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This video presents one commuter on his daily journey to work highlighting the barriers for people with disabilities in Russia

This report highlights that "a new global framework on development should be rooted in existing, internationally-agreed human rights standards, as set out in core documents like the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Governments have legal obligations to Governments have legal obligations to respect, protect and fulfil these rights, including in their development programs and policies...Making human rights integral to development and a post-2015 development framework would contribute to more just and inclusive development outcomes, especially through an emphasis on participation, empowerment, and transparency"

Purpose: By exploring the level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and attitudes towards persons with HIV/AIDS among deaf people in Ghana, this article aims to identify and correct possible gaps in awareness.

Method: A participatory sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs assessment was conducted, targetting deaf people who were fluent in the Ghanaian Sign Language (GSL). The study design was a two-phase, sequential, mixed methods approach. Three focus groups assisted in the development of a survey, which was then implemented for needs assessment data collection. The 179 study participants consisted of 26 focus group participants, 152 survey respondents and 1 key informant. Of the focus group participants, 7 were executives of Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), 10 were adult males, and nine were adult females. Apart from the key informant, all the participants were deaf persons.

Results: The study indicated that many respondents still had misconceptions about HIV/AIDS and had difficulty identifying preventive methods, but their attitudes towards persons with HIV/AIDS was generally positive.

Conclusion: More attention needs to be paid to the requirements of the deaf community and to designing HIV/AIDS programmes and services that are deaf-friendly and accessible.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore and understand the challenges that are encountered by Malaysians with disabilities in the world of employment.

Method: A survey was undertaken in four Northern Malaysian states (Perlis, Kedah, Penang and Perak) to obtain the primary data. Two sets of questionnaires were formulated. The first questionnaire was addressed towards Malaysianpeople with disabilities, while the second one was for the employers. Descriptive statistics were used to explore, summarise and describe the data collected.

Results: This paper argues that integrating people with disabilities into the mainstream workforce should be the way forward, given that they are a pool of untapped human resources. Crucially, this study also highlights some of the key challenges faced by Malaysian people with disabilities, such as discrimination and exploitation at work.

Conclusions: This paper concludes that equal employment and training opportunities should be extended to Malaysian people with disabilities, in an effort to integrate them into the mainstream workforce. The existing Disability Act 2008 should be revised to address the challenges and issues highlighted in this paper.

This short video by film-maker Tomislav Zaja chronicles the stories of persons with disabilities in Croatia and Romania and their testimonies about institutional care and independent living in the community. The supporting article by Judith Klein, Director of the Mental Health Initiative at the Open Society Foundations, gives further background to the fight for the right to independent living in the community for and by persons with disabilities, and refers to a petition submitted to the European Union by  the  Open Society Mental Health Initiative. This video will be useful to anyone working particularly on social inclusion issues in eastern Europe

Purpose: For intervention to be effective, it is essential that the knowledge, beliefs and perception of a specific social group are taken into account. This is particularly true of leprosy where the problems of social stigma and ostracism are more prominent than the disease itself. There are many misconceptions about the cause, methods of transmission, and treatment.

The main objectives of the study were to examine the socio-demographic profile of persons with leprosy and to explore their knowledge, beliefs and perception about the disease and its initial symptoms, within a specific socio-cultural milieu.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were held with a persons with leprosy at various clinics and care-homes for affected persons in and around Chandigarh, India. Those who had completed their treatment and those who were still undergoing treatment were included in the study. Data collection was done through case studies and in-depth interviews.

Results: The name of the disease varied across different geo-cultural zones. Many respondents who were afflicted with only red patches and had no ulcers, believed that they suffered from a skin disease which would turn into leprosy if proper medication was not received. The perception of 64.9 % of the respondents was that leprosy resulted from supernatural causes like God’s punishment, karma, and sin.

Conclusion: There is a need to educate persons with leprosy and their families about the etiology of the disease.

This policy brief paper presents an overview of a participatory research project developed collaboratively between Australian and Cambodian partners that sought to provide comparative information about the lives of women with disabilities and those without in Cambodia. Information is provided about the experience of violence, barriers to disclosure and services, policy directions, and policy and program recommendations
AusAID Research policy brief