Research Articles (Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies)
Recent Submissions
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Community-based rehabilitation workers’ perspectives of wheelchair provision in Uganda : a qualitative study
(AOSIS, 2019)Background: The challenges of wheelchair provision and use in less resourced settings are the focus of global efforts to enhance wheelchair service delivery. The shortage of professional wheelchair service providers in ... -
A situational mapping overview of training programmes for community-based rehabilitation workers in Southern Africa : strategies for strengthening accessible rural rehabilitation practice
(Frontiers Media, 2020)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 ... -
Tracking the policy literacy journey of students in a postgraduate diploma course in disability and rehabilitation studies
(HESA, 2020)Health and/or rehabilitation practitioners have to interact with policy decisions. Ideally, they need to be able to understand policies and to engage with them, however, practitioners are often not aware of policies and ... -
Changing demographic trends among South African occupational therapists : 2002 to 2018
(BioMed Central, 2020-03-20)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 ... -
Lessons from the pilot of a mobile application to map assistive technology suppliers in Africa
(AOSIS, 2018)A pilot project to develop and implement a mobile smartphone application (App) that tracks and maps assistive technology (AT) availability in southern Africa was launched in Botswana in 2016. The App was developed and ... -
Deafening silence on a vital issue : the World Health Organization has ignored the sexuality of persons with disabilities
(AOSIS, 2018)In 2016, the World Health Organization, through the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology Initiative, issued the Priority Assistive Products List which is meant to be a guide to member states of the 50 assistive ... -
An exploration of burn survivors’ experiences of pressure garment therapy at a tertiary hospital in South Africa
(Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa, 2017)Introduction: Pressure garment therapy is used to treat hypertrophic scars, but adherence to this intervention presents challenges. The aim of the paper was to explore the pressure garment therapy experiences of adult burn ... -
Simple ideas that work : Celebrating development in persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities
(AOSIS, 2018-06-05)The purpose of this article is to share some lessons learnt by an interdisciplinary therapy team working with persons with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD), implemented in diverse, low-income contexts ... -
Access to assistive technology in two Southern African countries
(BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2018-10-19)Background: Millions of people in Southern Africa are deprived of basic human rights such as the right to education and work because of the large and growing unmet demand for assistive technologies (AT). Evidence is needed ... -
Opportunities for human resources for health and rehabilitation : a response to Jesus et al.
(World Health Organization, 2017)We welcome Jesus et al.’s paper, which makes an important contribution to the under-researched area of the physical rehabilitation workforce. The authors present recommendations to “advance a policy and research agenda for ... -
Exploring the interaction of activity limitations with context, systems, community and personal factors in accessing public health care services : a presentation of South African case studies
(AOSIS Publishing, 2017-02)Background: There are many factors that influence access to public health services, such as the context people live in, the existing health services, and personal, cultural and community factors. People with disabilities ... -
Occupational therapy students’ perspectives on the core competencies of graduates to practise in the field of neurology
(Health and Medical Publishing Group, 2017)Background. The South African (SA) health system is characterised by limited resources, high bed turnover rates and a high therapist-to-patient ratio. Patients with neurological dysfunction form a large majority of the ... -
Education, work, and motherhood in low and middle income countries : a review of equality challenges and opportunities for women with disabilities
(Cogitatio, 2018-03-26)This study looks at the equality challenges and opportunities for women with disabilities in low and middle income countries (LMICs) to participate and succeed in education, employment and motherhood. It is based on a ... -
Parents as partners : building collaborations to support the development of school readiness skills in under-resourced communities
(Education Association of South Africa, 2013)The purpose of this paper is to present a preliminary, qualitative review of a therapeutic programme for preschool children and their parents in severely under-resourced contexts to aid the development of the underlying ... -
The experiences and challenges faced by rehabilitation community service therapists within the South African Primary Healthcare health system
(AOSIS Publishing, 2017)Background: Twenty-two years after the promulgation of a plethora of progressive health policies since 1994, the South African public health system reflects a number of stumbling blocks regarding implementation. Rehabilitation ... -
Impact of post-stroke impairments on activities and participation as experienced by stroke survivors in a Western Cape setting
(Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa, 2016)ENGLISH SUMMARY : Introduction: This paper explores causal connections between impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions after stroke. Methods: The study population (N=267) of this descriptive ... -
A study of human resource competencies required to implement community rehabilitation in less resourced settings
(BioMed Central, 2017-12)Background: It is estimated that over one billion persons worldwide have some form of disability. However, there is lack of knowledge and prioritisation of how to serve the needs and provide opportunities for people ... -
Assistive products and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(BioMed Central, 2016)ENGLISH SUMMARY : The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have placed great emphasis on the need for much greater social inclusion, and on making deliberate efforts to reach marginalized groups. People with disabilities ... -
Impact of structured wheelchair services on satisfaction and function of wheelchair users in Zimbabwe
(AOSIS Publishing, 2016)ENGLISH SUMMARY : Background: Providing wheelchairs without comprehensive support services might be detrimental to user satisfaction and function. Objectives: This paper compares wheelchair user satisfaction and function ... -
A protocol for the methodological steps used to evaluate the alignment of rehabilitation services in the Western Cape, South Africa with the National Rehabilitation Policy
(BioMed Central, 2017-03)ENGLISH SUMMARY : Background: Rehabilitation medicine plays an integral part in attainment of optimal functioning after injury or disease. The National Rehabilitation Policy of South Africa (NRP) (2000) highlights the ...