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Purpose:

The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial impact of standing devices as experienced by users. 

Method:

This is the second part of a comprehensive survey in five counties in Sweden where all the subjects with standing devices were invited to participate. The impact of standing devices on functional independence, quality of life and wellbeing was assessed using a questionnaire, Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS).

Results:

The psychosocial impact of the standing devices was perceived as positive. The highest PIADS scores in relation to age were found in the oldest group, aged 65 years and older. The ability to walk and independence in ambulation resulted in higher scores than the use of a wheelchair and/or dependence on others. Those who stood often awarded higher scores in the PIADS questionnaire compared to those who used the device less frequently. When standing was integrated in various activities, its psychosocial impact received high scores. 

Conclusion:

The psychosocial impact of standing devices was generally experienced positively. The main results indicated that standing in a standing device had a value and we as professionals should ask the users about the intended purpose of their standing in order to prescribe the optimal device.

The call for papers asked to cast “a critical eye on the practice and purpose of sustainability-focused education, and its successes and failures, thus far”. We approach this task in this paper through two lenses that have not yet been very visible in the education for sustainable development (ESD) discourse. One is the lens of disability studies which is the inquiry around the lived reality of disabled people; the other is the lens of ability studies which among others investigates (a) which abilities are seen as essential in a given context; (b) the dynamic of how an ability expectation consensus is reached, if it is reached and (c) the impact of ability expectations. We conclude that (a) no consensus has been reached within ESD discourses as to the process of how to identify essential abilities and as to a list of abilities seen as important and (b) that disabled people are invisible in the formal and informal ESD discourse. We expect the paper to be of interest to disabled people, ESD scholars, teachers of ESD in different educational settings, students of ESD training, NGOs involved in ESD as well as policy makers involved in ESD.

This report presents a summary of the main issues and conclusions from a CBR and persons with intellectual disabilities workshop. The workshop’s four sessions included "a session on health care needs led by Alaa Sebeh; a session on inclusive education led by Katharina Pfortner; a session on livelihoods and economic independence led by Philipa Bragman; and lastly, a session on social participation and empowerment led by Kathy Al Ju’beh." At the end of the workshop the participants agreed to establish an electronic group/network on CBR and intellectual disabilities. All presentations can be accessed from the website in pdf format
"CBR and Persons with Intellectual Disabilities"
Agra, India
24-25 November 2012

This research report examines the perspective of voters and their opinions of the election process. It presents the findings from eight focus group discussions in November 2012 with Libyan citizens who voted in the General National Congress (GNC) elections

This report aims "to provide governments, civil society, industry, academia and other groups with an insight into the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) by persons with disabilities to access information and knowledge around the world; To present an overview and critical assessment of existing information policies and strategies as well as challenges and advantages in using ICTs to access information and knowledge for persons with disabilities; To identify practices at local, national and global levels on effective application of ICTs by persons with disabilities to access information and knowledge; To foster future frameworks on the use of ICTs to access information and knowledge of persons with disabilities (PWD); and Based on the best available information and analysis, to make recommendations for strategy formulation, action-oriented initiatives and new synergies at national, regional and international levels"

"This report brings to light the countless individuals and organizations - whose voices are so often marginalized and ignored - who are now asserting control over their own lives and insisting on inclusion as subjects and not objects of the rights-respecting world. Their mantra is "Nothing about us without us." And the foundation of their demands is impossible to ignore: a human rights treaty ratified by 129 countries in the space of four years, codifying a rights-based approach to disability in international law. In the course of four years of grant making, the Disability Rights Fund has uncovered thousands of stories that add up to a single larger story - the story of a movement out to change who is included in the definition of human"
Note: This report is available in html, pdf and word versions. Contact the publisher for alternative formats

This paper seeks to heighten awareness about the need to include indigenous knowledge in the design and implementation of research, particularly disability research, in Africa. It affirms the suitability of the Afrocentric paradigm in African research and argues the necessity for an emancipatory and participatory type of research which values and includes indigenous knowledge and peoples. In the predominantly Western-oriented academic circles and investigations, the African voice is either sidelined or suppressed because indigenous knowledge and methods are often ignored or not taken seriously. This paper posits that to be meaningful and empowering, African-based research must, of necessity, include African thought and ideas from inception through completion to the implementation of policies arising from the research. In this way the work is both empowering and meaningful for context-specific lasting impact.