Search

This paper considers the ways that publicly funded developmental services for adults with developmental disabilities in southern Ontario are limited in how they support clients. This paper is informed by field research conducted in the summer of 2019, which was composed of semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and a policy review. Informed by parent advocates who are the main caregivers of their adult children labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities, this paper claims that the administrative processes of the Ontario ministry that manages and funds adult disability services relate to broader exclusionary patterns among adults with developmental disabilities. I explore this claim by reviewing how common ableist assumptions of people with developmental disabilities are ingrained in the policies and administrative processes of these services. I contribute to ongoing discussions among Critical Disability Scholars of the ways that disability as a social category can be articulated outside of ableist assumptions. Informed by parent caregiver perspectives, this article outlines how the limitations of provincially funded disability services in Ontario, Canada cause significant challenge in the lives of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. One possible explanation for these limitations is that there is a disconnect between how the provincial government classifies who should receive immediate services and how many services, versus the actual need of those labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The criteria for high supports, such as monthly funding, placement into a living facility, and the provincial assessment for determining a person's 'adaptive functioning' are rooted in problematic assumptions made of people labelled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of statements issued by the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy, relating to care homes and the threat to the health and lives of their inhabitants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the declared intention by the government to carry out the transition from residential care to community-based support, the results of the study reveal that under the slogans of care, safety, and commitment, the traditional vision of disability that promotes the operation of segregated institutions is reinforced. Ensuring safety is understood as strengthening the institution of a care home by emphasizing its importance, allocating additional resources, and introducing organized isolation practices that do not necessarily account for subjectivity and residents' rights. The authors, using the critical approach, point to elements of the discourse that may be remembered most by recipients. The paper is focused on an approach presented by the Polish Ministry of Family and Social Policy during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding care homes. While the discussion about transition from residential care to community-based support in Poland seems to be advanced, there are still facilities for over 100 inhabitants. In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, the Ministry's communication related to facilitating the transition to independent living was pushed aside, while the traditional institutional-oriented approach came to the fore. The communication by the Ministry is transmitting to the public a strong message that presents care homes as safe places that should be supported and developed as a key housing option. The lack of attention to issues such as transition from residential care to community-based support and a human-rights approach in communication led us to formulate the concept of a turbo-institutional approach implicit in the Ministry's communiques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness that museums must be inclusive and participatory led to practices adapted to visitors' requirements and co-creative experiences, encouraging interaction with exhibitions, and thus fostering memorable experiences. Yet, constraints remain for people with disabilities, reducing their satisfaction and desire to return. Despite the high number of people with visual impairments worldwide, there is a lack of research on factors that may impact their co-creation in museums. This paper aims to identify factors influencing the co-creation of people with visual impairments experiences in museums, either facilitating or constraining it. Based on focus groups discussion, the results of the study conducted suggest that the co-creation of people with visual impairments in museums is influenced both by aspects related to visitors, as well as by disabling features of the museums' physical, communicational, and attitudinal environments. Conclusions and implications drawn are critical to improve the experience of people with visual impairments in museums. This article highlights that despite the high number of people with visual impairments worldwide, many still face constraints when visiting museums. The article reveals that several museums offer opportunities for interacting with the whole museum environment and co-creating value, to trigger memorable experiences. This paper fills a research gap by analysing how a set of factors influence people with visual impairments to get involved in co-creation in museums, either facilitating or constraining it. The research found that the factors that influence co-creation of experiences of people with visual impairments in museums can be related to the visitors or to the museums, including physical, communicational and attitudinal aspects. The article provides guidelines to improve the co-creation in museums of people with visual impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines disabled people's digital political engagement in China, which is a largely overlooked issue. Current studies about disability politics often focus on manifest political behaviours in western democratic societies, while the literature on technologies and China lacks the examination of everyday politics of specific identity groups, such as disabled people. This paper attempts to fill the gaps with a broader framework of political engagement. Based on long-term ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews, the paper presents a variety of political activities in China's cyberspace, including everyday presence, campaigning for policy changes, networking for disability constituencies, and organised online activism. These suggest both latent and manifest forms of political engagement, which are equally 'worthy' in understanding disability politics in China. The forms also interact with each other to build Chinese disability politics in the digital world. New information and communication technologies, such as the internet, have changed the ways we engage in politics. However, how the technologies have been used by Chinese disabled people for politics is a missing topic. The paper uses a broader framework to examine disabled people's online political engagement. The findings suggest a variety of activities that have explicit or implicit relations to disability politics. The study found Chinese disabled people use the internet to document their everyday life, and, to interact with others and create disability groups. These activities suggest no obvious political targets. The study also found actions with clear political purposes, for example personal or group activities to aim to change discriminative policies. The paper argues all these forms of engagement are meaningful. They interact with each other and contribute to the building of disability politics in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on disabled people from the perspective of disability organisations located in the Global South. Drawing on the findings of an online survey, which received responses from 20 representatives of disability organisations located in 13 countries, this study builds on a growing body of recent research highlighting the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on disabled people, many of whom have experienced greater levels of discrimination and deeper levels of isolation and poverty as the result of inadequate state responses to the pandemic. The study also highlights the crucial role played by many disability organisations in supporting disabled people during the crisis, often filling in the gaps in mainstream service provision, and argues that they should be enabled to play a much more prominent role in the long-term recovery process in order to ensure a more disability-inclusive post-pandemic world. This paper argues that: State responses to the pandemic have often failed to take account of the specific needs and priorities of disabled people. During the pandemic, many disabled people have been denied access to essential services, cut off from the support of their caregivers, excluded from education provision and exposed to severe economic hardship. Disability organisations have offered vital to support to their members and beneficiaries, often helping to ensure that their basic needs are met. Policymakers and service providers should collaborate closely with disability organisations in order to ensure that disabled people are not left behind in the long-term recovery process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings from a study on blindness discourses found in South African non-profit organisations that provide rehabilitation services to visually impaired adults. The paper investigates what the public relations materials of these organisations communicate about blindness. It also considers the ideological assumptions that blindness discourses reinforce and embed in rehabilitation practice. The primary focus is a discourse analytic review conducted on a sample of organisation public facing material. The findings comprise three clusters of assumptions, with concomitant enactments in practice. These are i) third-person alliances around the blind subject and a resulting objectification of service users ii) 'journey discourse' which prohibits the expression of complex disability experiences and iii) polarised blindness fantasies which promote othering and prescribe acceptable ways of being for blind subjects. This paper questions what might be imparted to blind persons at a symbolic level through rehabilitative practices. This article explores the ways that blindness and blind persons are