BackgroundThe Namibian disability policy of 1997 has not been reviewed for about 20 years, which has raised concerns with persons with disabilities and stakeholders in the fields of disability and rehabilitation. In March 2017, the government publicised its intention to review the policy. Thus, this study’s purpose was to generate evidence that can contribute to the development of a more current disability policy that will promote occupational justice.ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to develop an alternative disability policy option for Namibia and to present outcomes and trade-offs using a policy analysis approach while applying the occupational justice framework to gather evidence.MethodA qualitative research design and Bardach’s eightfold path approach to policy analysis were used. Critical disability theory provided the theoretical framework. The occupational justice framework was the conceptual framework for the study. Evidence from preceding phases of this study and appropriate literature was utilised to construct possible disability policy alternatives in Namibia, set evaluative criteria, project outcomes and confront trade-offs.ResultsThree main disability policy alternatives emerged: access policy, support policy and universal coverage policy. Access policy had the fewest trade-offs, and the support policy had the most trade-offs in the Namibian context. Access policy was projected to foster occupational participation among persons with disabilities.ConclusionResults have implications for selecting disability policy alternatives that promote occupational participation and justice among persons with disabilities in Namibia. Furthermore, the study has implications for advancing the practice of occupational justice in disability policy formulation.

Introduction:The purpose of the study was to compare the existing disability policy in Namibia with those of other southern African countries to determine whether the former would require revisions. There were two objectives: to apply the occupational justice framework to analyse the National Policy on Disability of Namibia, to conduct an comparative analysis of the National Policy on Disability of Namibia and selected disability policies and policy environments in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe taking into consideration the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).Methods: A qualitative analytical approach was used to conduct a document review of the Namibia disability policy and to provide a comparative analysis of the Namibia disability policy with those of selected southern African countries using the disability policy analysis lens. Critical disability theory provided the overarching theoretical framework. Discourse analysis was applied to identify themes.Findings: Embedded occupational marginalisation and deprivation were evident in the Namibian disability policy. A new type of occupational injustice emerged that can best be described as 'occupational inconsideration' among disability policy makers, whereby occupational rights for persons with disabilities are of secondary focus when disability policies are formulated.Conclusion: Namibia's disability policy was considered inadequate in terms of addressing occupational rights according to the occupational justice framework. Similarly, Namibia and other southern African countries have not significantly progressed with domesticating the UNCRPD. The findings have implications for disability policy formulation and occupational justice practice in Namibia in particular and in southern Africa in general.

There is potential for applying the participatory occupational justice framework in disability policy formulation to promote participation in occupations that are meaningful, and culturally relevant to persons with disabilities in Namibia.

Aim:The UNCRPD is an international treaty that promotes the advancement of the rights of persons with disabilities. This scoping review aimed to map the evidence on strategies employed by countries in implementing the UNCRPD in Africa and the implementation challenges faced. Method:The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-Scr) was used in this study. Key terms pertinent to the implementation of the UNCRPD in Africa were used to search for literature. Strict eligibility criteria were set and a qualitative data extraction template developed. Two reviewers worked independently to extract and chart data into data extraction forms. An analysis of country reports was also conducted to identify relationships between the African country reports and findings from the studies included in the scoping review. Inductive reasoning enabled the generation of themes. A total of 107 sources were initially retrieved and after a process of screening and exclusion, 31 sources (11 research papers and 20 country reports) were included for inductive analysis. Results:The study revealed evidence of implementation of UNCRPD in Africa, albeit limited, especially to the area of education, and employment. However, there are unique contextual limitations in implementation of UNCRPD in Africa. The country reports reflected similar implementation issues to those identified in studies selected for this paper.