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The Face of Disability in Nigeria: A Disability Survey in Kogi and Niger States

SMITH, N
2011

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The Leprosy Mission Nigeria conducted a disability survey in Kogi and Niger States of Nigeria in 2005, investigating the demographic characteristics of people with disabilities, including gender, age, religion, marital, educational, occupational, employment and economic status, understanding of disability and health-seeking behaviour.

 

Information was gathered from a convenience sample of participants, across 30 randomly selected towns and villages in the two states. Twelve trained bilingual research assistants were used, to translate the English language questionnaire verbally into the local language of each participant.

 

From the 1093 respondents studied, the most common disabilities involved vision (37%), mobility (32%) or hearing (15%). A third of these were less than 21 years of age and had no occupation, and 72% were Muslim. Over half of them had no education, 20% had primary, 8% secondary, 2% tertiary and 18% had Islamic education. Common occupations were begging (16%), studying (14%), farming (11%) and trading (8%). The majority were unemployed (61%) due to their disability. Over 70% were not able to access disability specific health services and 37% had an assistive device. Services accessed included health - mainstream (90%), traditional (61%) and counselling (58%); and other - rehabilitation (30%), assistive device provision (24%), welfare (22%), special education (15%), vocational training (10%) and economic empowerment (4%).

 

These results are comparable with findings in other studies. Disability affects a person’s ability to participate in education, work, family life and religion, influences health-seeking behaviour and contributes to poverty.

We exist : intersectional in/visibility in bisexuality & disability

CADWELL, Kate
2010

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The intersection of theories of disability and bisexuality is unexplored, yet both are identities rendered in/visible by paternalistic environments where individual and political identities are defined by oppositional binaries and vulnerable to compulsory citizenship. The development of such identities can be better understood by using a bisexual approach to inform theories of disability and a disability approach to inform theories of sexuality inclusive of bisexuality. Common themes that emerge center around issues of choice, fluidity of identity, the phenomena of "coming out" and "passing," and limitations to citizenship attendant to in/visible identities. Disability studies can provide a non-normative discursive space within which such identity issues may be addressed critically. Further, this article hopes to interject a bisexual perspective in discussions concerning applications of queer theory in disability studies

On the outskirts of normality: Young adults with disabilities, their belonging and strategies

OLIN, Elisabeth
JANSSON, Bibbi Ringsby
2009

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During the last decades, the living conditions for young people with disabilities have changed dramatically in Sweden, as well as in other parts of theWestern world.The boundaries between what is considered normal as opposed to different have become less clear as a result of these changes. This has been followed by new problems regarding integration and changing patterns of marginalization. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which young adults’ social identity is shaped by their dual belongings: to the category of individuals with disabilities as well as to mainstream society. In- depth interviews were carried out with 15 young adults with mental disabilities and mild intellectual disabilities occasionally combined with various forms of social problems. The analysis focused on the ways in which the young adults related to what they describe as normal and different as well as their strategies for navigating between them. The data was subsequently divided into three categories: Pragmatic Navigators, Critical Challengers, and Misunderstood Rebels, which reflect the ways in which the respondents describe themselves and the perspective they have developed to manage their existence.

Sex, disability and motherhood : access to sexuality for disabled mothers

O’TOOLE, Corbett Joan
2002

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There is limited research into the sexual lives of mothers, particularly mothers with disabilities. This article examines the barriers to sexuality facing mothers with disabilities. These barriers include: stereotypes that disabled mothers are not sexual, lack of resources for essential aspects of parenting, and difficulty in creating time for personal and private adult activities. Recommendations are presented based on the experiences of disabled mothers.

Doing the wild thing : supporting an ordinary sexual life for people with intellectual disabilities

HAMILTON, Carol
2002

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For many people who are called disabled, having this label means to be excluded from the experience of 'an ordinary sexual life'. For those who are called intellectually disabled exclusion from experiences of any kind of positive sexual life is almost universal. This article explores how some people with intellectual disabilities have sought to open up pathways towards accessing experiences of sexual expression as a way to move forward towards being able to integrate a concept of sexuality into their lives. Two support workers are interviewed. Both are employed by a Human Services organization in Aotearoa, New Zealand, which provides long term support for people with intellectual disabilities. Their comments reveal that access to successful instances of sexual expression for people in this group are currently only available those who are articulate enough and persistent enough to keep trying until they succeed. Barriers to success are isolated and some wider issues surrounding what changes might positively affect this group are discussed.

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