Disabilities In Society Research Articles

The role of technology use, family support, and self-motivation in the business success of persons with disabilities amid the challenge of limited external support

The presence of individuals with disabilities in society often faces various challenges that hinder their full participation in entrepreneurial activities. Amid the rapid advancement of technology, opportunities to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) are becoming increasingly accessible. However, the challenges in running a business remain significant, particularly when support from the government and organizations is limited. This study aims to analyze the role of technology use, family support, and self-motivation in the business success of individuals with disabilities, despite the challenge of limited external support. This research employs a quantitative approach using SEM-PLS methodology to explore the relationships between relevant variables. The study was conducted on 43 businesses owned by individuals with disabilities across several regions in Indonesia, utilizing an online questionnaire as the data collection tool. The results indicate that technology use, family support, and self-motivation play significant roles in determining the success of businesses owned by individuals with disabilities. Technology use, particularly in marketing through social media, enables disabled entrepreneurs to overcome physical limitations and expand their market share. Family support, both emotional and financial, provides a crucial foundation for business success, especially when external support is limited. Self-motivation becomes an essential driving factor in facing various challenges, including limited access to external assistance, allowing individuals with disabilities to continue innovating and sustaining their businesses.

ANALISIS YURIDIS PEMENUHAN HAK PELAYANAN PUBLIK BAGI PENYANDANG DISABILITAS KABUPATEN JEMBER

Public transportation plays a crucial role in the social and economic structure of cities worldwide by providing access to various services and activities. An efficient transportation system supports mobility in employment, education, healthcare, and recreation, and contributes to inclusive and sustainable urban development. However, individuals with disabilities often face barriers to accessing public transportation, both physical, such as the lack of disability-friendly facilities, and non-physical, such as insufficient staff training and supportive policies. These limitations hinder full participation of individuals with disabilities in society and widen the gap in life opportunities. In Indonesia, issues of inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities are central to human rights and social justice discourse. Although legislative progress has been made, field practices often remain suboptimal. Regulations such as Article 12 (e) of Regional Regulation No. 7 of 2016 and Law No. 8 of 2016 on Persons with Disabilities provide a legal framework for accessibility, yet implementation on the ground still faces gaps. This study highlights the importance of improving legal protection and enhancing accessibility at public transportation stops in Jember Regency, aiming to identify barriers faced by people with disabilities and provide a basis for advocating for more inclusive policy and infrastructure changes. This research underscores that improving accessibility not only meets practical needs but also ensures recognition and protection of the legal rights of people with disabilities for equal mobility and full participation in society.

Social inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities through career/professional counseling

In the context of the inclusive mindset of modern society, as a social value, this paper opens the question of social inclusion of people with mental disabilities in one of the many sociological areas, specifically in the field of professional application of the target group of people with mental disabilities in the labor market. Getting a job is not just a matter of earning; it's also about the sense of self-esteem and value one brings to the world. The aim of this paper is to describe the specifics of career counseling arising from the fact that a student with a given disability is influenced by the impacts of intellectual disability in certain aspects of preparation for a profession or independent life. Vocational counseling can show people with intellectual disabilities that they are capable of achieving things they didn't even know were possible for them. This has a huge positive impact on their self-esteem and overall quality of life. Quality professional counseling contributes to breaking stereotypes and prejudices, which often limit people with mental disabilities in society.

Disability and marketing: a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review

The needs of people with disabilities have been largely overlooked in the marketplace and in the development and promotion of products and services. As the marketing system has the potential to drive changes in the education system, industry, market, and society, a more grounded and comprehensive understanding of the scholarly debate on disability is essential for advancing academic knowledge and marketing practice. Therefore, this paper provides a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review on disability and marketing, based on 68 articles published between 1985 and 2022. After identifying the most prominent journals, authors, countries, and research methods employed, a qualitative content analysis is used to thematically map this domain of research. Descriptive data provide evidence of a recent surge in marketing studies addressing disability, which has received increased attention since 2020. Existing research has been primarily driven by studies on tourism, services, and social marketing, while other fields remain largely unexplored. In recent years, there has been growing scholarly interest in marketing communications and the representation of disability; however, the focus on barriers and accessibility has hindered the advancement of the knowledge base regarding the social inclusion of people with disabilities from a marketing perspective. Based on its main results, the paper identifies possible avenues for further research, which may also offer valuable insights for policymakers and marketing practitioners interested in the inclusion of people with disabilities in society and the market.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Tvet) Program Experiences for Persons with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Nepal: A Narrative Inquiry