represented on the websites of organisations that provide visual impairment rehabilitation services in South Africa. These representations affect the way that society views visually impaired people, and the way that visually impaired people feel about themselves. Organisation websites describe visually impaired people in ways that make it seem as though they play little active role in the rehabilitation process. The idea that rehabilitation is a journey from dependence and depression to independence and self-acceptance might make it difficult for rehabilitation service users to express ongoing feelings of grief and loss. There is a need for more focus on interdependence in rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation organisations must think carefully about what their public relations materials communicate to society about blindness and blind persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely recognised that First Nations peoples in Australia (also known as Aboriginal Australians) have some of the poorest health and social outcomes of any other group. This is evidenced in a number of areas including the disproportionately high rates of disability for First Nations peoples in Australia. This paper explores how the intersection of race and disability compounds disadvantage for First Nations peoples with disability in Australia. Additionally, it explores the conceptual diversity of disability and the role colonisation has played, and continues to play, in creating and maintaining high rates of disability for First Nations peoples in Australia. This paper argues for the decolonisation of the disability sector as a step towards improving outcomes for all. In particular, the use of intersectionality theory is examined as a potentially effective tool for mapping and enacting the decolonisation of the disability sector. First Nations peoples in Australia understand disability in a manner that differs from the mainstream dominant 'western' understanding, and this has huge implications for the disability sector. The dominant model focuses on people with disabilities as individuals who need to be 'treated' and 'supported' by health authorities. First Nations approach is community-based wherein everyone has abilities and responsibilities that are valued by the community – a culture of inclusion and connection that normalises and accepts people with disabilities. Routinely encountered racism and structural discrimination experienced by First Nations people compound discrimination commonly experienced by people with a disability. Intersectional theory identifies how disability and race combine in Australia to produce particularly poor outcomes for First Nations people with a disability, compared to their non-Indigenous peers. Decolonisation, the process of reversing the impact of the dominant way of thinking, is important to improving outcomes for First Nations people with a disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades there has been an increase in the use of participatory and emancipatory methodologies within disability research; centring the lived experience of disabled people. This paper explores some of the ethical and practical considerations when researching in the area of disabled women and sexuality, highlighting the pervasiveness of ableist attitudes and processes. Drawing on critical disability studies and utilising critical reflexivity, the researcher, a disabled woman, discusses some of the strengths and limitations of being an 'insider-outsider' researcher. The paper also presents some strategies and considerations for researchers who seek to use inclusive methods in research with and by disabled people, including the importance of language and multi-methods to facilitate and promote access and expression. If research is to be a true reflection of the community being researched, then it is vital inclusive principles are incorporated into all stages of research projects. There has been an increase in research that includes disabled people in all stages of the research process. This paper discusses some of the ways the researcher, a disabled woman, used inclusive research methods throughout her study focused on disabled women's experiences of sex education, sexual expression and violence. The paper considers some of the strengths and challenges of insider research, and outlines ways to promote access and expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Film, a powerful publicising agent of knowledge, can have detrimental ideological and material implications contributing towards the systematic exclusion of disabled people. The paper explores how acquired physical disability is constructed within three contemporary mainstream fiction films. Guided by theoretical disability models and stereotypic representations of disability, identified by seminal authors in the field, the discussion highlights discourses that are perpetuated, challenged, or omitted within cinematic portrayals of disability. The paper also addresses how these discourses contribute to the maintenance or subversion of ableist power. The data underwent a multimodal analysis guided by critical and cinematic discourses. While steps towards more nuanced and diverse representations of acquired physical disability are evident, the films continue to perpetuate hegemonic discourses, emotionally provocative, and caricatured portrayals of disability. Arguably, contemporary disability fiction films are still largely produced for, and consumed by, abled audiences. Recommendations for transforming cinematic representations of the disabled are addressed. Films can communicate accurate knowledge as well as damaging stereotypes to the public. Disability has often been portrayed negatively in films and thus it is important to critically analyse films about disability. The paper discusses three contemporary films in which the main actors have an acquired physical disability. What is said about disability through the films' dialogue, and how disability is shown through camera angles, music, and props was analysed. The research found that films about acquired physical disability continue to produce negative stereotypes about disability. Thus, discrimination against disabled people is continued. Encouragingly, some stereotypes about disability were seen to be challenged in the contemporary films. Future films need to be more inclusive of disability. Characters need to be complex, all-rounded individuals, with disability being only one facet of their personhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper forms an intervention into existing literature on the life stage transitional crisis of emerging adulthood, commonly referred to as quarter life crisis. Whilst among existing analyses, aspects such as gender and ethnic dimensions are considered, a marked absence of attention to disability within quarter life crisis persists. Toward theorizing the position of disabled emerging adults undergoing transitional life crisis, a composite theoretical framework is envisioned and applied. This entails the application of a five-part typology of critical disability studies, within which a life course approach to disability is integrated. Given the novelty of the subject matter, aspirations for the analysis are modest. The aim is to destabilise and refigure present individualistic psychologised discourses and common popular culture understandings of quarter life crisis. To undertake this work, disability is taken up as a transformative site to rethink the meaning of life stage transitions in emerging adulthood. As young people move from adolescence to adulthood, they can experience a difficult period in their life known as 'quarter life crisis.' Little is known or written about the experience of disability within quarter life crisis. Much of the way that quarter life crisis is understood presently is from an area of study known as psychology and from movies, articles, books and television shows for people in general. To better understand disability in quarter life crisis, this paper suggests that one perspective is particularly useful. This perspective is made up of an area of study that is known as 'critical disability studies' and an approach to understanding people's lives that is called the 'life course approach'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasing number of children diagnosed with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder in Canada, this paper focuses on how their mothers, as Asian immigrant women, experience the process of diagnosis and learn to parent their children. By taking two Asian (Korean and Chinese) mothers' critical personal narratives as major data sources, this paper aims to explore the diagnosis process of Autism-Spectrum-Disorder through a sociocultural lens on the intersectionality of (im)migrants and their cultural competence, and argues that their identity (re)construction and learning for parenting take place at the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and disability. This paper highlights possible implications for everyone involved in this 'medical' process, in the context of Canadian or other similar multicultural societies. Asian immigrant mothers usually have to deal with children with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder (ASD) and they have bitter experience of mistreatment tied to race, gender and class. This study reveals how Asian immigrant mothers struggled in their integration to Canadian society as well as their experiences of denial into Canada's medical system. The stories of these two women shed lights on the social and cultural aspects of immigrant mothers' learning strategies, including how they utilize accessible resources and networks for their children's treatment and diagnosis. This paper suggests that policymakers need to consider the social and cultural aspects of diagnosis in immigrant families to better fit their needs and provide them appropriate medical and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disability research has made vast progress since Oliver's (1992) call for it to challenge disabled people's oppression. In Global South contexts such as Burkina Faso–where the research on which this paper is based was facilitated by the author–participatory diagramming and video are useful in creating spaces where disabled people can be heard. Nonetheless, these voices do not necessarily represent those of all