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There has been a significant effort to provide disabled persons with increased independence and mobility. The federal government requires that transportation facilities be made accessible to the disabled, and the number of handicapped persons using these facilities is expected to increase significantly in the future. Restraint systems have been required for passenger cars since the 1960s, and considerable effort has been dedicated to increasing public awareness of the benefits of seat belt usage. Little effort has been devoted to the development of restraint systems for individuals who must use wheelchairs as vehicle seats. A survey was conducted in the Central Florida area to determine what types of restraint systems are being used by agencies responsible for the transportation of the wheelchair passengers. A cost analysis was performed which shows that the implementation of effective restraint systems can often be justified on economic grounds. Sled tests have shown that most of the restraint systems available on the market do not provide adequate protection for wheelchair passengers. This document provides a description of many securement products, test results, and recommendation for wheelchair restraint improvements.

Thesis (MSc) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa is a multicultural, multiracial and multilingual nation ("the rainbow nation") with different traditions, values and cultural practices. Due to this diversity there are different belief systems, which give rise to different attitudes and practices towards various health issues such as disability, which in turn, have an impact on the rehabilitation of people with disability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and cultural beliefs towards disability and to identify the commonalities and differences of three broad cultural groups of South Africa (Blacks, Coloureds and Whites), and to determine their influence on the rehabilitation of disabled people in the Cape Town area. Sixty respondents (20 Blacks, 20 Coloureds and 20 Whites) were interviewed utilizing the knowledge, attitude and belief (KAB) survey in the form of a structured interview. Both probability and non-probability (systematic and purposive) sampling were used. The study was carried out using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results showed that Whites and Colored generally had a fairly good knowledge of disability and its causes, acquired while they were young, whereas Blacks had a more superficial knowledge of disability, which was only acquired after the birth of a disabled child. The results also revealed that quantitatively all the cultural groups held positive attitudes towards the rehabilitation, education, marriage, childbearing and employment of people with disability. Attitudes towards the stigma attached to being disabled were also encouraging. In contrast, the qualitative data showed disparities between the three cultural groups in attitudes towards rehabilitation, education and marriage. Although rehabilitation is considered an important aspect to disabled people and their families, some Blacks experience problems in transporting their children to centres where rehabilitation services are offered. Socio-economic factors also have a bearing on this. The results revealed a general lack of awareness of disability among school children and teachers in Black and the Coloured schools, which may make it difficult for disabled children to be integrated into mainstream schooling. Marriage and childbearing was regarded as a way of increasing the support base of individuals with disability in the Black group, while the Coloured and White groups viewed marriage as a way of enjoying life and having children a matter of individual choice. Concerning employment and the promotion of people with disability, all three groups believed that disabled people have a right to be employed and earn a salary. In the area of beliefs, the results showed that the Black group blamed disability on witchcraft and that they consult health professionals, folk healers and look to God for healing. Most of the Whites and Coloureds believed that disability is a result of natural causes, human error or the will of God. There is an uneven geographic distribution of information about disability. Cultural beliefs towards disability may delay or hinder early identification of children and intervention. Two main recommendations are made arising from these results. Firstly, health professionals should know and understand the culture, values, beliefs and expectations of their clients and, more importantly, bring services to the recipients in their own familiar environment, culture and community, via the CBR model. Secondly, I recommend that an evaluation of knowledge and attitudes towards disability should be done in schools, where the disability awareness has been raised by some NGOs as compared with those where no intervention has taken place. A survey of this kind should be done in all the provinces of South Africa. The findings from this research thus have very serious implications for the provision of inclusive education and quality rehabilitation services for all the disabled children of South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid-Afrika het 'n multi-kulturele, veelrassige en veeltalige bevolking ("die reënboog nasie") met uiteenlopende tradisies, waardes en kulturele praktyke. Hierdie diversiteit gee aanleiding tot verskillende sienswyses en praktyke met betrekking tot gesondheidskwessies soos gestremdheid, wat op gestremde persone 'n impak het. