A literature review on work transitioning of youth with disabilities into competitive employment

Background: The marginalisation of youth with disabilities from employment opportunities is evident from literature in as far as they form part of the larger groups 'people with disabilities' and 'youth'. A focused view of programmes that assist youth with disabilities into employment has not been presented, despite the worldwide crisis of youth unemployment.Aim: This review aimed to identify evidence on work transition programmes that are effective in assisting people with disabilities into open labour market (competitive) employment, as well as to highlight gaps in knowledge to inform future research on this topic.Methods: Literature and policy on programmes that support such transitions were considered, firstly from a global perspective and then with a view from developing countries. The SALSA (Search, Appraisal, Synthesis and Analysis) framework was used to source and analyse information from a diverse set of documents. Various online databases were searched for research papers published between 1990 and 2016, and websites were searched for reports pertaining to this topic.Results: Ninety-nine documents were selected to inform the review, out of an identified 259 scientific journal articles, policy documents, acts, organisational reports and book chapters.Conclusion: A synthesis of findings was presented in a narrative that reflects the themes of youth with disabilities and employment in the world, work transition endeavours in the developing world and a specific focus on this group in South Africa. The review revealed a gap in knowledge and evidence pertaining to youth with disabilities and employment, highlighting these as research foci, and emphasising the need for youth-focused research that generates knowledge about disability and transitions into the labour force

Forgotten, excluded or included? students with disabilities: a case study at the University of Mauritius

Background: Students with disabilities in the tertiary education sector are more than a just a phenomenon, they are a reality. In general, little attention is devoted to their needs despite the fact that they need more care and attention.Objectives: This paper, through a case study at the University of Mauritius, sought to answer some pertinent questions regarding students with disabilities. Does the University of Mauritius have sufficient facilities to support these students? Are students aware of existing facilities? What additional structures need to be put in place so that students with any form of disability are neither victimised, nor their education undermined? Are there any local laws about students with disabilities in higher education?Method: To answer these questions and others, an online questionnaire was sent to 500 students and the responses were then analysed and discussed. The response rate was 24.4% which showed that students were not reticent to participate in this study.Results: Our survey revealed that most students were not aware of existing facilities and were often neglected in terms of supporting structures and resources. ICT facilities were found to be the best support that is provided at the University of Mauritius. The right legal framework for tertiary education was also missing.Conclusion: Ideally, students with disabilities should have access to special facilities to facilitate their learning experiences at tertiary institutions. Awareness about existing facilities must also be raised in order to offer equal opportunities to them and to enable a seamless inclusion

Disability and poverty ­ reflections on research experiences in Africa and beyond

Background: Whilst broadly agreed in the literature that disability and poverty are closely interlinked, the empirical basis for this knowledge is relatively weak. Objectives: To describe and discuss the current state of knowledge and to suggest the need for further generation of knowledge on disability and poverty. Method: Two recent attempts at statistically analysing the situation for disabled people and a series of qualitative studies on disability and poverty are applied in a discussion on the state of current knowledge. Results: Firstly, the surveys confirm substantial gaps in access to services, and a systematic pattern of lower levels of living amongst individuals with disability as compared to non-disabled. Existing surveys are however not originally set up to study the disability - poverty relationship and thus have some important limitations. Secondly, the qualitative studies have shown the relevance of cultural, political and structural phenomena in relation to poverty and disability, but also the complexity and the contextual character of these forces that may sometimes provide or create opportunities either at the individual or the collective level. Whilst not establishing evidence as such; the qualitative studies contribute to illustrating some of the mechanisms that bring individuals with disability into poverty and keep them there. Conclusions: A longitudinal design including both quantitative and qualitative methods and based on the current conceptual understanding of both disability and poverty is suggested to pursue further knowledge generation on the relationship between disability and poverty

Social Exclusion of Students with Visual Impairments at a Tertiary Institution in KwaZulu-Natal

Objectives: People with visual impairment experience exclusion and marginalisation from family; mainstream school; the community and university. The experience of social exclusion is multistructural; multidimensional and complex. This article is based on a study that aimed to describe the social exclusion of students with visual impairment at a tertiary institution where the authors are employed.Design: The study was qualitative. It used an exploratory design to provide compelling data on the insider perspectives of students.Setting and subjects: Fifteen students participated in the study; of whom nine were men and six women. Eleven students were partially sighted and four were blind. All the subjects were from the university where the authors are employed.Results: The study established that participants' exclusion from access to opportunities and development left them psychologically; socially; financially and emotionally scarred.Conclusion: The study established that visual impairment and poverty were related and that women experienced oppression on two counts. The first was because of their disabled status and the second was oppression by other female students at the university. Recommendations are for changes within families; schools; communities and universities

The implementation of inclusive education in South Africa: reflections arising from a workshop for teachers and therapists to introduce Universal Design for Learning

South Africa has adopted an inclusive education policy in order to address barriers to learning in the education system. However, the implementation of this policy is hampered by the lack of teachers' skills and knowledge in differentiating the curriculum to address a wide range of learning needs. In this paper we provided a background to inclusive education policy in South Africa and a brief exposition of an instructional design approach, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) that addresses a wide range of learning needs in a single classroom. We reported on a workshop conducted with teachers and therapists in South Africa as a first attempt to introduce UDL in this context. Knowledge of UDL was judged to be appropriate and useful by the course participants in the South African context as a strategy for curriculum differentiation in inclusive classrooms. Furthermore, knowledge of the UDL framework facilitates dialogue between teachers and therapists and provides a relatively simple and comprehensive approach for curriculum differentiation. We therefore conclude that there is potential for this approach that can be expanded through further teacher training

Communication training for centre-based carers of children with severe or profound disabilities in the Western Cape, South Africa

The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary, qualitative review of an approach to training centre-based carers in supporting basic communication development and providing communication opportunities for the children with severe and profound disabilities in their care. In South Africa, these children are often the most neglected in terms of planning and providing appropriate interventions. For those with severe communication disabilities, an additional lack is in the area of the basic human right to meaningful interactions and communication. Sustainable strategies to provide opportunities for basic communication development of these children are urgently sought. Several effective international and local parent training programmes have been developed, but the urgent need remains to train centre-based carers who are taking care of groups of diversely disabled children in severely under-resourced settings. Non-profit organisations (NPOs) have been exploring practical centre-based approaches to skills sharing in physical rehabilitation, activities for daily living, feeding and support for basic communication development. As a freelance speech therapist contracted by four NPOs to implement hands-on training in basic communication for centre-based carers of non-verbal children, the author describes a training approach that evolved over three years, in collaboration with the carers and centre managements. Implications for training (for speech therapists and for community-based rehabilitation workers) and for further research are identified