JICA Thematic Guidelines on Disability

[Excerpt] According to the United Nations (UN), there are approximately 600 million people worldwide with some form of disability, of which about 60 percent live in developing countries and only a small percentage are said to receive services such as rehabilitation. In developing countries, disability and poverty are closely connected, and the great majority of persons with disabilities are living in absolute poverty. They are not receiving the benefits of development, and it is not easy for them to participate in the development of their country. While a participatory approach to development is widely employed, measures to recognize persons with disabilities as participants have not yet been properly implemented in all fields of assistance. In the past, the support for persons with disabilities has been seen as part of social welfare assistance, and has tended to focus on persons with disabilities only as its beneficiaries

Equality Studies, the Academy and the Role of Research in Emancipatory Social Change

If people are structurally excluded from democratic engagement with research practice, they are precluded from assessing its validity in an informed manner. They are effectively disenfranchised from controlling the generation and dissemination of knowledge about themselves and/or the institutions within which they live and work. This issue is especially acute for marginalised groups and communities who are the subjects of so much social scientific research. Such research is frequently undertaken without the involvement of the groups or communities in question. The ownership of data gives researchers and policymakers power over the groups which may add to their marginalisation; there are now people who can claim to know you better than you know yourself. Without democratic engagement therefore, there is a real danger that research knowledge can be used for manipulation and control rather than challenging the injustices experienced. This paper analyses the role of research in relation to social change. It explores, in particular, the implications of utilising an emancipatory research methodology in the study of issues of equality and social justice. While recognising the difficulties involved in developing an emancipatory approach to research, it is argued that such an approach is analytically, politically, and ethically essential if research with marginalised and socially excluded groups is to have a transformative impact.

El derecho de las personas con discapacidad a una educación de calidad. Apuntes en torno a su extensión y límites en el ordenamiento jurídico cubano

Educational inclusion is intended to enable people to develop and optimize their capacity regardless of their differences, offering equal opportunities to allow every individual to solve their educational and social needs. The aim of this paper is to provide a legal perspective of the Cuban Legal system, in which such opportunities are included as basic human rights. We review the treatment due to people with disabilities prescribed in the international legal instruments signed and ratified by Cuba. Starting from the conceptualization, principles and bases on which are founded the concepts of disability, deficiency and handicap, we identify the levels of adaptation necessary to implement them in any education system. Thus, curricular adaptations should respond to the specific needs imposed by disability, respecting the scope and limitations of the rights of the people involved.La inclusión educativa es el modelo que pretende dejar de ver las diferencias como un problema, para que cada persona desarrolle y optimice sus capacidades y así brindar igualdad de oportunidades, en función de sus necesidades tanto educativas como sociales. A tal fin, se ofrece en este estudio una perspectiva jurídica que lo aprecia en su dimensión como derecho humano y fundamental, a la luz del ordenamiento jurídico cubano y los instrumentos internacionales suscritos y ratificados por Cuba al respecto. Se parte entonces de su conceptualización, principios y fundamentos en los que se sustenta, para distinguir los conceptos de discapacidad, deficiencia y minusvalía, en función de los cuales habrán de ser definidos los niveles de adaptación a implementar en cada sistema educativo, de modo que las adaptaciones curriculares a introducir respondan a sus necesidades, en franco respeto al alcance y límites de los derechos de cada persona involucrada

Organisatie van geestelijke gezondheidszorg voor kinderen en jongeren : literatuurstudie en internationaal overzicht

