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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.

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 PFSP that we haven’t discussed 

that you would like to tell me?