Abstract
Guided by communication infrastructure theory (CIT), this chapter examines the spaces and places available to custodial caregivers of children with disabilities to seek, share, and learn information about a home- and community-based waiver, offered through Medicaid. This chapter reports on narrative thematic analysis of interviews with 31 custodial caregivers of children receiving services through the home- and community-based waiver. Findings show how one’s connectedness to community storytelling, particularly within online communities and disability network communities, facilitated more open communication about the waiver. In contrast, the lack of systematic communication processes or storytellers in the community who could formally introduce potentially eligible families to the waiver was a significant barrier to the telling and sharing of home- and community-based waiver-related information.
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Darnell, W.H. (2023). Communication Infrastructures: Examining How Community Storytelling Facilitates or Constrains Communication Related to Medicaid Waivers for Children. In: Jeffress, M.S., Cypher, J.M., Ferris, J., Scott-Pollock, JA. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Disability and Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14447-9_25
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