An African way of networking around disability

Mji, Gubela; Gcaza, Siphokazi; Swartz, Leslie; MacLachlan, Malcolm; Hutton, Barbara

doi:10.1080/09687599.2011.560419

Cited by 51 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…A key South African concept to understand is “ubuntu,” in which people are defined through their relationships and community. 39,40 In the case of disability, where there is often a large stigma attached, this means that it is not only a “disabled person” but also a network of disability-related relationships, a “disabled family” 41 that needs to be considered; and the economic consequences of a person with disability on that family network. A person with a disability is, therefore, inextricably linked to their family, who also experience marginalization.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to the Implementation of the Health and Rehabilitation Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa

Hussey

MacLachlan

Mji

2016

Int J Health Policy Manag

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Background: The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a milestone in the recognition of the human rights of persons with disabilities, including the right to health and rehabilitation. South Africa has signed and ratified the CRPD but still has a long way to go in reforming policies and systems in order to be in compliance with the convention. This paper seeks to fill a gap in the literature by exploring what the barriers to the implementation of the health and rehabilitation articles of the CRPD are, as identified by representatives of the disability community. Methods: This investigation used a qualitative, exploratory methodology. 10 semi-structured interviews of a purposive sample of representatives of disabled persons organizations (DPOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and service providers in South Africa were conducted. Participants were drawn from urban, peri-urban, and rural settings in order to reflect diverse perspectives within South Africa. Data was analysed using a multi-stage coding process to establish the main categories and relationships between them. Results: Six main categories of barriers to the implementation of the health and rehabilitation articles of the CRPD were identified. Attitude barriers including stigma and negative assumptions about persons with disabilities were seen as an underlying cause and influence on all of the other categories; which included political, financial, health systems, physical, and communication barriers. Conclusion: The findings of this study have important implications for strategies and actions to implement the CRPD. Given the centrality of attitudinal barriers, greater sensitization around the area of disability is needed. Furthermore, disability should be better integrated and mainstreamed into more general initiatives to develop the health system and improve the lives of persons living in poverty in South Africa.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to the Implementation of the Health and Rehabilitation Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa

Hussey

MacLachlan

Mji

2016

Int J Health Policy Manag

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“…Disability is not high on the research agenda for most Majority World countries, where studies of poverty and gender equality take precedence (Mji and others, ; Singal, ). There are exceptions, however, with some qualitative studies seeking the views of disabled children and young people in the Majority World: see, for example, Singal (), Reiser (), Carrington and others ().…”

Section: The Global Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Researching the Lives of Disabled Children and Young People

Stalker

Abbott²,

Beresford³

et al. 2012

Children & Society

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“…More recently, other discursive regimes -some emanating from disability activisms in themselves, including the social model of disability -have come profoundly to affect the lives of disabled people. Although discourses of independence and equal participation are at the core of many activist agendas in the disability field (Oliver and Barnes 2012), the emphasis on independence as a valued goal for the lives of disabled people has been questioned by a number of feminist disability scholars and African-based disability activists who see appropriate interdependence amongst people as a more realistic goal, especially in Africa (Mji et al 2011;Owusu-Ansah and Mji 2013). In South Africa in particular, the experience of disability has been couched within a human rights and liberation discourse (Swartz 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When they call me cripple: a group of South African adolescents with cerebral palsy attending a special needs school talk about being disabled

Bantjes

Swartz

Conchar

et al. 2015

Disability & Society

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Central to the experience of disability are social and political forces and discourses which position people in particular ways. Little is known about the experiences of individuals with disabilities living in low-income and middleincome countries. We investigate the lived experience of a group of South African adolescents with cerebral palsy. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 adolescents with cerebral palsy. Data were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The participants position themselves between the medical and social models of disability, in a liminal space between 'normal' and 'disabled', but do not identify with either group. They describe a 'hierarchy of disability' and position themselves in-between more serious sensory impairments and less serious emotional and learning disabilities. Being disabled is associated with being taken care of, infantilised and being powerless. Consequently they aspire to achieve independence and autonomy, and face danger, which are seen as signifiers that they are not disabled. Points of interestWe describe how a group of South African adolescents with cerebral palsy experience being disabled. Participants make sense of their impairments within a medical model of disability and experience their bodies as 'abnormal'. Participants wish to have their bodies repaired and see the medical profession as having the power and expertise to heal them. Participants identify how they are enabled and supported by their school environment but recognise how the attitudes and assumptions of others act to disable them.

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An African way of networking around disability

Cited by 51 publications

References 2 publications

Barriers to the Implementation of the Health and Rehabilitation Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa

Barriers to the Implementation of the Health and Rehabilitation Articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in South Africa

Researching the Lives of Disabled Children and Young People

When they call me cripple: a group of South African adolescents with cerebral palsy attending a special needs school talk about being disabled

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