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People with disabilities have an inviolable right to equitable access and participation in tertiary education and support systems are known to be indispensable in making this right a reality. This article presents the voices of students with disabilities regarding aspects that influence their successful access and participation in tertiary education in Ghana. A qualitative approach was adopted for the study with data collected through interviews with 12 students with disabilities in three public universities. From the perspective of these students, successful inclusion of people with disabilities in tertiary education in Ghana is influenced by enrolment practices, the built environment, teaching and learning approaches, and assessment provisions. The context influenced provisions and support provided. Attitudes of the university community and lack of knowledge of inclusive practices such as Universal Design play a role in students' access and participation. Comprehensive awareness-raising on disability and inclusive practices is recommended to address this issue. This paper explores inclusion practices in three Ghanaian public universities focussing on the combined voices of students with disabilities. The context of the three universities influences the provisions and support available for people with disabilities. The students with disabilities involved in the study reported that access to the university environment and support for academic engagement impact their university experience. The attitude of the university community is a factor in ensuring access, participation and success of people with disabilities in higher education. Creating awareness of disability issues within the university community is pivotal in building and sustaining inclusive culture. The application of universal design principles is essential to improving access and participation of people with disabilities in higher education institutions. [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]

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]

The article offers instructions for authors when submitting articles for the Student Perspectives section of the academic journal "Disability & Society," such as following all instructions for submitting a peer-reviewed paper, paying attention to the journal's policy on language, and uploading all submissions at Student Perspectives in the ScholarOne system at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cdso.

Parents with physical disabilities face challenges in their relationships with perinatal and early childhood services. This paper aims to better understand the experiences and needs of parents with physical disabilities regarding perinatal and early childhood services in the public healthcare system in Quebec, Canada. We also describe how adequately current services meet the needs of these individuals. Thirteen interviews were conducted with ten mothers and three fathers with physical disabilities. Results indicate challenges in various phases of the parental experience: the decision to have a child and conception; pregnancy follow-up; delivery; postnatal care and parental practices. The main issues reported by participants involved access to information and professionals' attitudes. Participants also emphasized the importance of keeping control over the parenting process. As there is a growing interest in the questions surrounding parents with disabilities in Quebec, this study can provide useful insights for community organizations and political stakeholders. Parents with physical disabilities report needs at various stages in their parental experience: the decision to have a child and conception, pregnancy follow-up, delivery, postnatal care and parental practices. Parents ask to be provided with appropriate information and to be part of the decision-making process during the delivery and with regards to child care. Professional services may fail to address parents' needs. Inclusive services would provide support for parents with physical disabilities surrounding both the medical, and the social aspects of their parenthood. Services of this nature could lead to positive outcomes in their parental practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender based violence (GBV). While little is known about the levels of GBV against women with disabilities in the country, less is known about the accessibility or inclusivity of post-violence support and services. The paper draws on data from interviews and focus group discussions with thirty women with disabilities and nineteen disability and GBV service providers in Cape Town, South Africa. Thematic analysis revealed that women with disabilities experience unique disability-related barriers to GBV care and support. Disability-related stigma, accessibility barriers, inadequate training, limited resources and lack of funding contributed to poor GBV service provision for women with disabilities. Awareness and training, accessible information, reasonable accommodations, increased funding, and disability relevant referrals need to be integrated into existing GBV services to ensure sustainable and accessible pathways to inclusive violence prevention, support and responses in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study in Cape Town, South Africa, explores the right to health for signing Deaf1 patients attending health services and who are unable to communicate in a language they understand. It argues that, without language, Deaf South Africans’ dignity and right to health is violated, resulting in serious consequences such as incorrect diagnosis, improper treatment and standard of care not being applied. It critiques the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the limits of General Comment 14 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The paper demonstrates that Deaf patients do not have informational access to healthcare. It argues that language via professional interpreter services is essential to their South African constitutional right of access to healthcare. General Comment 14 addresses informational accessibility, but this is insufficient without addressing language as a pre-requisite. The CRPD imposes on the South African government human rights obligations to provide professional interpreter services for Deaf people, but unfortunately it allows a loophole by enabling cost to serve as reasonable grounds to defer action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses the systemic and systematic changes required to ensure inclusive and resilient assistive technology services. Topics mentioned include universal access programmes to address individual needs regardless of socio-economic status, development of best-practice service delivery models that support the use of tele-delivery systems that can deliver the required services, and development of more accessible communication tools that offer accessible information and support.

Exercising the right to vote at elections is frequently denied to people with disabilities. In this study, we examined the voting behaviour of individuals with physical or learning impairments and the barriers they encountered during the national elections in 2017 in the Netherlands. A survey design was chosen to allow large-scale questioning of both target groups. Over 90% of people with physical impairments voted and respondents found that voting was accessible. Voter turnout among people with learning impairments was much lower (46%). They experienced difficulty to prepare themselves and at the polling station. The Netherlands seems well on the way to achieving an inclusive environment for people with physical impairments. Recommendations are given about accessibility for all and for exploring alternative methods of voting such as proxy voting and tailoring information and procedures to the needs of people with learning impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students with disabilities are under-represented in higher education (HE) institutions in Botswana. The number of students with disabilities is on the rise but parity has not been attained. The struggle of students with disabilities to access and participate in HE remains an issue of great concern for disability activists and researchers. This paper sought to document the experiences of university students with disabilities in their struggle to access and participate in HE. Seven students with disabilities took part in the study. Data were gathered through semi-structured focus group interviews. Later on these data were triangulated with an access-audit of facilities. Constant comparison methods were used for data analysis. Six themes emerged, namely: attitudinal barriers; resource barriers; structural barriers; policy related issues; lack of support mechanisms; and lack of skills and knowledge. Implications of the findings to institutions of higher learning are discussed in order to promote wider participation for students with disabilities in HE in Botswana. [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]

Audio description is in its infancy in China, both in terms of the provision of the service and as an academic object of study. This article provides a useful insight into what Chinese audio description users think of this access service and how they consume it. This information was gathered through two different questionnaires, mostly distributed in the city of Shanghai, although not exclusively. The results show what the profile of the audio description user is, how satisfied they are with the service that is currently available and their expectations for the future. Only after identifying the areas that matter to users the most can both science and industry contribute to guaranteeing their rights in the best possible way. Media accessibility, specifically audio description, is in its infancy in Mainland China as an academic object of study. This study contributes to start bridging this research gap. Regarding their access to information and culture, the voices of Chinese persons with sight loss are hardly heard. This is the first study that takes into consideration their opinion and experience with audio description. The results of this study have had a direct impact on how audio description is delivered in Shanghai. The comparison between China and Europe indicates where audio description in China is in relation to countries in which this access service has already come of age. The results of this study are key to developing audio description in Mainland China following the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' slogan: 'nothing about us without us'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces how technology and humans are part of relationships that influence agency among people with disabilities. It aims to focus attention on the use of, and access to, information and communication technology (ICT), and agency among youths and adults with intellectual disabilities. The study draws on empirical research conducted with youths and adults with intellectual disabilities, as well as staff at a day centre. It shows that by drawing upon interests, previous experiences, and cooperating in ICT activities the participants’ agency changed. Also, it shows how disability is relational and how it can be influenced by ICT. An interdisciplinary approach is adopted to interpret the findings and to explore: How do people of different ages with intellectual disabilities experience the use of ICT in their everyday lives? Are people with intellectual disabilities able to influence their level of activity by using ICT? And if so, in what ways? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]