African Journal of Disability

BACKGROUND: South African public sector efforts to employ people with disabilities (PWDs) in the post-apartheid have been less successful, resulting in a poor transformation record during the past 27 years (1994-2021) due to the failure to integrate PWDs into mainstream employment in government departments. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to identify and highlight some of the barriers to the employability of PWDs in the South African public service. METHOD: The research was framed as a case study within the transformative research paradigm...

BACKGROUND: The study is conducted to investigate whether curriculum reform for learners with special education needs (SEN) is taking place in Zambia. OBJECTIVES: The study objective were to investigate the extent to which curriculum had been reformed to facilitate the inclusion of children with SEN in Zambia; and determine stakeholders understanding of inclusive education policy, to evaluate the success of an inclusive programme in supporting the full inclusion of learners with SEN...

BACKGROUND: Families are the primary caregivers for persons with intellectual disability (ID), offering informal support to ensure community living. Ensuring families are adequately supported is key to reduce the financial, physical, mental and social toll which long-standing inadequately supported care giving may evoke. Respite care is such a support service offered to caregivers and care-recipients with ID. OBJECTIVE: Part of a larger study aimed at developing a respite care service framework for persons with ID for South Africa, the review aimed to elucidate what principles and practices inform current respite care services for this population globally...

BACKGROUND: South African legislation promotes the accommodation of employees with disabilities through enabling modifications and adjustments in the workplace. The literature about the experiences of employees with disabilities in higher education environments regarding accommodation is scant. Filling the gap, this research aimed to explore how employees with disabilities at a South African university cope with disability management practices by means of accommodations. OBJECTIVES: The objectives entailed exploring the encounters of employees with disabilities regarding accommodation in the workplace, their beliefs about these encounters and the meaning that the employees with disabilities attached to them...

BACKGROUND: Globally, there is a disparity that exists between equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities post-schooling. While South Africa has aimed at the inclusion of people with disabilities, there has not been sufficient evidence of a successful transition from school to work environments. OBJECTIVES: This study documents the experiences and barriers that influence the preparation of high school students with disabilities for post-secondary education and work opportunities...

BACKGROUND: Over 80% of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (autism) exhibit disruptive behaviours during mealtimes, highlighting the need for personalised care. In South Africa, teachers often take on the responsibility of feeding due to resource constraints and the time children spend at school. Moreover, children with autism have unique and individualised feeding requirements, which many teachers may not have the necessary training or skills to address adequately. OBJECTIVES: To explore the ways in which teachers of autistic children manage feeding difficulties in the classroom...

INTRODUCTION: Young people with physical disabilities frequently lack opportunities to develop their leadership potential. These include their ability to make decisions and be able to take charge of their leisure programmes. An argument is made that developing leadership skills for youth with physical disabilities can be facilitated by participating in leisure education programmes. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to explore youth with physical disabilities' perceptions of how leisure education can be used as a tool to develop their leadership...

BACKGROUND: Persons with disabilities generally face greater challenges in accessing healthcare and interventions compared with the general population. Malaria is one of the diseases that can seriously affect individuals with disabilities, as it requires early diagnosis and prompt treatment. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the extent to which locally available malaria services and interventions are inclusive of persons with disabilities and identifies associated access barriers...

BACKGROUND: Historically, in South Africa (SA), single motherhood has been part of the landscape and continues to increase. Disability in children is also increasing, yet it remains under-researched. Mothers are often left to raise their children with a disability alone, yet their voiced maternal experiences continue to largely be unheard, particularly in SA. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of single mothers raising a child with a disability in SA...

BACKGROUND: Limb loss limits functioning and restricts participation in various environments. Persons with lower limb amputations (PLLA) experience challenges ranging from self-care and independence to psychological disorders that negatively impact their functioning. OBJECTIVES: To assess the functioning and the level of disability of PLLA with or without prostheses in Rwanda. METHOD: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among PLLAs aged 18 years and above in 10 districts of Rwanda...

BACKGROUND: In the Western Cape, South Africa, a significant number of individuals with intellectual disabilities are cared for by caregivers who receive little or no compensation, education or support. Despite the unique challenges faced by these caregivers, no psychoeducational programmes have been implemented for this particular population. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to examine the factors contributing to caregiver distress and develop a solution in the form of a psychoeducational programme for caregivers...

BACKGROUND: Family caregiver training is an integral part of stroke rehabilitation programmes and is associated with improved caregiver and stroke survivor outcomes. In the Cape Winelands District, a low-resourced rural community-based setting in South Africa, stroke survivors and family caregivers mostly rely on assistance from community health workers (CHWs), despite their lack of stroke-specific rehabilitation training. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the implementation and immediate effects of a bespoke, 16 session, 21 h stroke rehabilitation training programme for CHWs to better support family caregivers...

BACKGROUND: Assistive technologies (ATs) enable persons with visual impairment (PwVI) to equitably benefit from public library resources and services as their sighted counterparts. However, the extent to which this facility is available and used at public libraries in less-developed countries remains largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study reports on the investigation done on the availability and use of ATs by PwVI at public libraries in the cities of Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg in South Africa...

BACKGROUND: South Africa adopted a policy on inclusive education in 2001 to ensure that all learners are accommodated and accepted in the classrooms despite their differences. OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed at exploring the inclusion of learners with learning disabilities in mainstream primary schools for teaching and learning. METHOD: This study followed a qualitative approach embedded in a descriptive phenomenological design. Data were generated through in-depth interviews with individual participants and were analysed thematically for content...

BACKGROUND: Parenting a child with a developmental disability (DD) has a substantial influence on the lives of the parents or caregivers, as well as on how the family operates. This is frequently because of the adjustments in some daily practices that are crucial for parents' or caregivers' human capabilities to provide for childcare. There is not enough research done on human capabilities of parents or children with DD in South Africa. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the available support in improving the human capabilities of parents or caregivers with children with DD and the bodily health and bodily integrity human capabilities of parents or caregivers with children with DD...

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders are a major health concern across the globe. Schizophrenia, one of the mental disorders, affects approximately 20 million people globally and 5 million people within the African continent. Schizophrenia can affect all areas of life, including participation in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to explore personal barriers affecting participation in chosen IADLs among community-dwelling persons with schizophrenia in Kigali city, Rwanda...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Access to, and occupational performance in, out-of-home-life-spaces is linked to health, wellbeing and quality of life for older adults. There is little evidence of how this relates to older adults with limited resources in an African urban context. OBJECTIVES: To describe the out-of-home-life-spaces accessed and valued by older adults with limited resources, living in an urban South African setting. METHOD: An exploratory concurrent mixed methods study saw 84 rehabilitation clinicians conduct 393 face-to-face interviews with older adults...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.4102/ajod.v11i0.807.].

BACKGROUND: Identity construction is an integral developmental task for adolescents and young adults (AYA). The intersection of deaf identity and disabling hearing loss (DHL) adds a layer to the complex process of identity construction. AIM: This literature review highlights the self-ascribed deaf identities of AYA and seeks to understand how AYA with DHL forge these identities. Knowledge areas for prospective research and practice are uncovered. METHOD: A traditional literature review of qualitative empirical evidence on AYA's accounts of their deaf identity construction was conducted on seminal literature and peer-reviewed journals in psychology, disability studies and deaf studies...