Hello,

My name is Julia Sterman. I am a graduate student in Occupational
Therapy at Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY. I am currently working on my
thesis project, which will investigate traumatic injury and its
impact on meaningful activities. After reading this letter you will
be given the opportunity to complete an online survey regarding your
participation in meaningful activities following your injury. This
survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

I am looking for individuals who are over the age of 18 and have had
a traumatic physical injury between one (1) and five (5) years ago.
Due to the support groups contacted, most participants will have
amputations, burns, or spinal cord injuries, but you can still
participate if you have other types of traumatic injury. You do not
need to have received occupational therapy to participate. Those who
have been diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury or severe
intellectual disability are not included in this survey.

The results of this project will be written and presented in a
professional format. I hope to share my results through publication
in a professional journal or presentation at an occupational therapy
conference so that more people may become aware of this issue. The
results may also be useful to guide how occupational therapists work
with individuals who have had similar injuries.

There is little risk to completing the survey; however, if thinking
about your responses causes you to feel distress please contact a
source of support. If at any time a question causes you discomfort
you may choose to skip that question. You can stop completing the
survey at any time you choose. All of your answers will remain
anonymous and confidential. If you continue to feel distress I would
encourage you to seek assistance through local counseling or
psychological services.

If you have any questions about the survey or being a participant,
please contact me at jsterma1@ithaca.edu. or contact Dr. Judy Gonyea,
my thesis adviser, at (607) 274-1737 or jgonyea@ithaca.edu. The survey
tool is encrypted and secure so all information can only be accessed
by the researchers. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Ithaca
College has approved this study.

Thank you for taking the time to complete my survey.

Sincerely,

Julia Sterman

By following the link below you confirm that you agree to participate
in this study, although you may discontinue participation at any
time.
You also acknowledge that 18 years or older.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?
sm=qv_2bl3EDxw_2fawV6ZcWnW52A_3d_3d