Women with disabilities face multiple discrimination due to their gender and disability state. This is a literature study through the means of a content analysis of documents that explore the lives of women with disabilities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study was conducted by reviewing documents surrounding the topics to display a representable picture of women with disabilities lives in the area and a discussion on what can be done to improve their situation. The study concluded that women with disabilities face a multitude of social barriers in their efforts to participate in their communities but also while conducting daily activities in their homes. The results of the study are categorised into different themes that represent aspects of social life.  Additionally, the study discusses The social model of disability theory from the women’s perspective. Development focus in regards to disability is skewed, and in need of review, women with disabilities need to be a more prominent discussion in the development mainstream. This study is a response to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the mention of persons with disabilities in Agenda 2030.

This dissertation theorizes the synthesis of solidarities around queer embodied performativities as a mode of making-resistant the everyday experiences of exploitation under transnational capitalism. These solidarities, I argue, are cultivated around the affective, embodied experiences of what José Esteban Muñoz terms "queer time," which I extend to denote the ephemeral, experiential sensations of being "out of sync" with the structures and norms of capital-space-time power assemblages. I theorize "emulsion" as a heuristic for envisioning synthetic solidarities as making space and time for the importantly distinct experiences of queer spatio-temporalities of those at the various intersections of marginalized/minoritized identities to coagulate and coalesce into something new – at once remaining beautifully fragmented and becoming grotesquely amalgamated beyond distinction. I suggest that such trans-spatial/temporal/material solidarities, formed via antinormative performativities and the curation of "revolting archives," existent and not-yet-formed alike, can and indeed already do resist the totalizing and unplaceable ether of increasingly transnational capitalism across scales. This dissertation takes form and transdisciplinarity to be a part of the praxis/theory of cultivating such synthetic solidarities that confound the structures of capital-space-time. As such, I (gender)fuck with genre, and format throughout, interweaving theoretical and autotheoretical writing with prose, poetics, and altered text to create a visceral sense of disruption of spatiotemporality in not only content, but the affective experience of reading the piece itself. This dissertation thus moves across disciplines via a theoretical constellation of critical scholarship including affect theory, queer theory, (neo)Marxist theory, Black feminist theory, post- and de-colonial theory, disability theory, and transnational feminism. / Doctor of Philosophy / In this dissertation, I attend to two primary concerns: first, the ways in which the power structures of transnational capitalism are fundamentally affective in nature, such that they act unevenly on and are accordingly felt/sensed/experienced unevenly by embodied subjects through processes of exploitation, subjugation, and marginalization necessary to maintain and perpetuate capitalist structures; and secondly, the ways in which emergent movements attempting to resist structures of global capitalism/the effects thereof have failed to do so, in that the most marginalized have been continuously, violently excluded from those same movements which (cl)aim to include them, or be in solidarity with them, all under some unilateral and exclusionary notion of "we/us." This dissertation works with a curated collection affect theory, queer theory, auto-theory (neo)Marxist theory, Black feminist theory, post- and de-colonial theory, disability theory, and transnational feminism to theorize transnational capitalism as always already affective and embodied, an important dimension of global power structures that has been left largely unaddressed in global politics/international studies. I argue that global capitalism itself is comprised of linear capital-space-time power assemblages which act to exploit embodied subjects – disproportionately acting on/experienced by historically marginalized and minoritized bodies – across scale, space, and time in order to maintain itself and ensure its perpetuation into futurity. I take particular interest in the affective/sensed, everyday, varied lived experiences of nonlinearity by subjugated bodies – theorized in this project as an expanded notion of "queer time" as conceived of by José Esteban Muñoz – by the most marginalized under those structures, and further argue using playfulness with form and the heuristic of emulsification that those affective experiences of queer spatiotemporalities can be taken up as that around which meaningful, resistant solidarities under global capitalism can be synthesized.

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In this dissertation, disability theories frame readings of madness in select works by Shirley Jackson, Sylvia Plath, and Toni Cade Bambara. The dissertation explores the relationship between madness and fiction, with the author demonstrating the productive and generative aspects of madness. Close readings of the literary works emphasize the impact of madness on structural and formal elements including narrative perspective, sustained metaphors, and narrative time. In chapter one, I use the disability theory concepts of narrative prosthesis and aesthetic nervousness to read Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. In chapter 2, I analyze Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle to explore the concept of unreliable narration, observing similarities between the social model of disability and reader-centric theories of unreliable narration. In chapter 3, I explore unhealthy disability and medical treatment in the sustained metaphors of light and darkness in Plath's hospital stories, "Tongues of Stone," "Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams," and "The Daughters of Blossom Street." In chapter 4, I use disability history to read narratives of medical institutionalization in Plath's novel The Bell Jar. In chapter 5, I use Bambara's concept of "other kinds of intelligences" to develop a Black feminist methodology for reading mad intelligences in Bambara's novel The Salt Eaters. In the dissertation's conclusion, I note prejudice against madpersons in recent legal policies promoting involuntary psychiatric institutionalization, using Bambara's short story "The Hammer Man" to demonstrate the violence of such policies.

Though an increasingly more common occurrence, digital mobile applications are not typically particularly accessible for people with visual impairment. This study investigates the difficulties and consequences faced by developers and visually impaired users when implementing and using accessibility features as well as highlighting the principal considerations when doing so. The thesis employs the two complementary theoretical frameworks Universal Design Theory (UDT) and Critical Disability Theory (CDT) to both capture the functional and social dimensions of accessibility within digital mobile applications. The thesis highlights a knowledge gap among developers and companies, which over time can lead to an accruement of accessibility tech debt and poor design choices. The significance of education and prioritization cannot be overstated, no matter the managerial level. When developing inclusive mobile applications that cater to a wide range of users, it is essential to reframe accessibility features as an investment rather than a cost. A deeper comprehension of the social structures that contribute to disabled people being excluded from the use of digital applications can be achieved in part by incorporating Critical Disability Theory into decision-making processes. This thesis illustrates how drawing inspiration from both UDT and CDT while prioritizing accessibility throughout whole companies can make it possible to create truly inclusive mobile applications.