disabled people. This paper tackles critiques of participatory methods, issues of representation, as well as power and positionality concerns arising from the involvement of western, non-disabled researchers. It 'concludes' that while participatory research might respond to the need for ethical research methods exploring disability in Global South contexts, the importance of reflexivity and of striving towards enabling and supporting research whose agenda is set by disabled persons from the Global South, should be at the fore. For the most part, research on disability and the lives of disabled persons takes place in Europe, North America and other similar contexts, and does not take into account the experiences of persons with disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa. Research which involves participants as researchers themselves aims to support disabled persons in fighting against the discrimination they encounter. Such research can involve different research methods, such as disabled persons creating their own film where they can make their voices heard. Methods like these are more ethical than traditional research methods like interviews, and help make visible the lives and experiences of persons with disabilities in countries like Burkina Faso. However, such participatory methods also have their drawbacks, some of which are discussed in this paper in order to reflect on the way forward for disability research in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arab cinema has not featured many protagonists with disabilities, but over the past two decades differently abled characters have appeared on movie and television screens in the Middle East and North Africa. From feature films to Ramadan serials, characters with Hansen's Disease, Down Syndrome, autism, visual impairments, dwarfism, and missing limbs have emerged in films and television shows from Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon. Characters with disabilities in Yomeddine (Egypt), Behind the Sun (Syria), and Tale of Amal (Lebanon) challenge disability stigma in Arab cultures and highlight the toll of caregiving. While these portrayals, which all incorporate religious interpretations of disability and feature poor characters living on the margins, attempt to correct the absence of disability representations and discourse in Arab societies, they fall into familiar tropes of disability objectification by employing the 'prosthetic' of a disability narrative to explore other marginalized social issues like abortion, gender, race, and religious differences. There is hardly any research on how disability is portrayed in film and television in Syria, Egypt, and Lebanon The research sheds important light on how disability and poverty intersect in Arab popular culture This paper discusses how religion (Islam in particular) is used to understand, interpret, and manage disability in Arab societies This research shows how Arab filmmakers are using film and television to advocate for more awareness and compassion for people with disabilities in Arab societies. This paper covers taboo subjects related to disability such as abortion, religious minorities, sexuality, and gender marginalization [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following the publication of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability, the rights and situation of people with disabilities have once again become a focus of national, European and international policy and advocacy. Mansell et al., (2007) identified that there were over 1million people with disabilities in Europe living in institutions of over 30 places in size and almost 1.4 million in some form of residential care. This paper reports findings from a review of national and international sources of data on living situation for 27 European countries as of 2019. Although there had been some changes, especially for children and especially in countries where EU structural funds had been used, there were still 1.4 million people living in residential care, with many still for more than 30 people. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities were those who were most likely to still be in residential services. We consider some of the potential reasons for these findings and discuss what might be needed to really advance deinstitutionalisation. People with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else to live in the community. This paper looks at where people with disabilities live and how this has changed over time. We found that many people with disabilities still live in institutions and that the number had not changed much since 2007. There have been more changes for children than adults. Fewer children now live in institutions. People with intellectual disabilities are most likely to still live in institutions and least likely to be living and participating in the community. Many countries in Europe still do not have good information about where people with disabilities live and whether they have choice and control or are active citizens. There was more change in countries which had received money from the European Union. However, in many countries, there were no plans for how to help more people to live in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDiscrimination against people with disabilities persists in the Chinese labour market despite policy efforts. Enterprises exploit loopholes by engaging in false employment practices, renting disability certificates to circumvent their obligations to employ persons with disabilities or contribute to the Employment Security Fund. This deceptive practice not only undermines the rights of persons with disabilities but also perpetuates discrimination and marginalisation within the workforce. Additionally, resident committees tasked with assisting persons with disabilities in employment often resort to facilitating false employment due to administrative constraints. The paper stresses the importance of combatting false employment as a human rights issue, urging the Chinese government to take decisive action through enforcement measures and proactive initiatives. It emphasises the inherent value and potential of individuals with disabilities and underscores the necessity of creating an inclusive and equitable society for all members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One central aim of disability studies is to shift understandings of disability, such that disability comes to be understood as about the social disadvantage/oppression that people face when society does not cater to impairment of body/mind. Nevertheless, there remains a need for more practical tools for disability advocacy, through which to transmit disability studies' ideas of disability to the general community. Drawing on a qualitative study of the perspectives of 23 people with physical and sensory impairments, this paper proposes virtual reality as an advocacy tool to communicate the principles and beliefs of disability studies. The findings highlight that, due to the nature of the technology, participants feel virtual reality has clear potential as a disability advocacy tool that can facilitate empathy, perspective-taking and positive social change, with a particular focus on how it is the environmental barriers and social attitudes around people that disables them. More practical advocacy or informal education tools are needed that align with the principles of disability studies. This research conducted in-depth interviews with 23 people with physical and sensory impairments. The research finds that virtual reality has clear potential as a disability advocacy tool. The participants reported that virtual reality can facilitate empathy, perspective-taking and positive social change. The research finds that virtual reality focuses on how environmental barriers and social attitudes around people with disability disable them, rather than focusing on impairment experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2016-17, academics at a leading Irish university collaborated with a group of self- advocates with intellectual disabilities to co-design, co-deliver, and co-assess an entire disability module for third-year undergraduate social work students. There are few, if any, reports of university modules of this type, involving adults with intellectual disabilities, in the existing literature. Alongside and after the module, our group of academics and self-advocates conducted inclusive research regarding relevant stakeholders' experiences of the initiative. This paper relates to university students' experiences of being taught and assessed by adults with intellectual disabilities. These experiences were overwhelmingly positive with reported benefits including increased comfort around disability and greater empathy with people with people with disabilities. This said, some aspects of being taught and assessed by self-advocates with intellectual disabilities also provoked considerable anxiety among students. From 2016 to 2017, academics at a leading Irish university collaborated with a group of self-advocates with intellectual disabilities to design, teach and mark a disability module for social work students. The group also conducted inclusive research regarding people's experiences of the module This paper explores how university students experienced being taught and marked by adults with intellectual disabilities. Students' experiences were generally very positive. They said the module led to more empathy with disabled people and reduced their discomfort around disability At the same time, some aspects of the module, particularly the idea of being marked by adults with intellectual disabilities, made them very nervous. We hope that our research might encourage others to employ adults with intellectual disabilities as university lecturers and markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary universal challenge of COVID-19 pandemic put more restrictions to disabled people's social interaction. This paper reports qualitative findings from a short-term art therapy intervention for a person with West Syndrome to examine how art therapy can be used as a coping strategy with the psychological impact of confinement. The data were analysed using Cathy Malchiodi's theory of 'art in therapy' and Edith Kramer's theory of 'art as therapy'. Findings from this study show that the use of art therapy as a coping strategy during