A Good Life with Impairment: Illuminating and Supporting the Experiences of Women Living With Cancer through Community-Based Art Workshops.

Abstract

Dominant biomedical perspectives in health care view impairment as incompatible with living a good life. This leads to care that is often focused on "fixing," falling short of supporting nuanced experiences of living a good life among people experiencing impairment. For many people, including those living with and beyond cancer, impairment is a common and "normal" part of everyday life. Scholars suggest that the arts are a powerful tool to challenge dominant perspectives and enhance understanding of complex human experiences. Therefore, this study aimed to explore and describe experiences of a good life from the perspective of women living with cancer through a series of community-based art workshops. Using an arts-based and community-based participatory research approach, we facilitated two series of virtual, community arts-based workshops. A total of 10 women participated in the study. Workshops were video-recorded, and postworkshop, individual interviews were completed. Data collection also consisted of photographs of participants' artwork. Data were analyzed using interpretive description. Our findings offer two interrelated themes that constitute key components of a good life: (a) the centrality of human connection and social relationships and (b) recognizing dynamic processes of transformation. Participants described the arts-based workshops as a valuable tool to explore, express, and support their experiences of a good life. This study provides important insights into understanding the complex experience of living a good life with cancer from personal perspectives. It also illuminates the potential of community arts in fostering positive experiences of living well with impairment.