Transformative equality: court accommodations for South African citizens with severe communication disabilities

Background: Persons with disabilities are generally at greater risk of experiencing violence than their peers without a disability. Within the sphere of disability, individuals with severe communication disabilities are particularly vulnerable and have an increased risk of being a victim of abuse or violence and typically turn to their country's criminal justice system to seek justice. Unfortunately, victims with disabilities are often denied fair and equal treatment before the court. Transformative equality should be pursued when identifying accommodations in court for persons with communication disabilities, as the aim should be to enable such individuals to participate equally in court, without barriers and discrimination. Objectives: This research aimed to identify court accommodations recommended by legal experts, which could assist individuals with severe communication disabilities in the South African court. Method: A qualitative design was used to conduct a discussion with a panel of legal experts. Results: Using Article 13 (Access to Justice) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as a human rights framework, four themes were identified: equality, accommodations, participation and training of professionals. Conclusion: Foreign and national law clearly prohibits discrimination against persons with communication disabilities because of their disability and state that they should be given fair and equal access to the court system. For transformative equality to be achieved, certain rules and laws need to be changed to include specific accommodations for persons with communication disabilities so that they may be enabled to participate effectively in court in the criminal justice system

Risks for Communication Delays and Disorders in Infants in an Urban Primary Healthcare clinic

Background. Many risk factors may result in a communication delay. Reliable identification methods are essential to identify infants at risk of communication difficulties in the primary healthcare context. Literature on identifying both at-risk and established risk factors associated with communication disorders in South Africa is limited. Objective. To identify and describe risk factors for communication delays in infants 0 - 12 months of age at Daspoort Polyclinic in Gauteng. Methods. A structured interview schedule was utilised to conduct an interview with the caregiver participants. Convenience sampling was used to select 96 caregiver participants. Results. The results obtained indicated that all infant participants presented with exposure to one or more risk factors that may possibly impact communication development. High frequencies of risk factors included colds and/or flu during pregnancy; previous miscarriages; maternal smoking; low educational levels and unemployment. Conclusion. The high frequency of at-risk conditions within the Daspoort population justifies the importance of implementation of early communication intervention services in primary healthcare

Commuting and communication: an investigation of taxi drivers' experiences, attitudes and beliefs about passengers with communication disorders

Background: One of the most popular means of public transport within South Africa is mini-bus taxis. Objectives: As South Africa is made up of diverse cultures, religions and beliefs, the aim of this study was to explore Johannesburg based taxi drivers' experiences of beliefs about, and attitudes towards passengers who have a communication disability. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mini-bus taxi drivers. Results: Interviews revealed that almost all the taxi drivers had encountered passengers with a communication disability, and had an awareness of passengers with a hearing disability as opposed to a speech disability. Furthermore mini-bus taxi drivers generally held a positive view of their passengers with a communication disability.Conclusion: Study findings contribute to existing literature within the fields of speech pathology and audiology, advocacy groups and policy makers, particularly research studies on participation experiences of persons with communication disabilities related to transportation access. The results of the study should also provide a foundation for disability policy development initiatives with the aim of increasing levels of public awareness

Motor Neuron Disease: The Impact of Decreased Speech Intelligibility on Marital Communication

Background: The onset of motor neuron disease (MND); a neurodegenerative disease; results in physical and communication disabilities that impinge on an individual's ability to remain functionally independent. Multiple aspects of the marital relationship are affected by the continuously changing roles and responsibilities. Communication is one of the most constructive ways of dealing with emotions that are elicited by these changes. decreased speech intelligibility; the relationship between the deteriorating speech and the couples' perception of marital communication was not statistically significant.Conclusion: Overall; the results proved that the supposition that communication between couples will invariably deteriorate as a result of progressively reduced speech intelligibility is not necessarily valid. The fundamental importance of effective communication in marriage is highlighted. It is well established that augmentative and alternative communication strategies can preserve the ability to develop and maintain intimate rewarding relationships; even in the face of profound physical disabilities. Method: This study explored the association between the deteriorating speech of persons with MND and couples' perception of marital communication. Fourteen couples participated in this non-experimental correlational research study. Data were collected over a 12-month period through the administration of objective and subjective measures.Results: Results showed that despite