the confinement period has clear benefits as it promotes emotional well-being and helps to reduce the mobility limitations caused by disability. The article concludes that art therapy can be used as an alternative way to cope with disability. It aims to positively impact parents and caregivers through highlighting new spots of action. The article looks in detail at the real-life experiences of a disabled person during the period of home-confinement. Disabled people experience isolation from society and the home-confinement policies put more restrictions to their social interaction. Disabled people need to be involved in activities such as painting, drawing, colouring, singing and story-telling to better cope with confinement. This type of research is important because it can help caregivers improve the quality of personal assistance during the period of confinement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First, as a fan of live music and a power wheelchair user living with congenital muscular dystrophy, I use critical storytelling to describe my personal experiences of negotiating for accessibility during participation in arts and cultural activities. Second, I reflect broadly on the ableist ideologies that contribute to the inaccessibility of arts and cultural activities, focusing on the narrow scope of target participants, the ableist rationale for accessibility service provision, the inaccessibility of promotional materials and ticketing, segregated seating arrangements, venue inaccessibility, and single-modal performance. Third, I highlight the detrimental impact of the inaccessibility of arts and cultural activities at the organizational, social, intergroup, interpersonal, and individual levels. Finally, I propose future research directions and suggestions for inclusive practice in arts and cultural activities. This paper aims to promote self-empowerment, unravel the manifestations of ableism in arts and cultural activities, and stimulate readers' critical reflection on in/accessibility of arts and cultural activities. As a power wheelchair user living with congenital muscular dystrophy in Hong Kong, I reflect on how my first-hand experiences of going to more than 60 live concerts and some other arts and cultural activities across five places reinforce discrimination and stereotypes against wheelchair users. I provide examples of my real-life scenarios to illustrate the discrimination against wheelchair users in cultural and arts activities. Examples include experiences in the purchase of concert tickets, inquiries about accessible seating options, communication with venue staff, and interactions with my companions during concerts. I reflect on the impact of the discrimination and barriers of arts and cultural activities. I provide examples of inclusive practices that can promote the accessibility of arts and cultural activities. The writing process is a self-empowering. It helps organize and express my emotions and thoughts regarding the barriers encountered in arts and cultural activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improper processing of sensitive personal data concerning disabled people in government information disclosure not only violates their privacy rights but also leads to discrimination, stigmatization, and other serious secondary harm, that have long been overlooked. China's procurator-led public-interest litigation system is a powerful tool for protecting the privacy rights of vulnerable groups. This paper contends that procurator-led public-interest litigation, as a supplement to and support for private-interest litigation, assists the Chinese government in fulfilling its international obligations to protect the right to privacy of disabled people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I draw on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a human rights model of disability to analyze how the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is meeting its obligations toward disabled people in higher education and employment. This paper argues that institutions in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi adopted a paternalistic and reactive approach to address the rights of disabled people. Drawing on the experiences of disabled people in the UAE and evidence from interviews conducted from 2016 to 2018, the analysis identifies several key challenges to inclusion that stem from a weak enforcement and accountability framework, which results in a lack of accessibility measures and supports in university and workplace settings. The paper recommends interventions that would create an institutional environment where disabled people are treated as rights holders and given equal and equitable access to higher education and employment. This paper studies the barriers that disabled people face in higher education and employment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is a very rich oil-producing country located in the Arabian Gulf with a small number of citizens and a large migrant population. The key problems disabled people talked about are how they are denied equal access to learning supports in the university and how employers do not give them measures and tools to do their work. Because the UAE has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), it should not allow that disabled people are treated unfairly or that they are treated in an unequal way. The UAE should make its laws stronger and monitor the implementation of the CRPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disabilities are a high-risk group, but they are also the group that is most easily ignored by public policy. Non-disabled people might not be able to imagine how many barriers disabled people encountered during this challenging period. This paper focuses on the barriers encountered by people with disabilities in China and the adjustments made to public policies in response. A deeper, social-physiological factor which should also be responsible is overlooked, and that is the 'empathy deficit'. Human rights and empathetic attitudes should go hand in hand with each other when formulation and implementation of welfare security policies for persons with disabilities during a major public health crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge impact on public health and economy of Bangladesh. Population groups such as persons with disabilities are experiencing the worse outcomes in terms of managing their livelihoods, health and well-being. In this paper, we utilized publicly available information and data obtained from an ongoing research study conducted by BRAC University to discuss possible impacts of COVID-19 on the lives of persons with disabilities in Bangladesh. The paper focuses on documenting the livelihood struggles of persons with disabilities during the pandemic and the challenges experienced by them while accessing formal health care services and social safety nets. We also recommend strategies that can be implemented to minimize the impacts and improve the overall well-being of persons with disabilities during this unparalleled crisis situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital media have become integral to the everyday life of people with disabilities. So far, research about disability and digital media use is rather scarce and narrowed on issues of accessibility and social media. This paper draws on qualitative interviews with people with visual or motoric impairments to provide an in-depth analysis of their everyday experiences relating to barriers and benefits of digital media. The findings reproduce previously identified barriers and extend these by adding novel sub-aspects of individual cognitive and attitudinal barriers like non-use of digital media due to their (perceived) complexity and a feeling of greater dependence on digital technology. However, the results also shed light on highly individualized ways that people with disabilities actively make use of digital media to improve their daily life. Despite persisting and new barriers, the general findings suggest that, with the appropriate training and support, digital media are largely beneficial. About 15 percent of the population worldwide are directly concerned by the issue of disability and digital media (for example smartphones, apps, online news). In this study, forty people with visual or motoric impairments were interviewed about their everyday experiences with digital media. They reported both benefits and problems of digital technology. Benefits: digital media allow people with disabilities to lead a more independent life; for example, shopping without assistance, reading the newspaper, or using social media. Problems: fear of technology, feeling dependent on digital devices, and lack of know-how are obstacles for digital media use. Increasingly complex websites and apps create additional barriers. A solution would be individual support and training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the interaction between unconventional and conventional political participation of electoral candidates with disability who competed in Indonesia's 2019 general elections. Interviews with electoral candidates highlight that their reasons for entering the electoral race, and strategies adopted over the course of their campaigns, were shaped by their prior involvement in the disability rights movement. This connection between activism and electoral engagement demonstrates how the disability rights movement shaped political candidates' selection and use of political participation tools. The significance of these findings has bearing for others seeking to understand the political behaviour of people with disability. In particular, it illustrates that community building based on unconventional political participation can positively influence the participation of people with disability in conventional politics despite ongoing challenges posed by accessibility, public perceptions of disability, and access to resources. The 2019 election was the first national legislative election to be held after Indonesia's new disability law was passed in 2016, and many more people with a disability competed than in it compared to previous elections. Most candidates who ran did not have any previous experience running for public office, but the majority did have experience with disability activism. Candidates were motivated to run for office to build on the previous