Disabled people comprise seventeen per cent of all New Zealanders and face barriers to participation in community life. This research examines the ways in which two local authorities - Manukau City Council and Christchurch City Council - provide recreation opportunities for people with disabilities and how these local authorities implement national legislation, policies and strategies which bear upon the provision of recreation services for the disabled. To achieve these aims, a comparative method which uses primary (interview) and secondary (documentary) data, is adopted. Central government plays an important role in the provision of recreation to communities, including the disabled community. It develops legislation, strategies and policies that guide the provision of recreation services for people with disabilities at a local level. Local authorities provide ‘spaces’ for recreation including parks, waterways and facilities, as part of their wider services and programmes. Their services respond to broader, including national, concerns, but also reflect local priorities and needs, including those of other ‘special’ populations. The results of this research indicate that Manukau and Christchurch Cities consult the disabled community and its representatives and address the specific needs of this community. Both local authorities have policies which outline how disability issues will be addressed; a disability-specific position which acts as an “internal advocate” for the disabled community; and a reference group made up of members of the disabled community. In the case of Christchurch City Council, the “KiwiAble” programme, “KiwiAble Recreation Network”, “KiwiAble Leisure Card” and Inclusive Communities Coordinator are all disability-specific mechanisms that focus on the recreational needs of the disabled community. However, only one policy in these two cities - the Manukau City Council Disability Policy and Action Plan – draws explicit links to a national strategy. On the basis of these results, a number of recommendations are made for future research and local authority action. It is hoped that the current study will provide practical advice and examples which local authorities can adopt, to further enhance recreational provisions for people with disabilities.

The intent of this work is to explore how children, youth, and adults with disabilities are discriminated against in cultural systems, specifically the education system, and how the beliefs and structures encompassed in these systems create and recreate the phenomena of ableism. This study will explore the hegemony of ableism within school cultures by exposing prevailing discourses and the systems that enforce these discriminatory discourses and educational practices. Additionally, it will illustrate significant human rights infractions and discriminatory processes that keep disabled peoples throughout the world in states of marginalization and oppression. The analysis of this study shows resistance to the oppression of people with disabilities through the use of critical disability theory, legal theory, and social justice philosophy. In addition, the advancement of inclusive education as a human right is offered as a solution to the collective oppression and states of disenfranchisement that many disabled peoples experience. The exploration of moral and legal theory, equality jurisprudence, and libratory pedagogy will advance a collective human rights framework as an educational model for school cultures globally. This analysis will utilize an equality premise known as the right to belong to defend inclusive education as a fundamental human right. In support of this fundamental right, a theoretical base for inclusive pedagogies reveals how the deconstruction of hegemonic practices and, simultaneously, the development of transformative educational models of learning are necessary best practices in the pursuit of equality for all disabled students. This work concludes with recommendations for changes in educational leadership, philosophy, and research of education for disabled students.

The intent of this work is to explore how children, youth, and adults with disabilities are discriminated against in cultural systems, specifically the education system, and how the beliefs and structures encompassed in these systems create and recreate the phenomena of ableism. This study will explore the hegemony of ableism within school cultures by exposing prevailing discourses and the systems that enforce these discriminatory discourses and educational practices. Additionally, it will illustrate significant human rights infractions and discriminatory processes that keep disabled peoples throughout the world in states of marginalization and oppression. The analysis of this study shows resistance to the oppression of people with disabilities through the use of critical disability theory, legal theory, and social justice philosophy. In addition, the advancement of inclusive education as a human right is offered as a solution to the collective oppression and states of disenfranchisement that many disabled peoples experience. The exploration of moral and legal theory, equality jurisprudence, and libratory pedagogy will advance a collective human rights framework as an educational model for school cultures globally. This analysis will utilize an equality premise known as the right to belong to defend inclusive education as a fundamental human right. In support of this fundamental right, a theoretical base for inclusive pedagogies reveals how the deconstruction of hegemonic practices and, simultaneously, the development of transformative educational models of learning are necessary best practices in the pursuit of equality for all disabled students. This work concludes with recommendations for changes in educational leadership, philosophy, and research of education for disabled students.

<p> The purpose of this study is to use close textual analysis, informed by the neurodiversity paradigm and critical disability theories, to explore the coverage of CA in an introductory public speaking collegiate textbook to see how the experience is depicted and what thematic narratives about dis/ability are included in its coverage. This research is required to comprehend the phenomena more holistically and aid communication educators in creating curricula attentive to the needs of the high CA student, embodying best practice for a diverse set of students.  Incorporating dis/ability perspectives into public speaking pedagogy signals an opportunity to advance interdisciplinary knowledge about CA, mental health, dis/ability, neurodiversity, and education accessibility at large. By analyzing literary representations of CA, this research furthers the goals of critical dis/ability studies by de-naturalizing ideas about the binaries in which “ableness”/“disability” and “normality”/abnormality, are typically read and related to “success”. The overarching goal of this project is to demonstrate that these rhetorical representations of communication/performance bound anxiety are not only relevant, but of central importance for contemporary discussions on dis/ability within education.</p>

No description available.