Increasing the adjustment success of the disabled African American

Adjustment to a physically disabling condition is a challenge for any patient who confronts a future of severe impairment and limited mobility. The emotional trauma is usually devastating at least until the initial shock of the disability dissipates. For the disabled African-American patient, the physical and psychic pain are compounded by personal and social factors not experienced in similar intensity by other disabled patients. A conceptual framework for better understanding the nature of the forces that impinge on the ability of the disabled African-American patient to adjust and an understanding of the impact of multi-level systems on the life of the disabled African-American is provided. The influence of racism, be it intentional or unintentional, is explained as it relates to the services and the attitudes of health care systems. The family as a significant and vital system is discussed as the major contributor to the successful adjustment of African-American disabled persons.