INTRODUCTIE: In de laatste decennia van de vorige eeuw werden er in de Westerse landen belangrijke hervormingen ingezet in de sector van de geestelijke gezondheidszorg (GGZ). In de GGZ voor volwassenen kwam er geleidelijk een model van “balanced care” (“gebalanceerde zorg”) op de voorgrond: een diversiteit aan diensten biedt de zorg zo kort mogelijk bij de eigen leefwereld van de patiënt aan, en enkel indien nodig in een instelling. Tegelijkertijd moet men ook een vlotte en naadloze overgang van de ene dienst naar de andere garanderen. Geestelijke gezondheidsproblemen bij kinderen en jongeren zijn niet onfrequent. De WGO (Wereldgezondheidsorganisatie) schat de prevalentie in Westerse landen op ongeveer 20%. Ongeveer 5% zou een klinische tussenkomst nodig hebben. De sector van GGZ voor kinderen en jongeren is pas veel later ontstaan dan deze van de volwassenen, en kent een andere zorgstructuur. Toch dringen de hierboven geschetste hervormingsprincipes ook hier door. Bovendien dient zorg voor kinderen en jongeren vaak over de grenzen van de GGZ sector heen te gebeuren, bijvoorbeeld door de huisarts of kinderarts, en komen veel problemen bij kinderen en jongeren voor het eerst aan het licht buiten de zorgsector, zoals op school. GGZ voor kinderen en jongeren dient dan ook deze zogenaamde “belendende sectoren” mee te betrekken: welzijnswerk, justitie, gehandicaptenzorg, onderwijs. DOELSTELLING: De doelstelling van dit rapport is om kennis bijeen te brengen over organisatorische en financieringsaspecten van GGZ voor kinderen en jongeren, en dit in het licht van de hierboven geschetste context. De specifieke therapie-inhoud blijft buiten beschouwing. Het rapport bestaat uit twee delen: een overzicht van de literatuur en van de organisatie van GGZ voor kinderen en jongeren in België en drie andere landen. Dit rapport formuleert nog geen voorstellen voor de zorgorganisatie in België. Voor dit proces zullen Belgische stakeholders betrokken worden. Het resultaat hiervan zal beschreven worden in een afzonderlijk rapport. METHODE: Zowel voor het literatuuronderzoek als voor het internationale overzicht werd gezocht in databases met peer-reviewed publicaties en in de grijze literatuur. In het literatuuronderzoek werden naast vergelijkend onderzoek ook descriptieve studies en kwalitatief onderzoek geïncludeerd. Voor het internationaal overzicht werd de beschikbare literatuur aangevuld met gegevens van lokale informanten. MODELLEN VAN ZORGORGANISATIE: Dit rapport legt de focus op de meest geciteerde modellen, en die modellen waarvoor er vergelijkend onderzoek gebeurde. De twee meest geciteerde modellen in de literatuur zijn het WGO-model en het Systems of care model. Beide zijn vrij algemeen en vragen verdere uitwerking door het land of de regio die GGZ voor kinderen en jongeren wil implementeren. De meeste vergelijkende studies zijn wel gekenmerkt door talrijke methodologische beperkingen zoals onduidelijke inclusiecriteria, onduidelijke uitkomstmaten of kleine steekproeven. INTERNATIONAAL OVERZICHT: Om redenen van haalbaarheid werd gekozen om dit deel te beperken tot België, Nederland, Canada (British Columbia) en Engeland. De selectie vertrok van een long-list waarop vervolgens een aantal selectiecriteria werden toegepast. CONCLUSIE: Het belang van een nationaal/regionaal beleid voor kinder- en jeugd GGZ, geconcretiseerd in een duidelijk plan, is al langer bekend. Toch is de literatuur over organisatiemodellen binnen kinder- en jeugd GGZ weinig richtinggevend voor beleidsmakers. De twee belangrijkste modellen die in de literatuur aangetroffen werden geven enkel grote beleidslijnen van algemene aard aan. Bovendien zijn de wetenschappelijke studies in dit domein van beperkte kwaliteit en blijft een groot deel van de beleidsvraagstukken niet of onvoldoende onderzocht. Wel kan men uit het onderzoek ivm. het Systems of care besluiten dat de overheid niet enkel een betere zorgorganisatie en –coordinatie dient te stimuleren. Zij dient ook het ontwikkelen en verspreiden van doelmatige therapeutische concepten te bevorderen. Het onderzoek ivm. preventie en behandeling van angststoornissen via scholen toont aan dat men moet durven zoeken naar oplossingen in samenwerking met andere sectoren buiten de gezondheidszorg. In de bestudeerde landen gaan de hervormingen uit van theoretische denkkaders die gebaseerd zijn op belangrijke ethische principes en waarden; deze overlappen in belangrijke mate tussen de verschillende landen. Echter, bij het praktisch realiseren van dit denkkader ondervindt men talrijke moeilijkheden, en in een aantal gevallen mislukt men in de vooropgestelde doelstellingen. Over het daadwerkelijke resultaat van de gevoerde hervormingen zijn er meestal weinig harde gegevens. Wellicht kan men pas tot een positief resultaat komen als zowel klinische, organisatorische, als financiële aspecten alle tegelijk aangepakt worden; en als ook de eigenheid van elk van de betrokken sectoren daarbij niet uit het oog verloren wordt. In de volgende faze van deze studie zullen samen met de Belgische stakeholders voorstellen voor hervormingen geformuleerd worden. De resultaten hiervan worden afzonderlijk gepubliceerd

