A study to explore the capacity of family and service providers to facilitate participation of disabled youth in accessing opportunities in skills development and employment in Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.The study aimed to explore the capacity of family and service providers to facilitate the participation of disabled youth in accessing skills development and employment opportunities in rural areas. The objectives were to describe the family and service providers' understanding of disability; identify visions and strategies for promoting inclusion of disabled youth in skills development and employment opportunities; analyse the provision of services related to the economic development of disabled youth; identify the gaps in skills in facilitating disabled youth's transition in the economic development; and identify the available material resources for economic development of disabled youth

Teaching policy literacy: a case study from the field of disability and rehabilitation studies

Policies guide how we practice as professionals and service providers. A critical engagement with policy analysis is needed and the field of disability and rehabilitation is no exception. This is because the discourse of rehabilitation is a fluid construct that has been subject to the changing understandings of, and approaches to, disability. Research indicates that professionals and service providers struggle with the divide that regularly exists between policy formation and policy implementation. Reasons for this divide include the fact that the process of policy formation does not take the context of implementation into account, leaving professionals and service providers on their own to interpret and apply the policy to their work. We posit that policy literacy is a core contributor to the capacity to understand policy content, to interpret it in light of existing factors and to implement policy in a contextually relevant manner. In this paper, we describe a practice-based teaching innovation of authentic learning through which a cohort of 11 postgraduate diploma student-participants was supported to address the challenge of understanding, implementing and contributing to policy in their own work contexts

COVID-19 Pandemic and Disability: Essential Considerations

People with disabilities have greater healthcare needs and are more likely to experience poor health, however, their access to healthcare remains compromised compared to people without disabilities. Despite this well recognised need, people with disabilities often face  barriers to accessing healthcare and they face additional risks to their well-being, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we posit that people with disabilities are vulnerable in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We demonstrate this vulnerability through briefly highlighting eight key considerations, as they relate to disability and COVID-19. We conclude that both inaccessible healthcare systems and the presence of underlying health conditions put people with disabilities at additional risk. Further, vulnerability to severe illness and death, post-contracting COVID-19, is exacerbated by the interaction between impairments and personal and environmental barriers existing at different levels, resulting in a disproportionately negative impact for people with disabilities. It is thus not sufficient to look only at underlying medical conditions as an indicator of risk for contracting COVID-19. Additionally, the challenge posed by not routinely collecting data on disability renders potential difficulties in linking disability to COVID-19 deaths/infections. More research is needed on disability and COVID-19 to inform disability-inclusive pandemic responses

Exploring national human resource profile and trends of Prosthetists/Orthotists in South Africa from 2002 to 2018

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017 estimated that around35–40 million people require prosthetic or orthotic services. The Framework and Strategyfor Disability and Rehabilitation 2015–2030 for South Africa highlights a shortage of humanresources for disability and rehabilitation services to manage the various risks and types ofimpairments faced by the population.Objective: To describe the demographic trends of Prosthetists/Orthotists (P/O) registeredwith the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) from 2002 to 2018.Methods: The study was a retrospective record-based review of the Health ProfessionsCouncil of South Africa (HPCSA) database from 2002 until 2018. The database of registeredProsthetists/Orthotists was obtained from the HPCSA.Results: Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSSversion 22.0). In 2018, there were 544 P/Os registered with the HPCSA with a ratio of 0.09P/Os per 10,000 population. There has been an average annual increase of 6% from 2002 to2018. The majority (71.9%) of P/Os are located in the more densely populated and urbanizedprovinces, namely Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape. The majority of registered P/Os identified as white (61%) followed by Black (22%), Indian (7%) and Coloured (2%). Most ofregistered P/Os are under the age of 40 years (54.2%) and males make up 73% of theregistered P/Os.Conclusion: This study highlights the unequal spatial distribution trends of P/Os which couldbe accounted for by South Africa’s apartheid history and the subsequent slow pace oftransformation. Addressing the existing shortages is necessary to expand access to P/Osservices and to ensure the motivation, planning and provision of adequate infrastructure toprovide these services. The study presents a compelling case for the prioritization andstrengthening of this workforce for the achievement of effective universal health coveragefor persons with disabilities. (PDF) Exploring national human resource profile and trends of Prosthetists/Orthotists in South Africa from 2002 to 2018. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343281506_Exploring_national_human_resource_profile_and_trends_of_ProsthetistsOrthotists_in_South_Africa_from_2002_to_2018 [accessed Mar 03 2022]

