published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

This study attempted to ascertain whether the under-representation of black, disadvantaged learners with cerebral palsy in biology and related careers is linked in any way to the method and content of teaching and learning in special education. In addition this study also attempted to identify and uncover the barriers that prevent learners with cerebral palsy from pursuing careers in science and technology related professions.

Background: The prevalence of disability increases with age; therefore with an aging population, interventions to reduce disability are crucial. This thesis adopts a behavioural conceptualisation of disability. The theoretical frameworks of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the integrated ICF/TPB model are applied to investigate disability and physical activity (PA) behaviours. The thesis aims to: (1) identify the factors involved in the prioritisation of patients for total joint replacement; (2) classify patient pre-operative expectations of total hip replacement (THR) and investigate the relationship between expectations and recovery after surgery, and; (3) test whether the TPB and theory-based interventions can predict and explain PA within individuals. Method: Five studies were conducted. In the first study, health professionals judged whether the items from two prioritisation tools measured each of the ICF constructs. In the second study, surgeons ranked patient vignettes, which differed by constructs from the integrated model, in order of priority for THR. In the third study, a large cohort of THR patients reported expectations of surgery pre-operatively. Health and functioning were also reported pre-operatively and 1-year post-operatively. The fourth and fifth studies were a series of experimental n-of-1 studies using diary methods assessing TPB cognitions and PA behaviours. Results: There is a lack of agreement between judges in relation to the content of many of the items from prioritisation tools. Behavioural and psychological factors can influence prioritisation for THR. The majority of patient expectations of THR addressed activities and social participation; however, the evidence for a relationship between expectations and recovery was limited. The TPB can predict PA within some individuals but the evidence in support of interventions to increase PA was limited. Discussion: The findings provide important clinical and theoretical implications for understanding disability and physical activity behaviours.

Title: Outdoor Activities for People with Disabilities Aims: The aim of the thesis is to prepare an argumentation for creating a professional centre offering outdoor activities to people with disabilities; to explore current situation within the field of outdoor activities; to assess the interest of workers in the field of education of people with disabilities in services provided by outdoor centres for people with disabilities; to assess the interest of people with disabilities in services provided by outdoor centres for people with disabilities. Methods: The principal method of this work is a quantitative research by means of non-standard questionnaire distributed to people with disabilities and to professional workers and organizations engaged in education of people with disabilities. Results: Based on a survey of publicly accessible information there was compiled an up-to-date list of organizations and centres engaged in providing outdoor activities for people with disabilities in the Czech Republic. My personal inquiry also showed a positive approach of people with disabilities and workers with disabled people towards outdoor activities; a scale of most demanded activities was compiled; and the respondents' awareness was found of organizations aimed at outdoor activities for people with...

M.A. (Social Work) / Assistance with a disability grant has made a number of positive contributions, especially to improving the life of its beneficiaries. In addition to the increasing number of job demands by a multitude of people in the country, there are also thousands of people living with HIV and AIDS who apply, especially those who have no income, for a disability grant to meet their basic needs and promote positive health. Throughout the study, it has been identified that the disability grant not only benefits individual beneficiaries in most instances, but also benefits their families and plays a major role not only in ensuring food security, but is extended in meeting other basic needs of the households. By its nature, the disability grant is not permanent social assistance as beneficiaries only qualify for a period ranging from six to 12 months. The cancellation of the grant also leaves the beneficiaries in a vulnerable condition as on cancellation, some beneficiaries are not in a position to provide for themselves financially. For the purpose of the study, purposive sampling was selected for its convenience in getting information relevant to the study. The study was guided by its goal which was to explore the need for developmental programmes for HIV positive disability grant applicants, with the purpose of improving food security and self-reliance. The objectives of the study included the interrogation of grantees on their desire, or not, to be self-reliant, to solicit their ideas for developmental programmes, to consult with social workers who are experienced in the field of Antiretroviral (ARV) intervention on alternative developmental programmes for disability grant re-applicants, and to make recommendations to social workers regarding appropriate developmental programmes for disability grant re-application. Practically, South Africa has no alternative assistance which will ensure continuous food security once the grant has lapsed. This raises a need for initiatives to address this situation as it was discovered that disability grant beneficiaries feel that they can participate in income-generating activities and thereby take more control of their lives and be economically sufficient. Other factors that were identified included a will to change and self-determination. These factors were therefore identified as better tools to be utilised and invested in to encourage them to do things for themselves, as meeting their basic needs is their individual responsibility, especially in cases where the individual‟s medical condition has improved. These interventions need to consider the socio-economic factors of the grant applicants as services provided to them should not treat other factors in isolation since the focus has been on medical aspects; hence assistance with disability grants is only provided when they cannot provide for themselves due to poor health and poor physical strength.