Exploring Inclusion, Disability and the Label of Intellectual Disability: Saudi Teachers’ Experiences and Perspectives

This study aims to critically explore how Saudi teachers understand the phenomena of inclusion, disability and the label of intellectual disability. It also seeks to research the extent to which the two implemented models of inclusion/special education in Saudi mainstream schools respond to the academic and social requirements of disabled learners, to uncover the disabling barriers and to offer suggestions for ending or, at least minimising, inequalities and exclusion of children labelled disabled from and within Saudi mainstream schools. Drawing on theories from a range of disciplines, including educational psychology, critical disability studies and education theory, I explored these issues through conducting in-depth semi- structured interviews with 31 participant teachers on an individualised basis. My thematic analysis has generated four key findings. First, the vast majority of participant teachers have misconceptions around inclusion, disability and the label of intellectual disability. They conflate integration and inclusion, locate ‘the problem’ of disability within-child and view people labelled with intellectual disabilities as ‘unable’ thus less than human. Second, participant teachers have different views about the two models of inclusion/special education implemented in schools where they teach. They have positive viewpoints about the mainstream classrooms model but negative perspectives about the self-contained classrooms model. Third, the analysis also uncovers that mainstream schools where participant teachers teach are fettered with disabling barriers and practices and that the Saudi education system are bound up with ableism. Fourth, to eliminate or, at least reduce, inequalities and exclusion of people labelled disabled from and within Saudi mainstream schools, participant teachers suggest raising awareness, creating an inclusive space for all, reviewing, enforcing and developing inclusive policies and regulations and promoting the core values of inclusive education. I also offer further recommendations for the Saudi Ministry of Education to take into consideration in Chapter 8 (section 8.5)

Reading Elinor Ostrom through a gender perspective

This paper concentrates on the scientific work of Elinor Ostrom (1933-2012), who for more than forty years carried out theoretical and empirical research on common-pool resources. Ostrom theorizes that the commons often prevent resource exhaustion more effectively than the state, international institutions, or private owners. However, one of the foundations of commons, as an alternative program to the private/state dualism, ought to be the principle of equality that includes a gender perspective in theory and practice. The goal of this article is to provide thoughtful ways of incorporating gender in economic research from the viewpoint of feminist epistemology and to indicate the place of gender in Ostrom’s work. The methodology of this study could be used for reading economic publications through a gender perspective as well as for inspiring economists to use both gender as a category of analysis and gender-sensitive language in their theoretical and empirical studies

Inclusive Intelligent Learning Management System Framework - Application of Data Science in Inclusive Education

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Data Science and Advanced Analytics, specialization in Data ScienceBeing a disabled student the author faced higher education with a handicap which as experience studying during COVID 19 confinement periods matched the findings in recent research about the importance of digital accessibility through more e-learning intensive academic experiences. Narrative and systematic literature reviews enabled providing context in World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, legal and standards framework and information technology and communication state-of-the art. Assessing Portuguese higher education institutions’ web sites alerted to the fact that only outlying institutions implemented near perfect, accessibility-wise, websites. Therefore a gap was identified in how accessible the Portuguese higher education websites are, the needs of all students, including those with disabilities, and even the accessibility minimum legal requirements for digital products and the services provided by public or publicly funded organizations. Having identified a problem in society and exploring the scientific base of knowledge for context and state of the art was a first stage in the Design Science Research methodology, to which followed development and validation cycles of an Inclusive Intelligent Learning Management System Framework. The framework blends various Data Science study fields contributions with accessibility guidelines compliant interface design and content upload accessibility compliance assessment. Validation was provided by a focus group whose inputs were considered for the version presented in this dissertation. Not being the purpose of the research to deliver a complete implementation of the framework and lacking consistent data to put all the modules interacting with each other, the most relevant modules were tested with open data as proof of concept. The rigor cycle of DSR started with the inclusion of the previous thesis on Atlântica University Institute Scientific Repository and is to be completed with the publication of this thesis and the already started PhD’s findings in relevant journals and conferences

