Background
Individuals with aphasia often require the greatest level of support to engage in advocacy, service development, and re-design (Prior et al., 2020). There are, however, existing community-driven models that have been successfully sustained and evolved over time. It is therefore critical to understand how these initiatives sustain themselves and adapt over time, and what mechanisms enable their success.
Methods
A mixed methods approach utilises focus groups with community service representatives from Sydney, Australia, to establish project duration and the factors influencing sustainability. A content analysis, informed by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) (Glasgow et al., 2024), guides a thorough exploration of these factors and the future establishment of a model for developing inclusive and sustainable community programs.
Results
Focus groups are scheduled for May 2026 and include representatives from a wide range of community services such as family support and technology inclusion. Understanding the mechanisms that enable these initiatives to endure, such as how power is shared, decisions are made, and capacity is built, represents a critical opportunity to strengthen future community-driven programs.
Conclusion
Most aphasia implementation research captures only a single cycle of delivery, offering limited insight into whether outcomes are maintained or adapted over time (Power et al., 2020). This project addresses this gap by examining the long-term enablers and barriers to sustainability in community-driven programs. The enabling features will be combined with principles of inclusion, to provide a roadmap which facilitates engagement of people with communication disability in future program development.