successes of the disability movement, to make sure people with disability had a voice within parliament and to use the electoral campaign to raise awareness about disability rights within the community. Candidates with a disability struggled with physical accessibility, social stigma, and costs during campaigning. Ultimately, it was the skills, networks and resources that candidates previously acquired through their links with the disability movement that helped them to negotiate these limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments are obligated to safeguard social inclusion for disabled people through user-led personal assistance (PA) under Article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This scoping review was carried out to map and explore current knowledge on how governments internationally have managed PA schemes in response to the UNCRPD. The review examined 99 documents, and categorised the literature into the following themes; legislation, funding, model of service provision, governance and regulation, and the COVID-19 pandemic response. We include recommendations to co-design legislation and quality improvement policies to ensure that PA schemes are underpinned by a social model of disability mindset. Further research needs to be undertaken to guarantee that policymakers include the voice of PA users in the management of PA schemes. This article looked at 99 documents to find out how governments are managing personal assistance (PA). It found out that governments can often decide to spend less money on a PA scheme rather than protect our rights. To overcome this problem the documents recommended that legislation for PA schemes must be designed with disabled people. Governments must redirect their money from institutional services to community-based services. Eligibility criteria to control access and the costs of PA should be removed. This paper suggests that we need to have the voice of the PA user to direct the design and delivery of PA schemes. Supplemental data for this article is available online at [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question raised in the article is how user participation and similar terms have been construed in policy for disabled people since the terms were introduced. The empirical base is Norwegian policy documents dealing specifically with policies relating to disabled people from the mid-1960s to the present. The study is based on a critical discourse analytical approach. The dominant discourses are characterised as 'varying discourses of democracy'. The discourses can be seen as illustrating mutual trust between citizens and the state in the Nordic welfare model. However, the harmony between citizens and the state is not necessarily sufficient to elicit great changes in political practices. The Nordic countries' reputation of 'being number one' in deinstitutionalisation and independent living might also conceal problems such as inflexible systems and the imbalance of power, whereby the control of services lies with the system and the professionals, not the users. The article analyses how user participation have been construed in policy documents for disabled people. Norwegian policy documents from the mid-1960s to present is the empirical base. The study is based on critical discourse analysis. The dominant discourses is characterised as varying discourses of democracy. The apparent harmony between the citizens and the state might conceal that the control lies with the system and the professionals, not the users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an analysis of the depiction of autism in The Boy on the Bridge, a post-apocalyptic, dystopian, horror, fiction novel to critically deconstruct the representation of autism specifically related to 15-year-old science prodigy Stephen Greaves. Using a critical content analysis approach, three relevant constructs were identified with depictions including savant/super-crip, non-human othering, and psycho-emotional disablism. Each of these areas is discussed related to the current literature on disability, generally, and autism, more specifically. This analysis demonstrates that cultural understandings of disability are dominated by the medical model, and continue to stigmatize and pathologize while excluding positive social identities. Consideration of the potential damaging aspects of literature portrayals of autism in fictional works is needed to move the autism genre forward in a humanizing and inclusive manner. This study brings awareness to some assumptions around disability by pulling apart one way that autism is presented for public understanding. Even fictional stories can play a role in awareness and understanding of disability such as knowing that autistic people can also be gifted. Notions such as savantism are presented and discussed to help readers understand the various layers in disability. Disability can be presented positively and/or negatively in popular media in both obvious and subtle ways. It is up to readers and viewers to carefully consider how information on disability from popular media might be biased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on a qualitative case study of the experiences of visually impaired rural Chinese women migrating to Beijing. The aim is to understand the ways in which disability, intersecting with gender, prompts the migration of women with disabilities. By applying an intersectionality analytical framework, the present study argues that the migration decisions of visually impaired women are shaped by the 'push factor' of discrimination, the marginalisation of women and people with disabilities in the countryside, and the promise of improved life chances and marriage prospects in the city. However, women with disabilities are not just the victims of the intersection of gender and disability. Their rural-urban migration is also a form of agency; it is an attempt to maintain their autonomy and dignity, motivated by the opportunity to avoid the 'othering' to which they are subjected in their home villages. The experience of visually impaired women who have migrated from rural China to urban China have been very much overlooked to date. Despite the disapproval from their families and the less possibility to remain in Beijing in the long term, many visually impaired women from rural China migrate to here and work as masseuses. The research found that the migration of visually impaired women was an escape of taking the gender roles. The migration decisions were forced by the marginalisation of women with disabilities in the countryside and motivated by the promise of improved life chances and marriage prospects in the large city. The rural-urban migration demonstrates the capacity of visually impaired women to act independently and to make their own free choices, at the same time, it is also an opportunity to develop a community of visually impaired people who work as massage therapists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper begins by giving a description of the relationship between austerity and the neoliberal policy focus on work in the UK, and how this impacts negatively on disabled people. It examines why Black disabled people's employment experiences have been missing in the literature despite the fact that they are more affected by austerity. Black disabled people's experiences in the job market tend to focus on racism and discrimination, whilst other struggles linked to disability, and what this implies for Black people, are poorly understood. A case study, of Black disabled workers, living with the sickle cell condition, is examined to comprehend why more nuanced intersectional research might be needed to understand why some Black people's experiences of employment remain invisible. While there has been a lot of attention on disability and impact of austerity and employment in the England, certain experiences have been missing in analysis. The study explains why Black disabled people's employment experiences are neglected in disability, ethnic minority as well as within employment research. Black people's experiences in the job market tend to focus on racist discrimination or identities, whilst other struggles linked to class, sexism and disability discrimination are poorly delineated. A case study of Black disabled workers with a genetic condition, sickle cell, is given to argue that more nuanced research is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies in social media and disability are growing globally, there is paucity in such studies in Nigeria. This study addresses this apparent gap by exploring the experiences and perceptions of Nigerian adults living with physical disability regarding social media, using an interpretive approach. A total of nine adults with physical disability between the ages of 20 and 34, living in urban areas, were interviewed in this study. Findings show that participants experienced diminished social contact and smaller social networks due to their disability. However, participants who used social media experienced increased social contact, developed social relationships, and had larger social networks. Participants also acknowledged social media as a useful platform for disability advocacy and awareness. Results support a call for continued efforts to support adults with physical disability experiencing diminished social contact to use social media to increase their social wellbeing. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. The paper examines the perceptions and experience of social media use among adults with physical disability in Nigeria. Analyses show that adults with physical disability in Nigeria experience some form of diminished social contact and smaller social networks due to their disability. Nigerian adults with physical disability who use social media experience increased social contact, establish and maintain social relationships, and have a larger social networks. Adults with physical disability in Nigeria acknowledge social media as a useful platform for disability awareness and advocacy. This research recommends that Nigerian adults with physical disability experiencing diminished social contact should use social media to increase their social wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurodivergence is currently underrepresented among staff in higher education. Acknowledging such underrepresentation, this narrative review critically explores the experiences of neurodivergent academics as reported within the scholarly literature. This review of the literature, which utilised Scopus, ProQuest Central and Education Source via Ebsco databases, identified 34 relevant articles after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Findings from this review challenge universities to acknowledge and redress the negative experiences of neurodivergent staff across issue-areas of disclosure, stigma and discrimination. Moreover, in recognising the positive experiences of accommodated neurodivergence in the academy, medical model supported views of the 'disabled' scholar are undermined. Universities that value diversity and inclusion need to be open to the content of this narrative review along with the suggestions for future research directions. This paper discusses the lived experiences of neurodivergent staff (people who have brains that work differently to most others) in higher education. It reveals what published articles have reported on this matter. Neurodivergent staff can enjoy positive experiences in higher education. For example, they describe receiving accommodations and applying their abilities. These staff can also have negative experiences after telling people that they are neurodivergent. They can be seen and treated in bad ways. This review is useful because it shows that universities need to do more to include neurodivergent staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies social practice theories, which focus on the pattern of everyday activities, such as studying at university or playing music. Some theorists analyse practices by looking at the different elements from which they are formed, and that has helped us to gain insights into how disabled people can get included and excluded from ordinary activities. We focus firstly on common strategies for adjusting practices, namely providing another social actor and allowing more time. Secondly, we turn to ways in which social practices can be re-designed for everyone. Thirdly, we explore practices in a more restricted and 'specialised' setting, such as a centre for disabled people. We conclude that social practice theory has not given a full account of the effect of exclusions. Disabled people's inclusion can change the shape of a practice, but it is important to recognise and embrace such changes in the mainstream of social life. Social practices are things we all do, like shopping or cooking or playing music. Some social practices are hard for some disabled people to take part in. We call that 'exclusion'. But things can change. Disabled people can be part of that change, by showing others how things can be done differently. The UK has a law called the 'Equality Act' (2010) which means public services like hospitals should include disabled people. They have to adjust the way they do things. Social practices should not just be tweaked for a disabled person. They should be changed so everyone is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the oral health of people with disability and the disadvantage they experience compared to those who do not have a disability. There are many influencing factors for this including service provision and appropriate training for staff. A potential solution is proposed demonstrating that even advanced dental care is possible for people with complex disability. This meets the principal of equitable care for people with disability. The example concerns the provision of a lower anterior bridge for a gentleman with mid to end stage Huntington's disease and significant uncontrolled choreic movements. Intravenous conscious sedation is used to facilitate complex treatment and to demonstrate a clinical skill which can open doors for the treatment of adults with disability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all wakes of lives in many countries including Sri Lanka, an island nation in the South Asian region. Among severely hit community groups due to COVID-19 have been the persons with visual impairment and blindness, who represent the majority of disabled people. Taking into consideration that the persons with disabilities generally fall into poverty-stricken cluster of the population and Sri Lanka has been passing turbulent times even prior to COVID-19, this paper argues that the people with visual impairment and blindness have been pushed from bad to worse, due to the shocks of COVID-19 strike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this autoethnography, BW and I explore the various ways in which my experiences of lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic are not altogether different from my everyday experiences as a visually impaired person. Further, we make sense of my experience that, notwithstanding the social world's expression of feelings about lockdown and social distancing, my own reactions to disability-imposed lockdown remain unrecognized, invalidated and unseen. Making sense of these experiences of invisibility is essential, since it is only when our experiences are truly contemplated by others that we can have the hope of being fully known. In this paper, my co-author and I explain the various ways in which my experiences of lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic are not altogether different from my everyday experiences as a visually impaired person; I provide examples to illustrate that there are anxiety-provoking challenges lurking outside my home; Yet, giving in to these anxieties and being confined to my home is too painful to give in to; While my everyday experiences are, too some extent, what the world is experiencing at the current moment with social distancing and lockdown, my feelings about disability-imposed lockdown remain unrecognized, invalidated and unseen; It is important to voice and make known these realities, For it is only when our experiences are truly seen—when we are completely known—that we can move towards self-acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative attitudes about and behaviours towards women with disability are harmful and give shape to an identity that is imposed by others. Our research sought to challenge these attitudes and behaviours through self-portraits, narratives and photovoice methodology. Six women with disability participated in our feminist photovoice project on identity, producing data that we interrogated through thematic analysis. Our findings indicate that remarks and actions directed at women with disability can be intrusive, judgmental and exclusionary. They also give shape to an identity defined or imposed by others. However, to (re)define the self and claim space, these six women engaged in the 'work of disability' by 1) articulating identity, 2) challenging expectations and disabling attitudes and 3) explaining disability. By countering pervasive and disabling attitudes with photographic self-portraits and accompanying stories, these six women of diverse shapes, sizes, and abilities artfully lead us on a pathway to a more inclusive society. In our study, six Australian women with physical disability photographed aspects of themselves, focusing on their strengths and issues affecting them. Their photographs inspired group discussions and video interviews, offering thought-provoking ideas of what it is like to be a woman with disability today in Australia. The women described their frequent experiences of being stereotyped and excluded through remarks, actions and the environment they negotiate every day. Through photographs, words, actions and thoughts they challenged stereotyping and negative attitudes to define who they are and how they want to be viewed. Often, they actively worked to educate others about disability to claim their rightful place in our communities. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2021.1925525. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, the Disability Discrimination Act and associated Educational Standards prevent educational institutions from treating people with disability less favourably than those without disability – directly or indirectly. However, people with disability are still subject to both economic and cultural disadvantage in Australian higher education policy. In this article we describe this as a 'recognition–redistribution dilemma', whereby this population must both deny and claim their subjectivity. This is in large part due to the lack of transparency around how disability is defined, coded and recorded. Drawing on three stages of development of Australian higher education equity policy across three decades of higher education disability policy, the article provides insights into how people with disability have been categorised, classified and counted in higher education and the implications this has for how they are supported. Australian higher education institutions ask students with disability to identify not only that they have disability, but the 'category' of disability and whether or not they need support. The disability categories used are not fit for purpose and it is not clear whether the data being collected have value, in terms of how they advance social understandings of disability. Disability support staff understand and advocate for the need to focus on functional support, not disability definitions, but the policy and reporting environment does not reflect this need. Higher education institutions should only collect information from people with disability if it is needed to support the person specifically, or if it can be used to improve support more widely for people with disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As people with disabilities often face difficulties entering the labour market, entrepreneurship and self-employment are often regarded as an opportunity to gain employment and earn a living. This article presents a scoping review that aims to investigate what establishment motives previous studies have identified for self-employment and entrepreneurship among people with disabilities. Four themes emerged: economic motives; flexibility and self-determination; avoiding discrimination; and personal development and being able to contribute something. In the article we discuss the results and relate them to the general discourse on entrepreneurship, which often includes the concept of autonomy. We argue that the findings suggest implications for how to develop support and strategies