This diploma thesis deals with the topic of sexuality of handicapped persons and its realization. Its main aim is to chase the general view of this theme, which is still taboo in our society. The theoretical part is divided into four chapters. It specifically defines handicapped persons, their sexuality and specific needs of people with different types of disabilities. It slightly describes the work of social service facilities with the theme of sexuality. Moreover, it is concerned with project "Right of Sex" and sexual assistance as one possibility of realizing the sexuality of people with disabilities. The practical part is realized through quantitative and qualitative research. There were fourteen respondents that were further dividend into three groups. First group was composed by people with disabilities, second by sexual assistants and to the last belonged experts engaged to this topic. This research identified respondent's opinion and view concerning the theme of the sexuality of handicapped persons and sexual assistance.

A project report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg, 1997. / The previously disadvantaged communities of Greater Johannesburg generally rely on publlc transport to get from place to place. Disabled people, who can be considered to be part of the previously disadvantaged community, often do not have any form of transport available to them at all. People from these communities wishing to attend an event at the Ellis Park Precinct would either have to use the existing public transport or make their own transport arrangements. Traffic and transportation management plans have been implemented at the Ellis Park Precinct with the intention of ensuring the Precinct's transportation accessibility for all the people of Greater Johannesburg, but the needs of the previously disadvantaged communities, who are captive to public transport, were not formally provided for. This project report provides details of the truffle and transportation management plans that have been implemented and then recummends/suggests various transportation options that could improve the transportation accessibility of the Precinct for these previously disadvantaged communities.

No abstract provided / GR 2016

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affects one in every 110 children. Medical and educational research have demonstrated that ASD children's social skills and adaptation can be much improved, provided that interventions are early and intensive enough. The advancement of computer technologies and their ubiquitous penetration in people's life make them widely available to support intensive sociocognitive rehabilitation. Additionally, computer interactions are a natural choice for people with autism who value lawful and "systematizing" tools. A number of computer-aided approaches have been developed, showing effectiveness and generalization, but little quantitative research was conducted to identify the critical factors of engaging and improving the child's interest and performance. This thesis designs an adaptive computer interaction system, called Ying, which detects learning patterns in children with ASD and explores the computer interactive possibilities. The system tailors its content based on periodic performance assessments that offer a more effective learning path for children with ASD. / by Jake Levi Petersen. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web. FboU