A situational mapping overview of training programmes for community-based rehabilitation workers in Southern Africa: strategies for strengthening accessible rural rehabilitation practice

In 2018, the United Nations global report showed that people with disabilities, who make up 15% of the worlds’ population, have poorer health and rehabilitation access (SDG 3). Without improving the needed person-centered health and rehabilitation services at household level, SDG 3 cannot be achieved. This includes addressing human resource shortages through training multi-skilled community based rehabilitation workers (CRWs) to build rural workforce capacity and enhance the lives of people with disabilities, particularly in LMICs where the need is higher but resources are lower. However, to date, there is no documentation and analysis of existing training and its scope for this workforce in LMICs. A situational mapping overview was undertaken to review the current status of rural rehabilitation training programs offered in Southern Africa for CRWs. CRWs are rehabilitation personnel, based in the home/community, who are not professionals (without a bachelor qualification) but render non-institutional rehabilitation and inclusive development in communities, under the supervision of rehabilitation practitioners. Information on these programs was obtained using a two-step process. Firstly, a descriptive list of university courses for rehabilitation workers offered in the Southern African countries was collected via an internet and literature search. Secondly, detailed information about the disability and rural rehabilitation courses was collected from the respective institutions and their designated websites. There are six training courses targeted at CRWs or disability practitioners with a disability focus being offered at universities in Southern Africa, five of these in South Africa and one in Zimbabwe. Additionally, four training courses are offered as online/open resources by global organizations and are self-directed with no accreditation. While other key competencies feature, none of these programmes’ learning outcomes make direct reference to the rural practice context and its complexities in relation to disability and poverty. The situational mapping overview shows limited training targeted at CRWs in Southern Africa, to effectively facilitate rural rehabilitation, poverty reduction and social inclusion. There is a need for an articulated community-orientated rural training to respond to the unmet needs. This may require a different set of competencies and assessment standards for trainees as well as additional competencies for their supervisors and mentors

Changing demographic trends among South African occupational therapists: 2002 to 2018

Background South Africa’s quadruple burden of disease, coupled with health system challenges and other factors, predicts a high burden of disability within the population. Human Resources for Health policy and planning need to take account of this challenge. Occupational therapists are part of the health rehabilitation team, and their supply and status in the workforce need to be better understood. Methods The study was a retrospective record-based review of the Health Professions Council of South Africa database from 2002 to 2018. The data obtained from the Health Professions Council of South Africa was analysed for the following variables: geographical location, population groups, age, practice type and sex. Data was entered on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 22.0). Results In 2018, there were 5180 occupational therapists registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa with a ratio of 0.9 occupational therapists per 10 000 population. There has been an average annual increase of 7.1% over the time period of 2002–2018. The majority of occupational therapists are located in the more densely populated and urbanised provinces, namely Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Most of the registered occupational therapists are under the age of 40 years (67.7%). The majority (66%) are classified as white followed by those classified as black and coloured. Females make up 95% of the registered occupational therapists. Nationally, 74.8% of occupational therapists are deployed in the private sector catering for 16% of the population while approximately 25.2% are employed in the public sector catering for 84% of the population. Conclusions Under-resourcing and disparities in the profile and distribution of occupational therapy human resources remain an abiding concern which negatively impacts on rehabilitation service provision and equitable health and rehabilitation outcomes