for this group, to help them avoid ending up in an even more vulnerable position. In this work, the individual's own motives for establishment are of great value. People with disabilities often find it difficult to find paid work. One way to earn an income is to start their own business. This article summarizes the findings of 16 research articles and one book chapter on why people with disabilities start their own business. The findings from earlier studies show that people with disabilities have different motives for starting their own business, such as economic reasons; to be independent and be able to decide their working patterns; to avoid being discriminated; for personal development; and to be able to contribute positively to the lives of others. To be able to provide appropriate support, different stakeholders, such as politicians and professionals, need to know why people with disabilities start their own businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article concerns the Swedish support system's legal discourse, and investigates the rationale for excluding people over the age of 65 from services that younger people with disabilities may obtain. Data consist of government texts and court decisions under the Severe Disability Act about services for people over the age of 65. It was found that little in the legal discourse concerns the needs and rights of older people, and the general belief is that the Severe Disability Act is primarily intended for children, young people, and adults of working age. Othering of older people was indirectly present in three assumptions about differences in categorizations (people with disabilities vs older people with support needs), needs (active age vs not active age), and comparisons (with people without disabilities of the same age vs with others receiving eldercare). In Sweden, as in many other countries, the support system excludes older people with disabilities from some services, using a division between the categories 'people with disabilities' and 'older people'. The legislation that governs the support system communicates the message that older people with disabilities have different needs as compared to non-old people with disabilities. Justice for non-old people with disabilities is to have similar living conditions as people without disabilities of a similar age, and justice for older people with disabilities is to have similar living conditions as others who receive eldercare. The support system of Sweden rests on the assumption that disability after retirement age is caused by the process of ageing. People who grow old with experience of being part of disability movements may establish new identities as older people with disabilities, and challenge the present order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how disability activists in Uganda mediate their agency between influences of the Global North and local realities. Narratives of activists illuminate limits to their agency on individual, community and national levels and depict challenges to apply global frameworks to local contexts. I argue that the Ugandan disability movement needs to determine a common strategy with an increased focus on social change, but activists do not have the agency to determine priorities as funding organisations impose their agendas. Activists seem to lack awareness of current debates in critical disability studies that would support engagement with unequal power relations and reflections on the assumed universality of concepts. I conclude with the call for a dialogue between critical disability studies and development studies that supports activists in Uganda can develop a context specific disability discourse. This article explores the work of disabled people and their organisations who aim to improve the situation of disabled people in Uganda While this Ugandan disability movement has had exemplary achievements in the past, currently it seems disorganised and not unified. The priorities of the Ugandan disability movement are heavily influenced by funding organisations, which has resulted in a focus on creating laws and policies, while work to improve the attitudes of society towards disabled people has been limited. The funding organisations are mainly development organisations that work globally and rarely take specific local contexts into account. Critical disability studies debates stress the importance of local context, but the debates do not reach Ugandan disability activists. Disability studies and development studies scholars and practitioners need to work together to find ways forward that meet the needs of disabled people in contexts like Uganda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key goal of the NDIS, the federally funding individualised funding scheme for people with a disability in Australia, is to facilitate an ordinary life for them in their communities. This study examined family perceptions of the contribution NDIS made to create an ordinary life for their adult member with intellectual disability. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 families. The families found this to be a complex process in that while the move to the new funding system supported some elements of a life more aligned to that of similar aged peers, there were also a number of missed opportunities. The opportunities that were available to the adult with intellectual disability were affected by stakeholders' differing views of disability. NDIS presents an opportunity to continue to build towards enabling people with a disability to make their own choices and, with support when needed, build a life similar to their peers. The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is the new federal individualised funding scheme for people with a disability in Australia. The National Disability Insurance Scheme gives people with a disability their own funding. This helps them to be able to make their own choices about what they want to do and what support they need. The National Disability Insurance Scheme hopes to support an ordinary life for people with a disability in their communities. This study investigated how it is working for adults with intellectual disability. It showed that it is a complicated process. Some aspects of the National Disability Insurance Scheme are working well but there are missed opportunities. There is a need to keep talking about how people think about disability so we can understand the impact different views have on the National Disability Insurance Scheme planning and outcomes for adults with intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored how individuals with disabilities in Shanghai perceive the accessibility of public spaces and their experiences of various barriers in transit to public spaces. We conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with community-dwelling individuals with mild to severe physical, sensory, and multiple disabilities (N = 16). Our findings suggest that despite government efforts to improve accessibility, participants still perceived public spaces to be inaccessible. They encountered physical barriers, social barriers, and unusable accessible facilities in the process of accessing public spaces. Their sense of being a burden to family caregivers also compelled participants to limit their mobility radius. Despite some participants' attempts to advocate for their mobility and accessibility rights, they ultimately chose to compromise when their efforts were not acknowledged. This study seeks to inform policy and practice by increasing understanding of public space accessibility from the perspectives of people with disabilities in urban China. This study is among the first to explore what people with disabilities experience when going to public spaces in urban China, and how they understand these experiences. People with disabilities in Shanghai face various difficulties when going to public spaces. Although there are facilities designed to assist people with disabilities in moving around public spaces in Shanghai, these facilities are often occupied, blocked, or broken, and thus cannot be properly used. Most study participants chose to stay at home and in familiar places to avoid difficulties in going to public spaces and burdening their family members. Participants who tried to advocate for their rights gave up after their efforts were not responded to. Policymakers and practitioners should understand the difficulties of people with disabilities and their families when they go to public spaces and include them when developing and implementing relevant policies and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that people with disabilities encounter barriers to participation in national elections. These barriers often lead to differences in voter turnout between people with disabilities and those without (referred to as the disability gap). This study analyzed the disability gap in national elections between 2006 and 2016 in 24 European Union countries. Further, it analyzed the association between voter turnout and national levels of election information accessibility. Data from the European Social Survey and the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency were used. While the disability gap varied across countries and years, the average gap increased from 3.45 percent in 2006 to 8.38 percent in 2016 and remained statistically significant when controlling for potential confounders. Further, voter turnout was found to be positively related to the accessibility of information. These findings underline the need for more research on how to close the disability gap in voter turnout. This study reports that, in many European countries, people with disabilities are less likely to vote in national elections than people without disabilities. The study found that this difference in voter turnout increased from 2006 to 2016. The difference exists because individuals with disabilities face barriers to voting not faced by individuals without disabilities. Information about elections is, for example, often provided in standard formats that are inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. Information about elections includes information about the timing and location of elections as well as information on candidate positions. The study found that individuals with disabilities are more likely to vote in countries where election information is provided