Cities have employed technologies in several domains to improve the delivery of public services, attend citizens\' demands, and measure the consumption of natural resources. Known as Smart Cities, these initiatives aim to increase the overall citizens\' quality of life, and they have already had a positive impact on the way citizens interact with urban spaces, services, and with each other. On the other hand, urban spaces can be considered as a threat to the independence and autonomy of people with disabilities. In fact, according to the Social Approach, disability is not in the individual, but in society and the environment, which does not provide adequate conditions for the individual to fully participate and be a citizen of social, professional, educational, recreational activities, and so on. Society and the environment need to be corrected and their deficiencies compensated to include a significant portion of the population that is excluded from a range of activities when their abilities are not addressed in urban communication processes. Although this group of citizens has gained access to education, work and leisure, it is necessary to confront the city and all its challenges in order to enjoy these rights. In order to extend the benefits of Smart Cities to people with disabilities, we first proposed the idea of an Inclusive Smart City, which employs Smart Cities technology to provide a better urban experience for people with disabilities while overcoming accessibility barriers in urban spaces. To achieve this goal, we began using a multi-instrument approach to collect data from different stakeholders - people with disabilities, professionals that work with people with disabilities, accessibility-related experts, and policymakers -, aiming at understanding the obstacles that people with disabilities face when they are moving around the city, the strategies they use to solve unexpected problems, and how they interact with other people and with urban facilities. Based on an empirical observation, literature review and results collected using this multiinstrument approach, we first defined Inclusive Smart Cities. Then, we proposed some tools to support practitioners and researchers involved in the development of digital urban assistive technologies with the Inclusive Smart City\'s vision in mind: a list of requirements, a political structure, an implementation/operation methodology, a business model, a conceptual model, and a system architecture. According to the conceptual model we introduced, people with disabilities are able to interact with inclusive smart objects that are available in urban spaces to obtain information about the environment around them, enabling them to navigate and explore cities in an innovative way. In Inclusive Smart Cities, inclusive smart objects provide people with disabilities with user-adapted information and services, focusing on the individuals\' abilities rather than their disabilities. Moreover, the system architecture is based on equipping users and the environment with smart technologies, aiming at supporting a symbiotic relationship between citizens and inclusive smart objects, a web-based user interface to enable public agents and local authorities to register and maintain the information required by the Inclusive Smart City platform, and the Cloud infrastructure, responsible for storing system data and processing user requests. Finally, we further demonstrated a Proof of Concept to assess the experience that people with disabilities would have when using an Inclusive Smart City solution. To accomplish that, we mapped a block of Paulista Avenue, in São Paulo, Brazil, as a sequence of QR codes. In a simulated circuit, when users read each code, they received location-based information and services related to the object linked to the code. The participants evaluated the UrbanAssist application positively and recognized the relevance of the functionalities and resources provided by the application, which gave them an inventive interface to explore the urban environment in a new, safer and effective way. In conclusion, this new technology has the potential not only to improve the independence and autonomy of people with disabilities in urban spaces, but also to enable them to play a proactive role in society as a whole. / As cidades têm empregado a tecnologia em diversos segmentos a fim de melhorar a qualidade de serviços prestados, para atender as demandas dos cidadãos, e para medir o consumo de recursos naturais. Conhecidas como Cidades Inteligentes, estas iniciativas buscam aumentar a qualidade de vida dos cidadãos, e já têm causado impactos positivos na maneira como os indivíduos interagem com o espaço urbano, com serviços, e com outros indivíduos. Por outro lado, o espaço urbano ainda é considerado como uma ameaça à autonomia e à independência de pessoas com deficiência. De fato, segundo o Modelo Social, a deficiência não está no indivíduo, mas na sociedade e no ambiente, que não fornecem condições apropriadas para que o cidadão participe inteiramente de atividades sociais, profissionais, educacionais, recreativas etc. A sociedade e o ambiente precisam ser corrigidos e suas deficiências compensadas para que ocorra a inclusão de uma parcela considerável da população que é excluída de uma série de atividades quando suas habilidades não são consideradas nos processos de comunicação urbanos. Embora esses cidadãos tenham ganhado acesso a educação, trabalho e lazer, o acesso pleno a esses direitos exige ter que lidar com o espaço urbano e todos os seus desafios. Com o objetivo de estender os benefícios das Cidades Inteligentes às pessoas com deficiência, inicialmente propomos o conceito de Cidades Inteligentes Inclusivas, que utiliza tecnologias das Cidades Inteligentes a fim de fornecer às pessoas com deficiência uma melhor experiência urbana ao mitigar as barreiras de acessibilidade nas cidades. A fim de alcançar este objetivo, utilizamos um método multi-instrumentos para coletar dados de diferentes interessados nesta temática - pessoas com deficiência, profissionais que trabalham na área, especialistas em acessibilidade, e criadores de políticas públicas - para melhor entender os obstáculos que as pessoas com deficiência enfrentam quando estão se locomovendo nos centros urbanos, as estratégias que eles usam para resolver problemas inesperados, e como eles interagem com outras pessoas e com os objetos e instalações urbanas. Baseado em observação empírica, em revisão da literatura, e nos resultados coletados pelo método multi-instrumentos, elaboramos a definição de Cidades Inteligentes Inclusivas e propomos algumas ferramentas para apoiarem autoridades governamentais, profissionais e pesquisadores envolvidos com o desenvolvimento de tecnologias assistivas urbanas digitais: uma lista de requisitos, estrutura política, metodologia de implantação e funcionamento, modelo de negócios, e uma arquitetura de sistema. De acordo com o modelo conceitual que apresentamos, as pessoas com deficiência são capazes de interagir com objetos inteligentes inclusivos no espaço urbano a fim de obter informações a respeito do ambiente ao redor, o que possibilita navegar e explorar nas cidades de uma maneira inovadora. Nas Cidades Inteligentes Inclusivas, os objetos inteligentes inclusivos fornecem às pessoas com deficiência informações e serviços adaptados às habilidades de cada usuário. A arquitetura do sistema é baseada em equipar os usuários e o ambiente com tecnologias inteligentes; uma interface web que permite a agentes públicos e autoridades municipais a cadastrar e manter as informações necessárias ao funcionamento da Cidade Inteligente Inclusiva; e pela infraestrutura da Cloud, que é responsável por armazenar os dados do sistema e por processar as requisições dos usuários. Finalmente, demonstramos com uma Prova de Conceito a avaliação da experiência de usuário que indivíduos com deficiência têm ao usar soluções concebidas com a visão de uma Cidade Inteligente Inclusiva. Para tanto, mapeamos como QR codes os objetos e prédios de um quarteirão da Avenida Paulista, em São Paulo. Num circuito simulado, ao ler cada código os usuários recebem com informações baseadas na localização do objeto lido e os serviços associados ao objeto. Os participantes avaliaram positivamente a aplicação Urban Assist e reconheceram a relevância das funcionalidades e recursos disponibilizados pela aplicação, que lhes proporcionaram uma interface inovadora para explorar o ambiente urbano de uma maneira mais segura e eficaz. Concluindo, essa nova tecnologia tem o potencial não somente de melhorar a independência e autonomia de pessoas com deficiência no espaço urbanos, mas, também de prover estes usuários com a possibilidade de desempenharem o papel de cidadãos proativos.