Abstract During my university trip to South Africa I visit a black township called Lingehlile. There I examined the life situation and education for children and youth with mentally disabilities. I was interested in knowing more about what basic condition they have, period of school and what kind of support they get outside the school. The subjects that I have handled are a school for all, support for the person with mentally disabilities and their family, the opinion of the society, education and life after school. I got my result by two interviews. One was with the principal of a school for handicapped children and the other one was with a teacher at that school. Also I have visit a school for handicapped in Cape Town. In Sweden we are talking about a school for all were everybody are welcomed irrespective of handicap. We have laws that stand behind people with mentally disabilities and they can get support and service. With this report I would like to throw light on the situation in another country, in this case South Africa. My investigation showed that they are struggling for a better society for the people with mentally disabilities but they have not come as far as Sweden. This is because of the bad economy and the government. During the trip I met a lot of people that are fighting for better conditions and a rise are slowly but sure on its way. Keywords South Africa, mentally disabilities, living conditions and examine

Sport is a cultural phenomenon that has spread throughout the world (Harvey & Houle, 1994). For youth, sport is perceived as a context that can play a major role in person’s psychosocial development across their life-span (Danish, Petitpas, & Hale, 2007). However, despite the increase in research in this field, very little work has examined how sport may play a role in the psychosocial development of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). Moreover, an area of study that has also grown related to the lived experiences of individuals living with a disability including ID is social inclusion (SI). Similar to research related to psychosocial development, very little research has been conducted to examine whether the context of sport can foster social inclusion for youth with ID. Special Olympics Canada (SOC) is an organization “dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through sport” (SOC, 2010, “SOC Mission Statement”, para.1) and may be an organization that has the potential to positively impact the lives of its youth participants. Thus, the purpose of this research was to examine whether stakeholders perceived SO as impacting the psychosocial development and social inclusion. The results indicated that SO, by all stakeholders, is perceived as an organization that is facilitating the psychosocial development of its athletes through the incorporation of strong social support networks and the development of life skills. In addition, SO was perceived as facilitating social inclusion for youth, particularly in the context of school and their surrounding community.

<p>Sport participation can play a vital role in enhancing life of youth with physical disabilities. This is because of the rehabilitative influence sport can have not only on the physical body but also on rehabilitating people with disability into society. A successful sport programme in which the youth with disabilities are involved should possibly respect youth‟s wishes regarding the preference of the sport. The Review of the literature revealed that little has been documented about the status of disability sport in developing countries. Given the psychosocial and physiological benefits of sport in everyone‟s life, including those with physical disabilities, there is a need for a study to document the status of sport of this sub-population in Rwanda. This study, therefore, aimed to identify the factors associated with sport preferences among youth with physical disabilities in Rwanda. A sequential mixed model design was used to collect data, specifically the sequential explanatory strategy. Data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire and a total number of 204 participants voluntarily answered the questionnaire. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among four (4) NPC staff to collect data regarding the challenges experienced by youth with physical disabilities with regard to sport preferences. The Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19 was used for data capturing and data analysis. Descriptive statistics were employed to summarize demographic information as means, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics (chi-square and independent samples t-tests) were used to test the associations between different categorical variables (p&lt / 0.05). For the qualitative data, audiotaped interviews were transcribed and translated from Kinyarwanda into English, and the expressed ideas were coded and reduced into subthemes and categories. Thematic analysis was then done under the generated sub-themes. Permission to conduct this study was obtained from the concerned authorities. Ethical issues pertaining to informed consent, anonymity, confidentiality and the right to withdraw from the study were respected in this current study. The results of the current study revealed that the top five sports played by youth with physical disabilities were sit ball, sitting volleyball, volleyball, table tennis and wheelchair basketball. It also showed that youth with physical disabilities were committed to and enjoyed their sport experience. Additionally, they have had strong feelings about their physical abilities. Discouragingly, the results indicated that the youth with physical disabilities have had low perception that their parents were supportive of their participation in sport. The findings further showed that age, gender, use or non-use of mobility aids, and type of impairment influenced the choice of sport. However, there was no statistically significant association between demographic characteristics and some sports codes played in Rwanda. During the semi-structured interviews, the participants reported the challenges experienced by youth with physical disabilities with regard to sport preferences including physical factors (lack of accessible facilities, uneven playgrounds, transport to and from sport fields, resources and limited sporting codes available), social factors (lack of parental support and models) and financial factors (inhibit the implementation of many sport codes, high cost of adaptive equipment) which influence the youth with physical disabilities to choose a sport with sufficient facilities even if they do not like it. Factors that emerged as facilitators for sport preferences include: sport availability, perceived ability to handle a sport, friendship, facilities, improved individual competences, independence in mobility gained, and to take part in international tournaments. Based on the results of this study, and the role of sport in preventing many chronic diseases, it is apparent that there is a need to widen the spectrum of sport opportunities and to create awareness among youth with physical disabilities. Furthermore, there is a need to provide social and a local barrier-free inclusion of various stakeholders in recommending and designing sport programmes for the youth with disabilities.</p>