in accessible formats than in countries where it is provided in standard, non-accessible formats. Accessible formats include those that use easy-to-read layouts, large print, tactile writing systems, and read-aloud systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism has presented a new frontier challenging how society understands disability. This article reviews the historical contexts of disability and autism along with a brief overview of the concept of 'identity' within the context of disability, and how autism is understood within the medical and social models of disability considering how these models may impact autistic identity building. Neither of these models adequately encompasses the diverse autistic experience. Instead, a predicament model of autism is proposed to better understand autistic experience. This model facilitates a nuanced, multidimensional understanding of the lived autistic experience and all of the gifts and challenges that may go along with it. An advantage of this model is that it moves beyond the current problematic understanding of autism as an overly simplified low-to-high functioning 'spectrum'; instead, it reframes autism as an individualized, highly variable predicament. In the medical model, autism is a medical disorder. This model has been criticized for over-focusing on what the person cannot do instead of what they can do. In a social model, autism is a different 'way-of-being' that results in autistic persons being excluded from society because they often behave differently from the 'norm'. This article argues that these models do not adequately explain the vast differences in what 'being autistic' can mean and suggests that a predicament model of disability is an improved way of understanding autism. Thinking of autism as an individualized 'predicament' allows for more answers to the question 'What does being autistic mean?' A benefit of this model is that it disregards the 'spectrum' metaphor, which ranks autistic persons on a 'low-to-high' functioning scale. Instead, the predicament model of autism embraces the individuality of each autistic experience without comparing it to a standard of 'normal'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This coproduced study drew on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to inform a Human Rights-based design. Using photographic images and reflective diaries, twelve participant co-researchers investigated the quality of public toilets when travelling in Scotland for people with dementia and other physical and cognitive impairments. Data were analysed using constant comparison and critically reflexive, group enquiry to produce contextualised evidence of toilet utility from the user perspective. Essential themes revealed major challenges associated with toilet accessibility, usability and design, emphasising the distressing sensory experience of the user when confronted with an inadequate or inaccessible toilet. Substantial overlap in needs was demonstrated but a few unique requirements aligned with specific disabilities were recorded for attention. Our findings highlight two key issues: 1) existing Standards are often unmet; 2) current Standards require review and endorsement by people who represent the full range of access needs. This article reports on a co-production study that researched the critical Human Rights issue of accessible toilet provision for disabled people and carers when travelling. As integral team researchers, disabled people (including people with dementia) and carers played a catalytic role in directing the research outcomes demonstrating the meaningful involvement of seldom heard groups in research. Findings accentuate the high emotional costs of inadequate toilet provision. We identified substantial overlap in the experience and needs of people with different impairments seeking to find and use toilets when travelling but detected a few unique requirements aligned with specific disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entrepreneurship is a feasible option for people with disabilities as it allows room for flexibility. This study investigates the factors that influence the entrepreneurial intentions of people with disabilities in Spain. The data were obtained from nine focus groups, one interview, and seven questionnaires. The analysis was performed using NVivo software. The results showed that self-realisation, the search for autonomy, freedom, and independence are critical factors that affect the decision of people with disabilities to become entrepreneurs. The results also highlight the lack of business culture in Spain, the need for support from family and friends, and the necessity to create a network of contacts for people with disabilities to feel included. Education plays a key role in overcoming the differences with respect to people without disabilities. The findings also suggest that specific legislation or action plans are needed in Spain to promote entrepreneurship among people with disabilities. This study shows the personal and contextual factors that influence the entrepreneurial intentions of people with disabilities in Spain. Nine focus group discussions and one interview were conducted through Zoom, a video conferencing platform. This shows the role played by digital tools in the inclusion of people with disabilities. This research concludes that entrepreneurship makes people with disabilities feel free and independent and increase their self-fulfilment when they see their contribution to economic development. There is a lack of entrepreneurial culture in Spain, and institutions should undertake measures to promote not only the entrepreneurial spirit but also the full integration of people with disabilities. Such studies are important in order to boost entrepreneurship among people with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting an approach that differs from practices in other countries, China has made many achievements in reducing poverty for people with disabilities using two successful types of policies and a unique political mobilization mechanism. However, inconsistencies between the policies and their implementation in the Chinese policy environment has produced new exclusionary effects, hindering the process of social integration for people with disabilities. These obstacles need to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a critical examination of the 2006 Turkish mental healthcare reform aimed at deinstitutionalisation and introduction of a community-based approach. Combined with Turkey's ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the rhetoric of the reform signified a step towards a rights-based approach. Despite some evidence of progress towards deinstitutionalisation, this article suggests that the reform has largely failed in its goal of implementing a rights-based approach, for three reasons: its inability to address unmet needs for mental healthcare, its failure to complement community-based mental healthcare provision with social policy programmes, and its deficiency in legislating civil rights protections. These failures have engendered an ineffective trend towards deinstitutionalisation rather than facilitating the transition to independent living. Finally, this article calls for a nuanced understanding of deinstitutionalisation, with consideration of the broader social policy and civil rights environment within which the mental healthcare system is embedded. While Turkey introduced a reform in mental health in 2006 and ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, the broader implications of these changes for people with mental health problems remain unknown. The 2006 reform facilitated independent living of people with mental health problems by launching community-based provision of mental health services. Despite this positive outcome, the reform has largely failed to promote independent living as mental health service provision is still limited; employment, housing, personal assistance and income support programmes are lacking; and the rights of people with mental health problems are not brought under legal protection. The article argues that to promote independent living, decreasing the capacity of institutional care is necessary but not sufficient. It must be complemented with social and economic support programmes and legal guarantees for the equal rights of people with mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review aims to identify the factors that facilitate or impede the engagement of Aboriginal people living with a disability with disability services through review of the current academic and industry literature. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are twice as likely to experience disability as non-Indigenous Australians, yet often have more difficulty accessing support. 17 documents were included in the final review. The review revealed the super-ordinate theme of culture and Indigeneity which pervades the three additional themes of accessibility, engagement and lack of support. All four themes can be viewed as barriers or facilitators of engagement for Aboriginal people. Quality assessment highlighted the need for research exploring the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disability and for more culturally appropriate and scientifically rigorous research. The findings provide guidance for policy makers and service providers in relation to supporting Aboriginal people living with disability. Aboriginal people living with a disability experience numerous barriers to positively engaging with disability services. The current literature that examines the lived experience of Aboriginal people living with a disability is limited in scope and quality. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander access and engagement with disability services may best be facilitated through the consideration of Aboriginal cultural beliefs, individual cultural needs, and Aboriginal perspectives of health. There is a need for disability services to become more culturally aware and more inclusive of Aboriginal cultural understandings to better inform inclusive policy and practice. The study recommends more collaborative research into the lived experience of Aboriginal people living with a disability, particularly relating to the way that inclusion can improve wellbeing and engagement with support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]