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African Journal of Disability Vol 7 (2018)

2018

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This journal provides

  • Nineteen original research articles on a variety of topics including the cost of raising a child with autism, experiences of care givers to stroke survivors, dyslexic's learning experiences, communication rehabilitation, disability and food security, hearing children of deaf parents and rehabilitation of stroke survivors, disability policy, learning for deaf learners, aquatic based interventions for children with cerebral palsy, evaluation of community based rehabilitation programmes, the impact of stroke and barriers to the implementation of inclusive education.
  • Seven review articles: Intellectual disability rights and inclusive citizenship in South Africa: What can a scoping review tell us?; The benefits of hydrotherapy to patients with spinal cord injuries; Simple ideas that work: Celebrating development in persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities; The relationship between social support and participation in stroke: A systematic review; Parents of children with disabilities: A systematic review of parenting interventions and self-efficacy; Implementation of the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Zimbabwe: A review; Part 1: A review of using photovoice as a disability research method: Implications for eliciting the experiences of persons with disabilities on the Community Based Rehabilitation programme in Namibia
  • There is an opinion paper entitled - Deafening silence on a vital issue: The World Health Organization has ignored the sexuality of persons with disabilities
  •  There is a case study - Lessons from the pilot of a mobile application to map assistive technology suppliers in Africa

Childhood disability in Malaysia: a study of knowledge, attitudes and practices

MOORE, Katie
BEDFORD, Juliet
November 2017

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This study was carried out to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of society towards children with disabilities, the children themselves, and their peers in Malaysia. The study took place in Selangor, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak. There were 756 total respondents/participants including government ministries, community members, service providers, care givers and children and adolescents both with and without disabilities. 

Knowledge and Beliefs about Ear and Hearing Health among Mothers of Young Children in a Rural Community in South India

NARAYANSAMY, M
RAMKUMA, V
NAGARAJAN, R
2014

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Purpose: To study the knowledge and beliefs about ear and hearing healthcare among mothers from a rural community.

 

Method: In 1 week, 6 focus group discussions were conducted across 6 villages of a district in Tamil Nadu in southern India. The participants were 60 mothers who had children below 5 years of age.

 

Results: Mothers in this rural community had information about some aspects of ear and hearing healthcare. They were aware that use of hairpins and safety- pins to clean ears was harmful; they were knowledgeable about ways to identify hearing ability (child responds to name call, verbal instructions, and startles at loud sounds); and, conditions like consanguinity and malnutrition of expectant mothers were recognised as risk factors for hearing loss. However, misconceptions also existed. The practice of pouring herbal juices to remove insects in the ear continued; there was the perception that all children with a hearing problem were “deaf”, and a lack of awareness about the possibility of partial/unilateral hearing loss. Regarding the age of identification, mothers believed that a child’s ability to speak and the ability to hear was pertinent to assess hearing. None of the mothers related normal speech development to normal hearing.

 

Conclusion: For the success of a community-based hearing screening programme, it is important to utilise the existing knowledge of the mothers, and simultaneously attempt to fill in gaps in knowledge and clarify misconceptions. These measures will facilitate greater compliance from the community in achieving the goals of early identification and early intervention for problems of hearing loss.

Knowledge Management-based Classification Method for Disability-Inclusive Business

SANO, R
CHANDARASUPSANG, T
2014

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Purpose: This study provides evidence to clarify disability inclusiveness in activities of rural business. As an alternative to the analysis method that deals with disability-inclusiveness as a vague concept, knowledge management principles were applied to propose a classification method for disability-inclusive business as an emerging concept at the community level.

 

Methods: The analysis focuses on: 1) productivity of entrepreneurs with disabilities; 2) knowledge of entrepreneurs with disabilities; and 3) understanding of customers. A total of 50 entrepreneurs with disabilities in micro and small businesses in Southeast Asia were identified in this context. Data were collected and analysed according to a story-based knowledge management approach and value chain analysis. Fuzzy logic analysis which exploited domain ontology was utilised to convert knowledge from tacit to explicit, in line with knowledge management principles. A numeric weight based on linguistic variables became available to describe each disability-inclusive business case, as well as the arrangements of fuzzy sets.

 

Results: Out of 50 cases, 7 were classified as fully disability-inclusive while 14 were classified as not disability-inclusive. Productivity of entrepreneurs with disabilities in 3 elements of the value chain, namely procurement, product/service development and distribution, was observed to be significant. The Study showed that disability-related knowledge of entrepreneurs with disabilities could contribute to business performance according to the key success factors to enhance added value. Two elements of the value chain, namely sales/marketing and customer service, are not the decisive factors to define and clarify disability-inclusiveness. 

