Young children with disabilities, marginalised and voiceless: A case of Eswatini

Significantly, many people with disabilities are victims of classification over generalizations with the assumption that disability is equal to inability. This study focused on challenges faced by children with disabilities in accessing Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) services in Manzini Region of Eswatini. Anchored on the Critical Disability Theory which views disability as a cultural, historical, relative, social, and political phenomenon, the study assessed and analysed the disability issues on the accessibility to ECCD services for young children. Through interviews, data was collected from10 ECCD centres in Manzini which were purposively selected. Ten ECCD teachers, 5 principals, and 5 parents/caregivers participated in the study. The results revealed that failure by these children to access ECCD services in the community impacts negatively on their holistic development. Sadly, young children living with a disability in Eswatini face significant challenges, one of the reasons, just like most of our African countries, being that those who have some form of disability were bewitched or inflicted by some bad spirits. ECCD specialist educators highlighted the need for comprehensive training services that will help them cater to children with special needs. The study recommended for extensive awareness programmes to sensitize communities on the rights of the child, regardless of body, mental or sensory condition.

Disabled Children in Disaster Management

Disabled children have a wide range of impairments, talents, and capacities, which collide with a wide range of circumstances and societal attitudes. The following article discusses disaster management in the context of disabled children. Disaster, disability and its management is discussed in the context of international practices in general and suited to India in particular. The research follows a review of the United States National Commission on Children and Disaster and its extrapolations to India. In addition to this Disaster Medicine as one approach to Disaster Management concerning disabled children has been explored. The research concludes that the understanding of particular issues of Children with disabilities as one stakeholder and their capacity to engage, as well as a shift in mindset and power relations in which children with disabilities contribute to DRR projects, are fundamental to disability-inclusive DRR.

Individual-Inclusive Ecosystem Model of Rehabilitation for Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Childcare Institutions

In childcare institutions (CCIs) in India, children with mild or moderate levels of disability are often placed with non-disabled children for care and protection. Generally, children with intellectual disability (ID), learning disability, hearing and speech impairment and multiple disabilities with ID are found to be living in these CCIs. In this best practice article, the challenges faced by these children with disabilities and the potential for inclusion within the CCI are discussed based on the field action project intervention of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, with selected government CCIs. The article suggests a multi-pronged intervention approach for the Children with disability (CWD) at the levels of the individual CWD, peer group, CCI and the juvenile justice (JJ) System, which are together recognised as the stakeholders of an ‘inclusive ecosystem’. The article arrives at the ‘Inclusive Ecosystem Model of Rehabilitation’ by drawing from the individual–environment interaction model of disability.

I Be Africa Man Original: Towards a Contextual Conceptualization of Father Involvement in the Education of Children with Disabilities in Kenya

Father involvement could play a significant role in the lives of children with disabilities. Research is scarce on father involvement in the education of children with disabilities in Africa. We seek to provide a context for father involvement in the formal education of children with disabilities in Kenya, with the aim of contributing to the development of a conceptual understanding for father involvement in such a circumstance. We examine general research on father involvement in Kenya, explore the policy frameworks that guide fatherhood in the country, and look at the specific area of involvement in education. We then present a case study that examines father involvement in the formal education of children with disabilities in Kenya. Our analysis flags up a key opportunity in the pursuit of education for children with disabilities when fathers are involved; they can support their children with disabilities’ access, participation and success in education. We highlight the need for research that builds upon the voices of fathers to illuminate their role in education and we also make some suggestions toward a conceptual lens that will highlight the contextual realities involved, particularly in regard to the education of children with disabilities.

TOURISM OF FAMILIES WITH THE DISABLED CHILDREN OR WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN POLAND OF RECENT DECADES

The last decades in Polish society have been seen not only an increase in empathy and outlining needs for families and children with disabilities or deficits, but also economic improvement of families, which enables tourist or rehabilitation trips at least once a year. The growing needs and good practices for disabled children and adults also contributed to the greater awareness of the people managing of tourist centers in Poland, who are increasingly trying to propose within their offer to such groups, not traveling so far. This brief study tries to provide in a condensed way to propose good practices and experiences to meet the problems of families traveling with disabled children or adults in Poland.

The feasibility and acceptability of a classroom-based physical activity program for children attending specialist schools: a mixed-methods pilot study

Background Children with disabilities often engage in less than the recommended amount of daily physical activity (PA). Classroom-based PA breaks are a favourable method of promoting PA for children. However, evaluations of these programs in specialist schools are scarce, with even less research into their feasibility and acceptability. This may hinder effective implementation and program scalability. This pilot study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a classroom-based PA break program in Australian specialist school classrooms, using the Australian Joy of Moving (AJoM) program. Methods Forty primary/junior classes and their teachers across five specialist schools implemented the AJoM program for eight weeks as the intervention group within a pilot cluster randomised controlled trial. A mixed-methods design investigated classroom teachers’ (N = 22; 6 males, 16 females) perspectives of the feasibility and acceptability of the program after implementation through semi-structured telephone interviews (n = 7 teachers), qualitative survey responses (n = 18 teachers) and quantitative survey items (n = 19 teachers). Qualitative data were analysed using predominantly deductive thematic analysis. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results Classroom-based PA breaks may be feasible for getting children with disabilities more active at school. However, considerable variation exists in teachers’ perception of the AJoM experience. While several teachers indicate that the program content could be pertinent for their class, common divergences in perceptions of feasibility and acceptability appear to relate to the age and developmental level or needs of the students in the class. Conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of implementing classroom-based PA breaks in specialist schools. However, results demonstrate the importance of (1) allowing a high level of flexibility in the design and implementation of programs to meet the varying needs of class groups and (2) providing a large variety of resources to cater to the heterogeneity of the children. Trial registration This trial was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12619000193178) on 11 February 2019.

Go to Fight! parents' experiences in caring for their disabled child / Ir à Luta! vivências dos pais nos cuidados do filho com deficiência

The objective was to understand the experience of parents in caring for children with disabilities. The Grounded Theory was adopted as a methodological framework, 9 parents of children and adults with intellectual or multiple disabilities were interviewed, between August/2015 and June/2016. The categories were obtained: Pre, peri, post-natal aspects, Posture assumed by the professional, Go to Fight! and Another world. It is, therefore, a parenting that is configured as these parents enter the Another world, which leads them to adjust their practices and beliefs about their child, about themselves and the universe of disability, sometimes under a perception of disability as a social disadvantage and incapacity, having as an intervening factor the Posture assumed by the professional, thus knowing these experiences from the GT allows: the improvement of care practices for these parents and their children, the planning of actions psychoeducational from a social perspective of disability in order to empower them and guide them about aspects of their children's development, enabling a look beyond the diagnosis and a more positive family adaptation.

Accessing the early years: An SEN perspective

Emma Dyer, previously a nursery manager, works with the charity MOVE, to support children who have physical disabilities to develop their movement opportunities via education. Here Emma discusses the importance of making early years settings more accessible for children with disabilities and ways in which this can be supported.