Self-direction as a dimension of nursing education for nursing practice

This thesis is about self-direction in nursing education and practice. The study, located in the Republic of Ireland, took place against the background of profound professional and educational reform culminating in the transfer of pre-registration nursing to the higher education sector in 2002. It adopts the position that learning how to nurse is dependent upon many issues including an individual’s perception of what nursing is together with the educational experiences to which that individual is exposed. The investigation endorses the need for continuous engagement in learning expressed in much contemporary literature and policy (An Bord Altranais 1994, An Bord Altranais 1997, Report of the Commission on Nursing 1998, Report of the Nursing Education Forum 2000 and Department of Health and Children 2002). One method of facilitating life-long learning is through a process of self-direction. The aims of the study are detailed below. 1. To explore the concept of self-direction from the perspective of: student nurses; nurse educators; nurse practitioners; and nurse managers. 2. To develop a framework for the introduction and development of self-direction within nursing education and practice. Given the contextual nature of the study it was also envisaged that the methods employed could contribute to an analysis of action research as a research methodology capable of contributing to policy development. 3. To explore the stability of qualitative methods of data analysis. Qualitative studies have been criticized for the lack of mechanisms or processes to acknowledge the possibility that the evidence presented does not reflect that embedded in the data. This study therefore employs a variety of data analytical methods in an attempt to address this deficit and contribute to the development of robust findings. The literature review is divided into three main sections: self-direction; curriculum; and policy development. The review concludes by making the case for an exploration of self-direction as one means of facilitating the development of nursing education programmes in a manner informed by the thinking of Foucault, Dewey, Durkenheim, Hiemstra, Brockett, and Confessore and Confessore amongst others. The methodological section debates the merits and limitations of adopting a worldview based on subjective experience as the basis for inquiry. This emanates from the premise that qualitative methods allow exploration of humans in ways that acknowledge the value of all evidence, the inevitability and worth of subjectivity and the value of a holistic view described by Chinn (1985). An action research design, specifically participatory action research, was considered most appropriate for this study. The model of action research selected is that proposed by Elliot (1991) and based on the original thinking of Lewin (1946). The study comprises two discrete but inter-related cycles of action research. Cycle one focused on an exploration of self-direction from the perspective of student nurses; nurse educators; nurse practitioners; and nurse managers engaged in pre-registration nursing education. The sample consisted of seventy-two participants. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Data was analysed using the constant comparative method as described by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). The findings from both methods of data analysis were compared and contrasted with a view to contributing to the general methodological debate surrounding data analysis. The findings from action research cycle one emerged as four core categories, which were linked together in a practice framework of self-direction within a model of social reality as described by Burrell and Morgan (1979). Cycle one concludes by proposing to utilize the framework of self-direction developed to explore the meaning of specialist and advanced roles in nursing together with how the knowledge and education required to support these roles could be organized in a self-directed manner. In essence the four categories, which emerged from cycle one, were used to structure and guide the exploration in cycle two. Cycle two is located within the arena of mental handicap nursing because of the researcher’s expertise within this area. The sample for action research cycle two consisted of four hundred and forty two registered nurses working in the area of intellectual disability. Data was collected using focused group interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings were clustered into seventeen themes, which gave rise to two core categories, describing the roles and knowledge required to support specialist and advanced practice in mental handicap nursing respectively. A third core category describing the organisation of specialist and advanced practice in mental handicap nursing completes the findings from action research cycle two. The findings of the study gave rise to a proposed framework for the development of clinical specialisms and advanced practice in mental handicap nursing. Following negotiation with relevant bodies the findings were developed into a policy document entitled Proposed Framework for the Development of Clinical Specialism and Advanced Practice in Mental Handicap Nursing. In terms of subject matter the finding from this phase of the study are unique within the context of both national and international nursing. The relationship between the findings and policy development in both phases of the study illustrates the potential of action research as both a stable and responsive methodology and a policy-making mechanism