Diversity training for health professionals: Preparedness to competently address intellectual disability in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Diversity training for health professionals in South Africa has traditionally been conceptualized as differences in gender, race or ethnicity, culture and sexual orientation. More recently physical disability and mental illness was included as a dimension. Intellectual disabilities received lip service as a diversity concern. This paper reports on health professionals' perceptions of the extent to which diversity training prepared them to competently deal with intellectual disabilities. This explorative study included a purposive sample of 18 health care professionals experienced in intellectual disability services. Two focus groups were facilitated over three sessions. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Health professionals felt inadequately prepared to consider intellectual disabilities as a diversity issue. They could not effectively advocate for reasonable accommodation. There was a differential familiarity with issues related to diversity and intellectual disability with profession constituting an additional intersecting dimension of diversity. Health professions did not perceive their diversity training to prepare them to deal competently with intellectual disabilities.

Exploration of School Library Services for Students with Disabilities

To implement inclusive education, schools need to provide a range of services for students with disabilities. One component that must be adapted is the school library, which must also create an inclusive environment so students with disabilities can access it. This research aimed to examine and explore school libraries’ readiness to provide services for students with disabilities. This was qualitative research. The research was conducted in five school libraries in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. Data were collected through library accessibility checklist forms from IFLA, in-depth interviews, and documentation analysis. Ten informants participated, while documentation was examined from school-owned documents, websites, and school library profile videos. The results showed that only two school libraries were well prepared to provide services for students with disabilities, one of which already provided special services for people with disabilities. In contrast, other libraries have not provided services for students with disabilities because there is no need for internal schools. However, some of the school libraries have done mapping and planned the needs for developing disability services to optimize library services. Keywords: school library, library service, accessibility, students with disabilities

Development of the Tactile Map Creator (TMC) Application

There are multiple studies demonstrating that 3D printed maps are important to people with blindness. When designed properly, they help users by improving safety and mobility and allow people with blindness to efficiently learn spatial information from the map and plan their travel prior to navigation. However, tactile maps are still not widely among people with blindness, as they are not readily available to them. Creating maps for each person needing a map of a certain location currently requires help from an individual with advanced technical training. They need to use specialized software for 3D models that personnel from disability services and family members of people with blindness usually have no experience with. The goal of this research is to design and implement software that can be used for the automatic generation of maps and be accessible to the general public. Our hypothesis is that by automating all the challenging steps (generation of the 3D model and drawing of optimally designed symbols), this will lead to increased usability and acceptance. Here, we demonstrated an early prototype and evaluated our hypothesis in a user study. To assess the success of this approach, participants answered questions about the process, usability, and social impacts of the software. Overall, participants liked the application because it was easy to use and allowed them to create custom maps with appropriate tactile-encoding features that provide meaningful information to the end user.

Safe Deliveries?: a Review of New Zealand's Midwifery Regulation through the Lens of the Health and Disability Commissioner

<p>Although birth is a fundamental part of the life process, competing factions within the health profession struggle to agree on the best way to deliver maternity services. Despite this long-standing tension, the midwifery-led model has dominated New Zealand’s maternity system for more than two decades with the majority of consumers expressing satisfaction with the care provided. Unfortunately for a small number of mothers and babies the pregnancy and birth experience is not a positive one and families are left suffering life-long, and often tragic, consequences. As one of the main consumer watchdogs in New Zealand, the Health and Disability Commissioner is charged with investigating claims of poor quality healthcare. This paper examines the central themes in the Commissioner’s reports on substandard midwifery practice and proposes a number of regulatory solutions to the issues involved. Working in unison, these amendments have the potential to ease the pressure placed on midwives; enhance interprofessional relationships; improve practitioner competence; and increase overall compliance with the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights. By implementing these changes, the New Zealand Government could safeguard valuable midwifery-based principles whilst still ensuring that high quality maternity care is provided to all of the country’s mothers and babies.</p>

Safe Deliveries?: a Review of New Zealand's Midwifery Regulation through the Lens of the Health and Disability Commissioner

<p>Although birth is a fundamental part of the life process, competing factions within the health profession struggle to agree on the best way to deliver maternity services. Despite this long-standing tension, the midwifery-led model has dominated New Zealand’s maternity system for more than two decades with the majority of consumers expressing satisfaction with the care provided. Unfortunately for a small number of mothers and babies the pregnancy and birth experience is not a positive one and families are left suffering life-long, and often tragic, consequences. As one of the main consumer watchdogs in New Zealand, the Health and Disability Commissioner is charged with investigating claims of poor quality healthcare. This paper examines the central themes in the Commissioner’s reports on substandard midwifery practice and proposes a number of regulatory solutions to the issues involved. Working in unison, these amendments have the potential to ease the pressure placed on midwives; enhance interprofessional relationships; improve practitioner competence; and increase overall compliance with the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights. By implementing these changes, the New Zealand Government could safeguard valuable midwifery-based principles whilst still ensuring that high quality maternity care is provided to all of the country’s mothers and babies.</p>

Regulation of professional clinical trial volunteers in New Zealand

<p>This paper aims to form a starting point for a discussion of the regulation of paid clinical research volunteers (professional volunteers) in New Zealand. It will argue that professional volunteers, who are currently unregulated as a class of research participants, present unique issues which are not addressed by existing regulation. The major arguments will be that: by restricting the value of financial compensation that can be provided for volunteering in a clinical trial, existing regulation allows professional volunteers to be exploited; professional volunteers are exposed to unregulated compounded risks and it is unlikely that they are properly informed of these risks; and in failing to recognise the existence of professional volunteers, current regulation fails to address their commodification and dehumanisation. Proposals to address these issues will be evaluated through a human rights lens for consistency with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights 1996. Recommendations for reform will be put forward on the basis of this analysis.</p>

Regulation of professional clinical trial volunteers in New Zealand

<p>This paper aims to form a starting point for a discussion of the regulation of paid clinical research volunteers (professional volunteers) in New Zealand. It will argue that professional volunteers, who are currently unregulated as a class of research participants, present unique issues which are not addressed by existing regulation. The major arguments will be that: by restricting the value of financial compensation that can be provided for volunteering in a clinical trial, existing regulation allows professional volunteers to be exploited; professional volunteers are exposed to unregulated compounded risks and it is unlikely that they are properly informed of these risks; and in failing to recognise the existence of professional volunteers, current regulation fails to address their commodification and dehumanisation. Proposals to address these issues will be evaluated through a human rights lens for consistency with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights 1996. Recommendations for reform will be put forward on the basis of this analysis.</p>