This thesis examines hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions among persons with an intellectual disability living in Manitoba from 1999 to 2003. Hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions are considered an indicator of access to, and the quality of, primary care. Intellectual disability can be defined as a disability originating before age 18 characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. Between 1 and 3% of the population has an intellectual disability. This thesis addressed three objectives: 1) To identify ambulatory care sensitive conditions that are applicable to persons with an intellectual disability; 2) To compare hospitalization rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions between persons with and without an intellectual disability in Manitoba; 3) To identify factors associated with hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions among adults with an intellectual disability living in Manitoba. An online survey of primary care providers with experience working with persons with an intellectual disability found consensus on fifteen ambulatory care sensitive conditions applicable to persons with an intellectual disability. Large discrepancies in hospitalization rates for these conditions were found between persons with and without an intellectual disability. Controlling for age, year, sex, and region, persons with an intellectual disability were 6 times more likely to be hospitalized for an ambulatory care sensitive condition. Future research should investigate reasons for the large discrepancy in rates between persons with and without an intellectual disability. Among adults with an intellectual disability, living in a rural area (odds ratio 1.3; 95% CI=1.0, 1.8), living in an area with a high proportion of First Nations people (odds ratio 2.3; 95% CI=1.3, 4.1), and experiencing higher levels of comorbidity (odds ratio 25.2; 95% CI=11.9, 53.0) were all associated with a higher likelihood of being hospitalized for an ambulatory care sensitive condition. Dwelling in higher income areas had a protective effect (odds ratio 0.56; CI=0.37, 0.85). The results suggest that addressing the socioeconomic problems of poorer areas and specifically areas densely populated by First Nations people would likely have an impact on hospitalizations for ACS conditions for persons with an intellectual disability.

For years critics have noticed how Jane Austen uses a cold, a sore throat, a sprained ankle, or some other minor affliction (Watson 336) to further the plots of her novels. Although the recurring motif of illness appears to be nothing more than the recording of everyday trivialities, the frequent appearance of illness during the courtship narratives is intriguing. The bodily production of modesty requires the conscious display of delicacy; however, delicacy requires disability in order to be visible to society. Similarly, sensibility also requires the display of delicacy and, by extension, disability. Applying Judith Butlers performance theory to disability, it is possible to analyze the performance of delicacy used in both the production of modesty and sensibility, and thereby understand the degree to which delicacy is a learned performance rather than an innate feminine trait. Austens heroines display varying degrees of affectation of both modesty and sensibility through their performances of delicacy. These performances serve to highlight each heroines degree of modesty and sensibility, as well as to pique the interest ideally, although not always successfully of potential lovers. The performance of disability through delicacy is an essential feature of the temporary invalidism experienced by the heroines during the courtship narratives of Austens novels.

Students with disabilities have to overcome many barriers when attaining post-secondary education. This thesis investigates how programs and policies affect students with disabilities. Using a survey-based research method, the project explores the gap that exists between disability policy and programs at the University of Saskatchewan as perceived students. Discussions with disability service providers also informed the study. A communication disconnect between faculty, service providers, and students was found to be one of the key reasons why the gap between program and policies is increasing as opposed to decreasing. Rather than being reliant on the medical model of disability and integrated approach, which includes more social conceptions of disability, related to delivery of programs should be advocated. Reflection on the current literature related to disability and the findings of this thesis lead to a construction of a model. This model advocates the inclusion of disability studies as an integral part of university curriculum using and interdisciplinary approach. The expanded role of disability studies can have a positive influence on university culture, and improve understandings of disability on university campuses, as well as in the broader social context.

