Stakeholder experiences, attitudes and perspectives on inclusive education for children with developmental disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa:A systematic review of qualitative studies

In sub-Saharan Africa, there are few services for children with developmental disabilities such as autism and intellectual disability. One way to support these children is to include them in mainstream schools. However, currently, African children with developmental disabilities are often excluded from mainstream education opportunities. People involved (e.g. teachers, families and children) can offer information on factors that could ease or interfere with inclusion. This article discusses the findings of published studies that explored the views of relevant groups on including children with developmental disabilities in mainstream schools in sub-Saharan Africa. We systematically searched the literature and identified 32 relevant articles from seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We found that unclear policies and insufficient training, resources and support for teachers often blocked the implementation of inclusive education. Factors in favour of inclusive education were the commitment of many teachers to include pupils with developmental disabilities and the work of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which provided resources and training. This review suggests that motivated teachers should be provided with appropriate training, resources and support for inclusive education, directly and by promoting the work of NGOs

Conceptualising the empowerment of caregivers raising children with developmental disabilities in Ethiopia:a qualitative study

BACKGROUND: Caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (DDs) in Ethiopia experience stigma and exclusion. Due to limited existing services and substantial barriers to accessing care, they often lack support. Caregiver empowerment could help address injustices that hinder their capacity to support their child as they would like. The aim of this study was to explore the meaning and potential role of empowerment for caregivers raising a child with a DD and how empowerment was situated in relation to other priorities in service development.METHODS: This was a qualitative phenomenological study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Amharic and English with caregivers of children with a DD (n = 15), clinicians (n = 11), community-based health extension workers (n = 5), representatives of non-governmental organisations working with families with DDs (n = 17), and representatives of local authorities in health, education, and social care (n = 15). Data were analysed thematically.RESULTS: Three main themes were developed: "Barriers to exercising caregivers' agency"; "Whose decision is it to initiate empowerment?"; and "Supporting caregivers through support groups". Caregiver capacity to do what they thought was best for their child was undermined by poverty, a sense of hopelessness, experience of domestic abuse and multiple burdens experienced by those who were single mothers. Caregivers were nonetheless active in seeking to bring about change for their children. Caregivers and professionals considered support groups to be instrumental in facilitating empowerment. Participants reflected that caregiver-focused interventions could contribute to increasing caregivers' capacity to exercise their agency. A tension existed between a focus on individualistic notions of empowerment from some professionals compared to a focus on recognising expertise by experience identified as vital by caregivers. Power dynamics in the context of external funding of empowerment programmes could paradoxically disempower.CONCLUSION: Caregivers of children with DDs in Ethiopia are disempowered through poverty, stigma, and poor access to information and resources. Shifting power to caregivers and increasing their access to opportunities should be done on their own terms and in response to their prioritised needs

Conceptualising the empowerment of caregivers raising children with developmental disabilities in Ethiopia: a qualitative study

Background Caregivers of children with developmental disabilities (DDs) in Ethiopia experience stigma and exclusion. Due to limited existing services and substantial barriers to accessing care, they often lack support. Caregiver empowerment could help address injustices that hinder their capacity to support their child as they would like. The aim of this study was to explore the meaning and potential role of empowerment for caregivers raising a child with a DD and how empowerment was situated in relation to other priorities in service development. Methods This was a qualitative phenomenological study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in Amharic and English with caregivers of children with a DD (n = 15), clinicians (n = 11), community-based health extension workers (n = 5), representatives of non-governmental organisations working with families with DDs (n = 17), and representatives of local authorities in health, education, and social care (n = 15). Data were analysed thematically. Results Three main themes were developed: “Barriers to exercising caregivers’ agency”; “Whose decision is it to initiate empowerment?”; and “Supporting caregivers through support groups”. Caregiver capacity to do what they thought was best for their child was undermined by poverty, a sense of hopelessness, experience of domestic abuse and multiple burdens experienced by those who were single mothers. Caregivers were nonetheless active in seeking to bring about change for their children. Caregivers and professionals considered support groups to be instrumental in facilitating empowerment. Participants reflected that caregiver-focused interventions could contribute to increasing caregivers’ capacity to exercise their agency. A tension existed between a focus on individualistic notions of empowerment from some professionals compared to a focus on recognising expertise by experience identified as vital by caregivers. Power dynamics in the context of external funding of empowerment programmes could paradoxically disempower. Conclusion Caregivers of children with DDs in Ethiopia are disempowered through poverty, stigma, and poor access to information and resources. Shifting power to caregivers and increasing their access to opportunities should be done on their own terms and in response to their prioritised needs