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die kennis, sienswyses en kulturele opvattings rakende gestremdheid by die drie breë kulturele groepe van Suid-Afrika (Swartes, Kleurlinge en Blankes) te ondersoek en te bepaal wat die verskille en ooreenkomste is en hoe dit die uitkoms van rehabilitasie van gestremde persone in die Wes-Kaap raak. Sestig respondente (20 Swartes, 20 Kleurlinge en 20 Blankes )is tydens gestruktureerde onderhoude ondervra. Die "Knowledge, attitude and belief' (KAB) onderhoud is gebruik: Beide 'n waarskynlikheids en nie-waarskynlikheids steekproef en 'n kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe ondersoekmetode is vir die studie gebruik Die resultate het getoon dat Blankes sowel as Kleurlinge 'n redelike goeie kennis het van gestremdheid en die oorsake daarvan, wat reeds op 'n jong ouderdom opgedoen word. Daarteenoor het Swartes gewoonlik 'n meer oppervlakkige kennis van gestremdheid, wat eers na die geboorte van 'n gestremde kind verwerf word. Kwantitatief is getoon dat al die kultuurgroepe 'n positiewe houding het teenoor rehabilitasie en onderrig van, huwelik met, hê van kinders en indiensneming van gestremdes. Houding teenoor die stigma gekoppel aan gestremdheid was ook bevredigend. In teenstelling hiermee het die kwalitatiewe data ongelykheid tussen die drie kultuurgroepe getoon in houding teenoor rehabilitasie en onderrig van en huwelik met gestremdes. Swartes beskou rehabilitasie as belangrik vir die gestremde sowel as die familie, maar ervaar probleme met toeganklikheid tot rehabilitasie. Sosio-ekonomiese faktore impakteer hierop. Skoolkinders en onderwysers in Swart en Kleurlingskole toon 'n algemene gebrek aan bewustheid van gestremdheid, wat integrasie in die hoofstroom-onderwys kan bemoeilik. Die Swart groep het huwelik met en hê van kinders beskou as 'n manier om die ondersteuningsnetwerk van die gestremde uit te brei, waarteenoor die Blanke en Kleurling groepe die huwelik beskou as 'n manier vir die gestremde om die lewe te geniet en dat die hê van kinders 'n individu se keuse is. AI drie die groepe glo dat die gestremde die reg het op indiensneming en om 'n salaris te verdien. Sover dit die sienswyses oor gestremdheid betref, blameer die Swart groep die toorkuns daarvoor en besoek hulle die tradisionele geneser sowel as professionele gesondheidswerkers. Hulle verwag genesing van God .. Blankes en Kleurlinge glo dat gestremdheid die gevolg is van natuurlike oorsake, menslike foute of die wil van God. Daar was ongelyke geografiese verspreiding van inligting oor gestremdheid. Kulturele sienswyses oor gestremdeheid mag 'n remmende invloed hê op op vroeë identifikasie en intervensie by kinders. Twee hoof aanbevelings kan op grond van die resultate gemaak word. Eerstens behoort professionele gesondheidswerkers ingelig te wees oor die kultuur, waardes, sienswyses en verwagtinge van hul kliënte, en dit te verstaan. Dienslewering behoort na die ontvangers se eie omgewing, kultuur en gemeenskap via die GBR-model gebring te word. Tweedens beveel ek aan dat 'n evaluering van kennis en sienswyses, rakende gestremdheid, in skole gedoen word. 'n Vergelyking kan getref word tussen die skole waar bewusmaking van gestremdheid reeds deur NRO's gedoen is, teenoor die waar geen intervensie was nie. So 'n ondersoek behoort in al die provinsies van Suid-Afrika uitgevoer te word. Die uitkoms van hierdie studie het dus implikasies vir beide die voorsiening van inklusiewe onderrig en kwaliteit rehabilitasie-dienste vir al die gestremde kinders in Suid-Afrika.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Engagement in physical activity is a basic human right and has numerous benefits for mental well-being. Persons with disabilities are often denied this right due to a number of barriers existing on physiological, psychological and structural levels. Adolescents with motor impairments may be even further marginalised due to the physical nature of their impairment as well as being at a developmental stage where their opinions may not be taken into account based on their age. Research that has been conducted in this area has mostly focused on the accounts of parents and teachers with little voice being given to adolescents. This research aimed to explore the lived experiences of a group of adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) and their involvement in physical activity. The sample group consisted of 15 adolescents with CP between the ages of 12 and 18 in the Western Cape. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. In addition, three staff members were interviewed in order to add a secondary layer of data to the study. The interviews were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis which aims to give voice to participants and to make meaning of these accounts through interpretation by the researcher. Five major themes emerged from the data, namely: (1) “When they call me cripple” – what it means to have a motor impairment, (2) My experience of physical activity – perceived benefits, facilitators and barriers to participation, (3) Protective factors and coping strategies employed by participants to overcome barriers to participation, (4) What I would like and what I recommend, and (5) Perceptions of staff members at the school. These themes were discussed through a theoretical framework focused on the psychological and social factors which influence an individual’s participation in (or avoidance of) physical activity. While this theoretical framework is based on able-bodied persons, it was interesting to compare the experiences of adolescents with CP. The findings were further discussed in comparison to the relevant literature, although the purpose of qualitative research is not to necessarily generalise findings. This discussion yielded similarities and differences in terms of experiences relating to barriers and facilitators to participation. In addition, the findings supported the notion that adolescents with disabilities know what they want and have valuable input to offer in terms of their own experiences. Recommendations include further studies being conducted with groups of adolescents with disabilities other than CP as well as in other areas of South Africa. This could give a more rounded understanding of the experiences of adolescents with disabilities and could better inform projects that could be developed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Betrokkenheid in fisiese aktiwiteit is ‘n basiese mensereg en het verskeie voordele vir verstandelike gesondheid. Mense wat gestremdhede het word dikwels ontken van hierdie reg, as gevolg van getalle struikelblokke wat bestaan op fisiologiese, sielkundige en strukturele vlakke. Adolessente met motoriese gestremdhede mag dalk nog meer gemarginaliseerde word as gevolg van die fisiese aard van hul gestremdheid, asook die feit dat hulle in ‘n ontwikkelings stadium is waar hulle opinie dalk nie in ag geneem word nie weens hulle ouderdom. Navorsing wat uitgevoer is in hierdie gebied het meestal gefokus op die mededeling van die ouers en onderwysers en het min stem gegee aan die adolessente self. Hierdie navorsing het daarop gemik om die beleefde ervaringe van ‘n groep adolessente met serebrale verlamming en hulle betrokkenheid in fisiese aktiwiteit te ondersoek. Die monster groep het bestaan uit 15 adolessente met serebrale verlamming tussen die ouderdomme van 12 en 18 in die Wes-Kaap. Semi- gestruktureerde onderhoude was gedoen met die deelnemers. Bykomend is daar ook onderhoude gedoen met drie personeellede om ‘n sekondêre vlak van data aan die studie te verleen. Die onderhoude was geanaliseer deur gebruik te maak van interpreterende fenomenologiese analise, wat daarop gemik is om ‘n stem te gee aan die deelnemers en om sin te maak van hulle beskrywinge deur interpretasie van die navorser. Vyf groot temas het na vore gekom uit die data, naamliks: (1) Wanneer hulle my verlam noem – wat dit beteken om ‘n motorise gestremdheid te hê, (2) My ondervinding van fisiese aktiwiteit – waargenome voordele, fasiliteerders en struikelblokke tot deelname, (3) Beskermende faktore en hanteringsvaardighede wat gebruik word deur die deelnemers om struikelblokke tot deelname te oorkom, (4) Waarvan ek sal hou en wat ek voorstel, en (5) Persepsies van personeellede by die skool. Hierdie temas was bespreek deur ‘n teoreties raamwerk wat gefokus is op die sielkundige en sosiale faktore wat ‘n individu se deelname aan (of vermyding van) fisiese aktiwiteit beïnvloed. Alhoewel hierdie teoretiese raamwerk gebaseer is op ongestremde persone, was dit interessant om die ondervindinge te vergelyk met adolessente met serebrale verlamming. Die bevindinge is verder bespreek in vergelyking met relevante literatuur, al is die doel van kwalitatiewe navorsing nie noodwendig om bevindinge te veralgemeen nie. Die bespreking het ooreenkomste, so wel as verskille ten opsigte van ondervindinge met betrekking tot hindernisse en fasiliteerders tot deelname opgelewer. Daarbenewens verleen die bevindinge ook ondersteuning aan die idee dat adolessente met gestremdhede weet wat hulle wil hê en dat hulle waardevolle insette het om te lewer in terme van hulle eie ervarings. Aanbevelings sluit in dat daar verdere studies gedoen moet word met ‘n groep adolessente wat ‘n gestremdheid anders as serebrale verlamming het, asook om verdere studies te doen in ander areas van Suid-Afrika. Dit sal ‘n meer afgeronde begrip van die ondervindinge van adolessente met gestremdhede lewer en sal ook beter instaat wees om projekte in te lig wat dalk ontwikkel mag word.