CASE Scientific Session (Dr. Ian Johnson)

Presenter: Dr. Ian Johnson, Assistant Professor, Social Work, University of Texas – San Antonio, US.

Theme: “Community-Based Strategies toward Spatial Justice with Older Texans” 

Description: Age-friendliness has become a widespread global strategy for ensuring older adults have access rights within their community. However, age-friendliness has only begun to question: friendly for whom? Efforts to support continued community living and full access to public amenities primarily focus on normative experiences of aging, and not those from minoritized populations of older adults. This drives a need for localized research that aims to expand notions of spatial justice to under-served older adults.

Welcome to our discussions: In this session, we will learn from three vignettes of community-based research focused improving housing and public place for marginalized groups of older adults living in the United States. The scientific session will emphasize (a) how the concept of spatial justice informs research ethos and design; and (b) translatable strategies for research and action across higher education, government, non-profit organizations, and older people from hard-to-reach communities.