Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Disabled adolescents are vulnerable to HIV infection particularly in countries like South Africa
which has one of the largest HIV epidemics in the world. Like able-bodied adolescents,
adolescents with disabilities are at a critical stage of their psychosocial and sexual development.
They may be at risk of sexual abuse as perpetrators may believe that they are incapable of
defending themselves or reporting the crime to the authorities. Deaf or hard of hearing
adolescents are vulnerable to HIV/AIDS due to similar risk factors to other disabled adolescents.
They also face difficulties in communicating with hearing people and receiving information in
sign language, and they share characteristics with minority ethnic groups, which make them hard
to reach for HIV prevention campaigns. There is a paucity of research in South Africa
investigating the role of schools for Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents in delivering
appropriate HIV and sexuality education to their learners. This thesis is an exploratory study and
investigates HIV prevention issues for Deaf or hard of hearing adolescents in South Africa. More
specifically, I aim to determine the ways in which participants believe schools, health systems
and other organizations contribute or fail to contribute to the HIV/AIDS prevention needs of
Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents. The study includes qualitative interviews with employees
of Deaf organizations, educators of Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents, parents of Deaf and
hard of hearing adolescents and Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents themselves in relation to
sexuality and HIV related issues. Results indicate that Deaf organizations have an interest in the
HIV prevention needs of the Deaf community and in Deaf schools. However they have
experienced obstacles in delivering HIV education to learners. These obstacles include
communication barriers as well as the fact that religious environments in some of the schools
may not always be experienced as conducive to HIV education. Although all educators of Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents interviewed in the previous phase of the study were aware that
their learners are at risk of HIV/AIDS, some educators of Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents
were constrained by the same issues of morality and religious conviction discussed in the first
phase. Some participants had made efforts to produce appropriate HIV and sexuality materials
for Deaf learners. Parents of Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents were affected by
communication barriers with their children but seemed unaware of the religious ethos of many of
the schools their children attended. The Deaf and hard of hearing adolescents knew they could be
at risk of HIV/AIDS. Some displayed poor knowledge of HIV transmission. There are a number
of issues to be addressed if schools for Deaf and hard of hearing learners are to provide adequate
HIV/AIDS prevention information to their learners. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Gestremde adolessente is kwesbaar vir MIV-infeksie veral in lande soos Suid-Afrika wat een van
die grootste MIV-epidemies ter wêreld het. Soos nie-gestremde adolessente is gestremde
adolessente in 'n kritieke stadium van hul psigososiale en seksuele ontwikkeling. Oortreders van
seksuele misbruik mag gestermde adolessente beskou as sagte teikens aangesien daar die
persepsie is dat hulle minder in staat is om hulself te verdedig of minder geneig is om `n misdaad
by die owerhede te rapporteer. Dowe of hardhorende adolessente is kwesbaar vir MIV / VIGS vir
redes war soortgelyk is aan die van ander gestremde adolessente. Dowe of hardhorende
adolessente vind dit problematies om met horende (nie-gestremde) mense te komminikeer,
inligting in gebaretaal te ontvang, en deel eienskappe met etniese minderheidsgroepe wat dit
moeilik maak om hulle deur middel van MIV voorkomingsveldtogte te bereik. Daar is 'n gebrek
aan navorsing in Suid-Afrika oor die rol wat skole vir dowe en hardhorende adolessente speel in
die lewering van geskikte MIV en seksualiteitsopvoeding. Hierdie proefskrif verken en
ondersoek kwessies met betrekking tot MIV-voorkoming onder dowe en hardhorende
adolessente in Suid-Afrika. Meer spesifiek was die doel van hierdie studie om vas te stel wat
deelnemers se persepsies is oor die bydrae of gebrek aan bydrae van skole, gesondheids-en ander
organisasies tot die behoeftes van dowe en hardhorende adolessente wanneer dit kom by die
voorkoming van MIV/ VIGS. Gedurende die studie is kwalitatiewe onderhoude met die
volgende deelnemers gevoer: die werknemers van organisasies vir dowes; die onderwysers van
dowes, ouers van dowe en hardhorende adolessente. Die onderhoude het hoofsaaklik gehandel
oor seksualiteit en MIV-verwante kwessies onder gehoor gestremde adolessente. Die studie het
bevind dat organisasies vir dowes `n belangstelling toon in die behoeftes van dowe
gemeenskappe en skole vir dowes wanneer dit kom by MIV-voorkomming. Hulle het dit egter met tye problematies gevind om leerders op te voed oor MIV weens verskeie hindernisse.
Hierdie hindernisse sluit in kommunikasie-hindernisse sowel as die godsdienstige etos wat wat in
sommige skole teenwoordig is en wat nie altyd bevorderlik is tot MIV-onderrig nie. Alhoewel al
die opvoeders van dowe en hardhorende adolessente gedurende die vorige fase van die studie
aangedui het dat hul wel bewus is van leerders se risiko vir MIV/VIGS word sommige van hulle
beperk deur bogenoemde kwessies van moraliteit en godsdienstige oortuiging. Sommige
deelnemers het daarop gedui dat hul pogings aangewend het om geskikte materiaal te produseer
wat spreek tot MIV en seksualiteit onder dowe leerders. Ouers van dowe en hardhorende
adolessente was bewus van en word beïnvloed deur kommunikasie-hindernisse, maar was nie
bewus van die godsdienstige etos van die skole wat hul kinders bywoon nie. Dowe en
hardhorende adolessente was bewus daarvan dat hulle die risiko loop om MIV / vigs op te doen,
maar dit blyk dat sommige min kennis dra oor MIV-oordrag. Daar is 'n aantal kwessies wat
aangespreek moet word voordat skole vir dowes en hardhorendes instaat sal wees om geskikte
MIV/VIGS voorkomingsprogramme aanbied te bied wat voldoen aan die behoeftes van leerders.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/71737 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Mall, Sumaya |
| Contributors | Swartz, Leslie, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 203 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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