This thesis explores the physiologically-mediated interactions between children with profound disabilities and their environment. Using a structure inspired by the musical theme and variation compositional form, the concept of using physiological signals to enrich person-environment interaction will be addressed in two themes. The first theme explores how children with profound disabilities can use their physiological signals to interact with their environment. The variations on this theme: 1) appraise the literature and establish that peripheral autonomic nervous system signals can be controlled by mental activities; 2) present an algorithm that classifies an individual’s mental state using patterns of electrodermal activity to an accuracy of over 80%, and; 3) discusses the challenges with and potential solutions to creating an physiologically-based interaction pathway for children with profound disabilities. The second theme explores how physiological signals can be used to assess the effect of the environmental milieu on a child with profound disabilities. The variations on this theme: 1) demonstrate the effects of the built environment on the life activities of a severely disabled individual by developing and evaluating the effects of a custom-tailored computer access technology; 2) illustrate how the physiological signals of profoundly disabled children are influenced by their social environment by studying the effect of Therapeutic Clowns on children in a long-term rehabilitation setting; and 3) illustrate how differential physiological responses to sounds in the environmental milieu can be used to inform and improve voluntary physiologically-mediated person-environment interaction. The coda of the thesis presents a conceptual framework that has the potential to enrich the interaction between profoundly disabled children and their environment, using music generated from physiological signal patterns to modify their environmental milieu, constructs of personhood and their identity.

This thesis examines hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions among persons with an intellectual disability living in Manitoba from 1999 to 2003. Hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions are considered an indicator of access to, and the quality of, primary care. Intellectual disability can be defined as a disability originating before age 18 characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behaviour as expressed in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills. Between 1 and 3% of the population has an intellectual disability. This thesis addressed three objectives: 1) To identify ambulatory care sensitive conditions that are applicable to persons with an intellectual disability; 2) To compare hospitalization rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions between persons with and without an intellectual disability in Manitoba; 3) To identify factors associated with hospitalizations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions among adults with an intellectual disability living in Manitoba. An online survey of primary care providers with experience working with persons with an intellectual disability found consensus on fifteen ambulatory care sensitive conditions applicable to persons with an intellectual disability. Large discrepancies in hospitalization rates for these conditions were found between persons with and without an intellectual disability. Controlling for age, year, sex, and region, persons with an intellectual disability were 6 times more likely to be hospitalized for an ambulatory care sensitive condition. Future research should investigate reasons for the large discrepancy in rates between persons with and without an intellectual disability. Among adults with an intellectual disability, living in a rural area (odds ratio 1.3; 95% CI=1.0, 1.8), living in an area with a high proportion of First Nations people (odds ratio 2.3; 95% CI=1.3, 4.1), and experiencing higher levels of comorbidity (odds ratio 25.2; 95% CI=11.9, 53.0) were all associated with a higher likelihood of being hospitalized for an ambulatory care sensitive condition. Dwelling in higher income areas had a protective effect (odds ratio 0.56; CI=0.37, 0.85). The results suggest that addressing the socioeconomic problems of poorer areas and specifically areas densely populated by First Nations people would likely have an impact on hospitalizations for ACS conditions for persons with an intellectual disability.

This thesis explores the physiologically-mediated interactions between children with profound disabilities and their environment. Using a structure inspired by the musical theme and variation compositional form, the concept of using physiological signals to enrich person-environment interaction will be addressed in two themes. The first theme explores how children with profound disabilities can use their physiological signals to interact with their environment. The variations on this theme: 1) appraise the literature and establish that peripheral autonomic nervous system signals can be controlled by mental activities; 2) present an algorithm that classifies an individual’s mental state using patterns of electrodermal activity to an accuracy of over 80%, and; 3) discusses the challenges with and potential solutions to creating an physiologically-based interaction pathway for children with profound disabilities. The second theme explores how physiological signals can be used to assess the effect of the environmental milieu on a child with profound disabilities. The variations on this theme: 1) demonstrate the effects of the built environment on the life activities of a severely disabled individual by developing and evaluating the effects of a custom-tailored computer access technology; 2) illustrate how the physiological signals of profoundly disabled children are influenced by their social environment by studying the effect of Therapeutic Clowns on children in a long-term rehabilitation setting; and 3) illustrate how differential physiological responses to sounds in the environmental milieu can be used to inform and improve voluntary physiologically-mediated person-environment interaction. The coda of the thesis presents a conceptual framework that has the potential to enrich the interaction between profoundly disabled children and their environment, using music generated from physiological signal patterns to modify their environmental milieu, constructs of personhood and their identity.

Support provision is a personal and important element of daily life for many people with disabilities. The study examines the ways in which organizational mandates and philosophies shape interactions between people with disabilities and support providers at two unique organizations: a L’Arche community for people with intellectual disabilities and a Independent Living Resource Centre. The project is framed with the social model of disability, the work of Titchkosky (2003) and human geography. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, including a scenario component, with administrators at each location, people with disabilities using the services and support providers. The findings demonstrate that both organizations have strongly articulated philosophies that the participants are familiar with. The L’Arche model creates an environment that determines certain ways of interacting and while the IL participants amend the philosophy to reflect the daily reality of support provision. / October 2007