Picturing Quality of Life: Exploring the Perceptions of People LivingWith Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury Through Virtual Photovoice.

This article focuses on exploring quality of life (QOL) perceptions among individuals with chronic neurogenic communication disabilities—specifically aphasia due to stroke and cognitive-communication impairments due to traumatic brain injury (TBI)—using Photovoice, a participatory research method that enables participants to express their lived experiences through self-curated photographs and captions. Two small groups of participants collaboratively identified themes reflecting their QOL: those with aphasia emphasized Faith and Gratitude, On the Go with Friends, Independence, and Looking Ahead, while those with TBI highlighted Isolated and Overwhelmed, Inconsistent and Erratic Emotions, Neurofatigue, Support, and The Path Ahead. The study demonstrates that Photovoice offers an accessible and empowering approach to capturing subjective QOL perspectives that differ from traditional researcher-driven measures, underscoring the importance of involving people with communication disabilities as stakeholders in QOL measure development. Limitations include the small sample size, virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic, and reliance on self-reported diagnoses.