 

Conclusion: Settings in Southeast Asia are diverse and at varying stages of economic and social development; hence the environment which promotes the disability-inclusive business concept may be inconsistent. Micro and small- scale rural businesses were tackled as a first step to evaluate comparative efforts of each case of disability-inclusive business from the viewpoint of entrepreneurs with disabilities. Therefore, in highlighting the differences, it is recommended that further research should seek to apply weighting factors depending on the individual size, contents and scale of major business areas.

Knowledge of, beliefs about and attitudes to disability: implications for health professionals

MASASA, T
IRWIN-CARRUTHERS, S
FAURE, M
2014

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Background: South Africa is a multicultural, multiracial and multilingual nation with many different values, traditions and cultural practices. Different belief systems may give rise to different attitudes and practices relating to disability, which may impact on rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs relating to disability in three broad cultural groups in the Western Cape.

 

Method: Sixty primary caregivers were interviewed by using a knowledge, attitude and belief (KAB) survey in a structured interview format. Probability and non-probability (systematic and purposive) sampling were used. The study used both quantitative and qualitative methods.

 

Results: While caregivers from coloured and white communities generally had become acquainted with disability from an early age, caregivers in black communities often only learnt about disability following the birth of a disabled child. All caregivers had only a rather rudimentary knowledge of the causes of disability, but held positive attitudes towards people with disabilities and their integration into society. The qualitative data showed some differences in beliefs between the three groups in relation to the causes of disability and the need for rehabilitation. The data also revealed negative experiences across the groups in relation to education and the availability of transport, particularly amongst caregivers from black and coloured communities.

 

Conclusions: Health professionals need to understand the culture, values, beliefs and expectations of their clients when providing rehabilitation services within a community-based model. There appears to be a need for improved disability awareness in schools and amongst transport service providers.

The Role of Community Health Workers in the Mongolian CBR Programme

COMO, E
BATDULAM, T
2012

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Purpose: This article aims to present the role of community health workers in the implementation of a comprehensive CBR Programme in rural Mongolia, and to explore the main challenges that arise in this specific geographical and socio-economic context.

 

Methods: Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with CBR workers from three selected provinces; short meetings and interviews with respective provincial level CBR coordinators complemented the information acquired. Additionally, a workshop with national level CBR stakeholders was carried out in order to review and discuss the findings.

 

Results: The study highlighted a number of practical barriers (including long distances and lack of transportation, low population density, and harsh climate conditions) which constrain the work of community health workers in the areas studied. In relation to disability, the study shed light on the difficulties found by community workers in shifting from a medical approach to disability to a new approach that emphasizes prevention and rehabilitation. Exploring interviewees’ experience in the five areas of CBR (health, education, livelihood, social, empowerment) the authors found that working in the areas other than health is perceived as difficult due to insufficient training as well as objective contextual barriers.

 

Conclusions: Despite many challenges, CBR represents a significant improvement for disability action in rural Mongolia. In this context, the local community health workers are well suited and willing to act as CBR workers; nonetheless, more training and some tailoring work to adapt the Programme to the context is needed if all potential results are to be achieved.

 

Limitations: This study did not include direct observation of CBR activities or consultation of beneficiaries and other stakeholders. Their involvement and consultation would certainly improve the understanding of all the issues raised.

How information is shared among CBR service providers in Uganda

COMMUNITY ACTION RESEARCH ON DISABILITY IN UGANDA
2008

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This study examines how information is shared among CBR programmes in Uganda and identifies challenges and strategies for improvement. Recommendations include the development of strategies for the oral means of information sharing; awareness raising of cost effective means of information sharing and using modes of communication that can reach people with special needs. This resource is useful for people interested in how information is shared among CBR programmes in Uganda

Inside voices : CBR workers stories

OKUNE, Joan
Ed
2006

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This book is an output from three CBR writing workshops held in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi with the aim to facilitate the capacity of CBR workers to communicate their experiences thus increasing documentation of CBR practices in Africa. The book contains articles based on participants’ experience of CBR and is useful to anyone interested in CBR experiences in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi

The World Bank and disability

WORLD BANK

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The World Bank's disability website provides links to information about its disability related activities. It includes online documents produced by the World Bank and other key international agencies, classified under a range of topics including education, community-based rehabilitation, disability and conflict, disability and HIV/AIDS, gender, rural development, etc. It contains links to related websites, including UNESCO's inclusive education programme, the World Health Organization's social change and mental health programme.

CBR, social relationships, sexuality and reproductive rights

AMICI DI RAOUL FOLLEREAU (AIFO)

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This website presents the workshop reports and presentations of the first part of an international workshop titled: "Going beyond the taboos in community-based rehabilitation (CBR)." The workshop focused on social relationships, sexuality and reproductive rights. Links are provided to the workshop report and presentations in pdf format “"Going beyond the taboo areas in CBR" workshop, part 1
Agra, India
29 November 2012

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