The biopsychosocial (BPS) model of mental distress, originally conceived by the American psychiatrist George Engel in the 1970s and commonly used in psychiatry and psychology, has been adapted by Gordon Waddell and Mansell Aylward to form the theoretical basis for current UK Government thinking on disability. Most importantly, the Waddell and Aylward version of the BPS has played a key role as the Government has sought to reform spending on out-of-work disability benefits. This paper presents a critique of Waddell and Aylward's model, examining its origins, its claims and the evidence it employs. We will argue that its potential for genuine inter-disciplinary cooperation and the holistic and humanistic benefits for disabled people as envisaged by Engel are not now,
Globally, people with disabilities face a heightened risk of poverty. Drivers of poverty include exclusion from work and other livelihood activities (indirect costs) and disabilityrelated direct costssuch as for rehabilitation, personal assistance and assistive devicesthat are required for participation and functioning. This research explores sources of direct and indirect costs, their impact and mitigation strategies using 42 in-depth interviews with working-aged people with disabilities in Nairobi, Kenya and Dhaka, Bangladesh. This research finds that people with disabilities and their households face high direct costs, such as for healthcare, assistive devices, transportation and accommodations at school and work, and indirect costs, such as un-and underemployment and lower salaries when working. Many direct costs were unmet, or covered through out-of-pocket spending, although social protection in Kenya was also an important strategy. Unmet direct costs frequently led to higher future indirect costs. Direct and indirect costs could cause financial strain, decreased participation, health and wellbeing, particularly when unaddressed. Challenges mitigating costs included not just insufficient income, but also lack of decision-making power within the household and insufficient information on and poor availability of needed goods, services and opportunitiesfactors which should be considered in the design of interventions.
Owing to increased inclusion of young people with disabilities into the private sector in Bangladesh and Kenya, there is an urgent need to find alternative ways to support young graduates with a disability in the workplace with assistive technology solutions. The aim of the paper is to identify barriers for private workplace sectors to use assistive technology to support young graduates seeking, maintaining and retaining employment. This qualitative study adopted the research onion design of Saunders et al. Data were collected using interviews and focus group discussions and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that barriers are linked to seven key person-centred capability themes: the dream, external factors, internal factors, assistive technology vision, strategic design priorities and gaps and assistive actions.
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