Experiences and desires of people with tetraplegia living with and without electronic aids to daily living: an Irish focus group study

This qualitative descriptive study explores the lived experience for persons with a high cervical spinal cord injury who have Electronic Aids to Daily Living (EADLs), and for persons who have no EADLs. Fifteen people with cervical spinal cord injuries attended four focus groups. Data analysis uncovered a novel framework of several themes that were organised into three categories: experiences, desires and meanings of living with EADL. Users’ and non users’ groups revealed homogenous themes. Experiences and desires are explored further in this paper. Themes within the category of experiences included: EADL devices, supply support and training, abandonment, mouthsticks and powered wheelchairs. Desires included: simple stuff, reliability, aesthetics and voice activation. Findings offer valuable personal insights about life with EADL to be considered by all involved with EADL.

New city

The theme of New City utilizes ever changing time signatures and the main theme creates a dynamic dialogue between the melody instruments and the percusssion section.

Lucy

Lucy ! contemporary jazz waltz. The structure of this piece is fairly expansive (A,A,B.A,C,D,A,A,B,A). and after an opening theme in F major which is melodically pretty, the piece segues into a fairly straight ahead Jazz waltz which then leads to the solo section before a return of the initial theme

Summer morning

Contemporary Latin

Chillaxin'

A jazz piece for solo piano and/or jazz ensemble. This piece combines traditional and contemporary approaches. It is primarily old style swing but incorporates many modern harmonic techniques/devices, as evidenced in the score, such as: the use of upper structure triads, drop two voicing techniques, and voicing in fourths.

Full moon dance

A Jazz Celtic World Music Fusion Jig. A jig time melody placed in a setting where the rhythm section plays in 4/4 and 6/4 time simultaneously over contemporary modal jazz voicings

West Brompton blues

A Celtic Jig time melody performed over a rhythm section part that combines a 4/4 Latin feel with a 6/4 Jazz time feel simultaneously. This is all placed in a contemporary jazz harmonic context

On the run

AABA Modal/World Music Fusion piece. A modal piece with the A sections based on the D dorian mode and the B section based on the E flat dorian mode. The time signature moves around in the A section (between 6/8 and 9/8. The melody of the B section is fragmented and contains unorthodox phrase starting and ending points