning. These documents, which were included within the document analysis portion of my data collection, included: Paying the Price: What Vision Loss Costs Canadians and What We Should Do About It (2009), You and Your Vision Health (2007), Clearing our Path: Universal design recommendations for people with vison loss (2009), and The National Coalition for Vision Health Environmental Scan of Vision health and Vision Loss in the Provinces and Territories in Canada (2009). Specifically, the documents

consulted, provided me with a better understanding of the funding of vision rehabilitation services in Canada and the role of CNIB, as a charitable organization, in the provision of core vision rehabilitation for blind or partially sighted Canadians. The position further exposed me to a number of

organizations such as the National Coalition for Vision Health, the Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians which are

advocacy organizations that I had not previously been aware of. In addition, I was provided with an opportunity to shadow a variety of professionals including an independent living skills (ILS) specialist, an orientation and mobility (O&M) specialist, a deaf-blind intervener, and a low vision assessment specialist. These shadowing opportunities served a number of key functions. First, it supported my learning of the key services offered by CNIB. Secondly, it allowed me to have a fuller appreciation of the impact of vision loss on one’s ability to interact with their environment. Lastly, it provided me with exposure to various techniques,

strategies, and assistive technologies designed to make daily tasks easier for the blind or partially sighted person. In addition to the organized shadowing

number of my co-workers were blind or partially sighted. This allowed me to learn a great deal about communication techniques and the importance of providing rich descriptions as a means of familiarizing individuals with their environment. It also provided me with an opportunity to practice some of my skills, such as Braille and sighted guide. In fact, CNIB provided me with a training opportunity to learn Braille and I subsequently obtained my level one certification. These

experiences helped to further immerse myself in the low vision field and gain a wider appreciation of the socio-political context in which ARVL is situated.

3.3.3 HCoA

In September 2012, I became involved with the HCoA which is a non-profit, senior-driven organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of all seniors in Hamilton. Specifically, I joined the HCoA's Age-Friendly Hamilton sub-

committee. Through my involvement with the HCoA, I was exposed to a number of documents which were included as part of the document analysis portion of my data collection. These documents included: Adequate, Suitable and

Affordable? Report on Housing in Hamilton (2010), Profile of Vulnerable Seniors in Hamilton (2011), Hamilton: A City for ALL Ages (2010), as well as Hamilton: A City for ALL Ages Three Years On (2013). Through my involvement with the

HCoA, I was also exposed to community programming including the Let's Take the Bus campaign in which workshops were held across the city to teach seniors how to take public transportation. Through my involvement with this project, I was introduced to one older adult participant (P6). The HCoA also introduced me to a variety of important organizations that I was not previously aware of including the

City of Hamilton-Senior's Advisory Committee. It was also through the HCoA that

I was introduced to the Recreation Coordinator of an affordable senior's

apartment in downtown Hamilton. From this introduction, I was invited to speak both with the staff regarding my research study but also to the residents of the apartment complex about ARVL and where they could access low vision services in the community. From these two presentations, and through the word of mouth

that followed, I was able to recruit three additional older adult participants (P8, P9, and P10) from across the city.