NPRC Focus Group Discussion Guide-Regional Champions

NPRC Evaluation
Public Policy and Advocacy Focus Group Guide
Consent Language
Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. My name is [name] and I am here with
[name]. We are with RTI International. We are part of the research team seeking to understand
how the National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC), which is administered by the Reeve
Foundation, operates and what features make it successful. This study is funded by the
Administration for Community Living (ACL) an operating division of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services.
The NPRC evaluation is a 4-year effort that includes a mix of interviews, focus groups, surveys,
and performance monitoring to assess how well the NPRC is meeting its goals. The purpose of
our discussion today is to gather your perspectives and experiences with the Reeve
Foundation’s Regional Champion program. Specifically, we have some questions to ask you
related to:
•

Recruitment for Regional Champions (RCs)

•

Screening for RCs

•

Training for RCs

•

Day-to-day work for RCs

•

Additional training and support from the NPRC [Reeve Foundation]

We are expecting our discussion today to last approximately 90 minutes.
We want to inform you that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers to these questions. We are
interested in your individual perspective. If there are any questions that you don’t feel
knowledgeable about or don’t feel comfortable answering, please let us know and we will move
to the next question. You are also welcome to end the discussion at any time.
The information gathered during our conversation today will be summarized for briefs that we
submit to ACL. These briefs may eventually become public as a way to describe and highlight
the NPRC’s work. We may use quotes in our reports to highlight an important themes or
findings. However, quotes will not be attributed by name and will be used sparingly. If there is
anything you do not want to be quoted, just let us know, but we would appreciate your feedback,
both positive and negative.
We’ll be taking notes during our discussion, but if it’s okay with you we would also like to record
this discussion. Do we have your permission to record?
Do you have any questions for us before we get started?

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Protocol Questions
Introductions
Before we get started, we would first like everyone to go around the room and introduce
themselves. Please tell us your first name and how long you have been working with the Reeve
Foundation as a Regional Champion.

Becoming a Regional Champion
1. How did you hear about the Reeve Foundation’s Regional Champions program?
2. Why did you decide to become a Regional Champion? What appealed to you about the
role? What were you hoping to get out of participating?
3. What (if anything) had you heard about the Reeve Foundation or the Regional
Champion program before you signed up?

Application and Selection Process
Now I’d like to switch to talk a little bit about the process of becoming a Regional Champion.
4. Can you describe what the process was like for becoming a Regional Champion?
a. How did you become a Regional Champion? Was there a screening process or
application?
b. How much did you interact with Reeve Foundation staff (if at all) during the process
of becoming a Regional Champion? If you did interact with Reeve staff, was it
helpful? How did it influence your decision to become a champion?

Initial Training
5. Can you briefly summarize the initial training that you participated in to become a
Regional Champion?
a. What topics did you discuss?
b. How long was the training?
6. What was most helpful or informative about this training?
a. Did you leave the training with a solid understanding of expectations and next
steps?
b. What improvements (if any) would you make to this training?

Participating as a Regional Champion
7. What are the day-to-day activities of your work as a Regional Champion?
8. How do you feel about the priorities that Regional Champions are asked to work on? Do
you help to create the priorities for the region? How do those priorities align with your
priorities?
9. If you are unsure of what to do for your work as Regional Champion do you know who
to ask for help? Do you feel supported by the Reeve Foundation?
10. Do you feel that your work as a regional champion is impactful? If yes, in what way?
What have been some of accomplishments/successes that you’ve witnessed since
becoming a Regional Champion?
11. Have you built relationships with other Regional Champions? Have there been
opportunities to do this? What has been the impact of these relationships on your work
as a Regional Champion?
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Additional Training/Support for Regional Champions
12. What resources are provided to you to help you in your work as a Regional Champion?
13. What additional training do you receive or did you receive from the Reeve Foundation
after you completed the initial certification training?
14. Are there additional trainings or supports that you would like to receive?

Concluding Thoughts
15. What do you like most about being a Regional Champion? What is the most challenging
aspect to being a Regional Champion? How do you respond to and navigate challenges
that arise?
16. Would you recommend others to become a Regional Champion with the Reeve
Foundation?
17. What’s one thing you would change to improve or enhance the Regional Champion
program moving forward?
18. Is there anything I haven’t asked about regarding the Regional Champion program that
we haven’t discussed that you would like to tell me?

OMB No: 0985-NEW. This activity is authorized under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Data collected
will be shared with ACL staff, but your responses will be used for research and aggregate reporting
purposes only and will not be used for other non-statistical or non-research purposes. Public reporting
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.50 hours, including the time for
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed,
and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this
burden, to evaluation@acl.hhs.gov.

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