Tra didattica e sperimentazione: il Museo Laboratorio di Arte Contemporanea di Sapienza Università di Roma

Il contributo informa sui presupposti che hanno portato all'istituzione del MLAC – Museo Laboratorio di Arte Contemporanea, nel Palazzo del Rettorato di Sapienza, ripercorrendone brevemente la storia e la vocazione didattica che ne ha contraddistinto l'attività, dal 1987 ad oggi

Pattern of care for re-irradiation in locally recurrent rectal cancer: a national survey on behalf of the AIRO gastrointestinal tumors study group

PurposeRadical resection (R0) represents the best curative treatment for local recurrence (LR) rectal cancer. Re-irradiation (re-RT) can increase the rate of R0 resection. Currently, there is a lack of guidelines on Re-RT for LR rectal cancer. The Italian Association of Radiation and clinical oncology for gastrointestinal tumors (AIRO-GI) study group released a national survey to investigate the current clinical practice of external beam radiation therapy in these patients.Material and methodsIn February 2021, the survey was designed and distributed to members of the GI working group. The questionnaire consisted of 40 questions regarding center characteristics, clinical indications, doses, and treatment techniques of re-RT for LR rectal cancer.ResultsA total of 37 questionnaires were collected. Re-RT was reported as an option for neoadjuvant treatment in resectable and unresectable disease by 55% and 75% of respondents, respectively. Long-course treatment with 30-40 Gy (1.8-2 Gy/die, 1.2 Gy bid) and hypofractionated regimen of 30-35 Gy in 5 fractions were used in most centers. A total dose of 90-100 Gy as EqD2 dose (& alpha;/& beta; = 5 Gy) was delivered by 46% of the respondents considering the previous treatment. Modern conformal techniques and daily image-guided radiation therapy protocols were used in 94% of centers.ConclusionOur survey showed that re-RT treatment is performed with advanced technology that allow a good management of LR rectal cancer. Significant variations were observed in terms of dose and fractionation, highlighting the need for a consensus on a common treatment strategy that could be validated in prospective studies

A multidisciplinary approach to estimating wolf population size for long-term conservation

publishedVersio

Archivi di storia orale per la storia dell'arte: una panoramica

Il contributo mira a offrire una panoramica degli archivi di storia orale per la storia dell'arte costituiti nel mondo dal 1954 a oggi, cercando di rintracciare tipologie e modelli ricorrenti. Tale ricognizione individua un crescente riconoscimento delle possibilità offerte da questa metodologia ai campi della storia dell'arte contemporanea, della museologia e della conservazione

Insegnare l'amore per l'arte. La didattica di Toti Scialoja (1948-1959)

Questo studio è dedicato alla didattica scialojana e in particolare al primo periodo che ha visto Toti Scialoja attivo in questo campo, circoscrivibile fra il 1948, quando egli inizia verosimilmente il suo impegno come direttore e professore dell'Istituto d'Arte Zileri di Roma, e il 1959, quando si conclude la sua esperienza da docente incaricato presso l'Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, cominciata nel 1953. La ricerca ha inteso mettere a fuoco le ragioni che hanno reso tale esperienza didattica così rilevante sia nell’ambito della vicenda artistica e umana di Scialoja, sia nella formazione di tanti artisti – anche molto diversi fra loro – i quali hanno spesso riconosciuto apertamente l’impatto fondamentale prodotto dagli insegnamenti trasmessigli dal professore. Si è quindi partiti dalle premesse che hanno contribuito a determinare i caratteri peculiari della docenza di Scialoja, individuabili nella sua formazione anticonvenzionale e nella capacità di far convergere nelle sue lezioni le esperienze da lui maturate sul fronte della pratica artistica e letteraria, della critica d’arte, della teoria teatrale, come pure della scenografia e del costume. Al contempo sono state rintracciate le direttrici principali dell’insegnamento scialojano, di cui sono state colte le tracce nelle ricerche portate avanti dalle diverse generazioni di artisti da lui formate. Dopo aver affidato a un primo capitolo la restituzione di questo inquadramento generale sul tema, nel resto della trattazione è stato seguito un impianto più strettamente storico, in cui fonti documentarie sono state fatte dialogare con racconti di testimoni diretti, alcuni dei quali inediti, con l’intento di ricostruire non solo la didattica di Scialoja, ma anche i contesti in cui egli ha operato e le implicazioni che tale attività ha determinato

Il contributo dell'istituto d'arte Zileri di Roma al rinnovamento del gusto nelle arti decorative italiane fra il 1948 e il 1951

Attraverso il caso dell’Istituto d’arte Zileri di Roma, il saggio riflette sul contributo offerto dalle scuole a indirizzo artigiano al rinnovamento dei repertori e del gusto nelle arti decorative italiane, nella fase che va dall’immediato secondo dopoguerra sino all’affermazione dell’industrial design. La vicenda di questa scuola privata femminile, aperta dalle Orsoline Parmensi del Sacro Cuore e specializzata in lavorazioni tessili e del cuoio, appare piuttosto significativa per la qualità degli insegnamenti impartiti alle studentesse. Parte del merito spetta al pittore Toti Scialoja, direttore della scuola fino al 1950, e a un corpo insegnante molto selezionato, comprendente rinomate artiste e/o artigiane come Bice Lazzari (la quale allora stava iniziando ad affermarsi come pittrice astratta), Maria Marino e Marcella Toppi. Una mostra di fine anno ospitata alla Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna di Roma, nell’estate del 1950, testimonia il modo in cui le studentesse avevano saputo sviluppare una sensibilità moderna in campo artistico, abbracciando un linguaggio non referenziale. Allo stesso tempo, le recensioni della mostra documentano la ricezione dei loro lavori, dando conto parimenti delle polemiche suscitate a quel tempo dall’arte astratta. Questo evento e la partecipazione della scuola alla IX Triennale di Milano nel 1951 rivelano sia il riconoscimento di cui godeva lo Zileri da parte di due delle più prestigiose istituzioni attive in Italia in supporto della ricerca artistica contemporanea, sia l’attenzione di queste realtà per le nuove generazioni in formazione.Through the case of the Zileri art institute in Rome, the essay reflects on the contribution of the handicraft schools to the renewal of the repertoires and taste of Italian decorative arts between the end of the WWII and the affirmation of industrial design. Considering the first years of activity of this all-girl private high school, run by the Ursuline nuns and specialised in textile production and leatherwork, is relevant for the quality of the education given to the students. Responsible for that was the painter Toti Scialoja, headmaster of the school until 1950, and a very selected teaching staff that included valued artists and/or artisans like Bice Lazzari (who was starting to affirm herself as an abstract painter), Maria Marino and Marcella Toppi. A year-end exhibition hosted in the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome in the summer of 1950 demonstrates how the students had developed a modern sensibility in art, embracing a non-referential language. At the same time, the press reviews of the exhibition document the reception of their works, giving an insight into the debate around abstract art. This event and the participation of the school at the 9th Milan Triennial in 1951 reveal the appreciation recognised to the Zileri Institute from two of the most prestigious institutions active in Italy at that time in support of the contemporary artistic research and the attention paid by these realities to the new generation in training

Giovanni Carandente alla Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna di Roma (1955-1961)

L'incarico di Giovanni Carandente come ispettore alle mostre alla Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna di Roma, nella seconda metà degli anni Cinquanta, sancisce l'inizio del suo impegno sistematico sul fronte della cultura artistica contemporanea, nel luogo che allora costituiva l'unica sede museale italiana a essa votata. In questo contesto, lo studioso arriva a dare con il suo operato un contributo fondamentale all'indirizzo espositivo e didattico promosso dall'allora direttrice, Palma Bucarelli, partecipando attivamente, così, a una delle fasi di maggiore militanza del museo nel proporre gli esiti più attuali dell'"arte moderna". Quella che emergerà non è la visione di uno storico dell'arte prestato occasionalmente a restituire i fatti salienti della realtà artistica contemporanea, ma l'azione di un vero e proprio critico militante alle prese con l'"aspro territorio dell'arte d'oggi". Attraverso lo studio di fonti inedite, si è potuta restituire a Carandente la paternità di audaci scelte allestitive, come pure l'ideazione di cicli di conferenze didattiche capaci di presentare al pubblico alcuni temi al centro del dibattito storico-artistico contemporaneo. Sul fronte del programma espositivo sarà esemplare il caso della mostra di Jackson Pollock (1958), in occasione della quale lo studioso determina il modo i cui il pubblico è chiamato a interfacciarsi con la dirompente novità della pittura dello statunitense. Dal punto di vista del programma didattico emergeranno invece due tematiche ricorrenti su cui si impernia lo sguardo sul contemporaneo di Carandente: l'arte astratta presentata quale linguaggio proprio dell'attualità e il rinnovamento del teatro portato avanti dall'avanguardia artistica nel Novecento, con una particolare predilezione per il balletto, da lui inteso come una sorta di scultura in movimento