This study explores the experiences of TVET programs for persons with traumatic SCI in Nepal. Recently, the National Planning Commission published the 15th plan that aims to encourage the country as a prosperous, independent, and socialist-oriented national economy through healthy, educated, decent citizens who enjoy equal opportunity (National Planning Commission, 2019). In terms of economic growth, it ensures inclusive and equitable access to quality technical education and vocational skill development. Persons with traumatic spinal cord injury are eligible for ensuring the aforementioned equitable access and high living standards. TVET emphasizes linking persons with traumatic spinal cord injury and the labor market to achieve economic success. The deepening stories by the research question that how do persons with traumatic spinal cord injury narrate their experience of TVET programs are included in the study. Through are view of disability and TVET related literature, I learned that the TVET program acted as a bridge between employment and disability. Besides, employment made affirmative impacts on economic independence for persons with traumatic spinal cord injury. Several types of research justified showing a significance of the program in diverse Asian countries such as Taiwan, Bangladesh. I could not find the study associated with TVET and spinal cord injury patients in Nepal. Many researchers investigated the effects of TVET on persons with physical disabilities, but the cases were blended with different types of disabilities. Thus, comprehensive findings could be partially applicable for persons with the injury. In this study, I used a narrative inquiry within the interpretative framework. Also, I conducted an in-depth interview to pay attention to the voice of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury. The interview helped me to understand the stories. Especially five participants who were experienced in TVET programs were purposefully selected for the study. I considered that my participants are the range of twenty-one to forty years of ii age. The participants were six months post-injured. A total of five participants were interviewed physically and through telephone communication. The stories and information were analyzed and interpreted based on the theory of the social model. The social model concentrated on social oppression to make unjust circumstances rather than physical impairment. The stories of the study show that persons with traumatic spinal cord injury are excluded from the main stream in TVET program. They have frequently been deprived of the opportunity of participating in the program due to physical limitations. To be specific, their stories interpreted some similarities that motivation: encourage to be independent, low accessibility: information, disability-friendly educational environment, lack of awareness of disability in society, limited training curricula, devasting economic consequences. Reintegration signifies not economic empowerment but emotional independence. As firstly said, despite persons with traumatic spinal cord injury has faced uncountable barriers in training, it is sure that supported them to reintegrate into the community. On the other hand, TVET provides an essential opportunity to back to the community, but circumstantial constraints restrict the chance. Most private TVET institutes are not prepared for disability-friendly education environments. For instance, the institution is located on the 2nd floor without a lift. People with wheelchairs have no access to the program. Like this, disability is not considered training conditions, insufficient space to move a wheelchair, steps have prevailed. Financial hardship was a critical problem for my participants. Moreover, they appealed to the attitude of TVET educators. When TVET stakeholders whom my participants met, they showed disrespectful attitudes about disability. Although participants were in difficulties, they succeeded in completing the vocational training. The training led them to innovate life through generating income. Now they could maintain livelihood, looking after children. By discovering participants' stories, I came to know the importance of hearing their experiences in the TVET program. Otherwise, fundamental interests and needs overlooked TVET programs are likely to be planned. It may decline the effectiveness iii of the program. My participants’ experiences refer that ensuring education rights in TVET programs is the first step to improve the quality of life of persons with traumatic spinal cord injury.

Child Rights of Children with Disabilities

Approximately 16% of the global population have some type of disability. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines disability as having a long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment that interacts with the environment hinders one participation in society on an equal basis with others. Despite their privilege to equal rights and opportunities, children with disabilities often face discrimination and barriers to expressing themselves fully. The study aims to assess the existing knowledge regarding the right of children with disabilities among stakeholders. A total of 72 stakeholders involved in childhood disability were surveyed using a cross-sectional, exploratory research design. Individual interviews with semi-structured questionnaires were conducted. The findings revealed that 56% of respondents had limited or no awareness of the rights outlined for children with disabilities by the United Nations. Only 24% of stakeholders were familiar with existing educational policies aimed at facilitating the education of children with disabilities. The study highlights the urgent need for increased awareness and education among stakeholders regarding the guiding principles of UN child rights to promote the equitable treatment and inclusion of children with disabilities in society.

Sikap masyarakat terhadap penyandang disabilitas: faktor jenis kelamin, usia, dan tingkat pendidikan

The presence of people with disability in society is part of the society itself, so the involvement of them in community life needs attention from those around them. This study analyze the attitudes of society towards people with disability. A total of 69 respondents completed a sentiment scale questionnaire, with the highest score indicating a negative attitude towards people with disability. The questionnaire consisted of 14 questions with a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Data were analyzed using non-parametric statistics (Spearman correlation coefficient) and multiple regression analysis. The results show that the general attitude of society towards people with disability is positive (M = 2.50). Age and level of education variables show an inverse correlation, indicating that as age and education level of the society increase, the attitude towards disability people also increases. Females have a more positive attitude towards people with disability compared to males.

Voices unheard, insights into the lives of people with disabilities: A needs assessment study.

The phenomenon of disability in society is as ancient as human history itself. Approximately one billion people worldwide experience some form of disability, with a fifth of these individuals facing significant disabilities. Disability affects various life dimensions, including access to health services. This study aimed to identify the needs and challenges encountered by people with disabilities and to propose solutions for these issues. This qualitative content analysis research was conducted at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Participants included faculty members from the rehabilitation school, senior students, therapists, disabled individuals, and their families (23 interviews in total). These participants were chosen for their extensive knowledge of the challenges faced by people with disabilities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, with informed consent obtained before each interview. The interviews were analyzed using the Graneheim and Lundman content analysis method and MAXQDA software. To ensure data accuracy, the criteria of conformability, credibility, dependability, and transferability were applied. The analysis of the interviews yielded two main categories and 10 subcategories. In the category of disability-related problems, family problems, therapeutic problems, psychological problems, academic problems, and social problems were identified as the most significant. As for solutions, educational solutions, therapeutic solutions, social solutions, research solutions, and solutions for reintegrating patients into normal life were proposed to address the problems faced by disabled individuals. People with disabilities are an integral part of any country's society. To adequately address their therapeutic needs, it is essential to equip our health workers with the knowledge and skills tailored to the specific needs and challenges of disabled individuals.

Discourse On Barriers And Social Safety Nets For Active Participation Of Persons With Disabilities In Society: An Evidence From Pakistan

Present study is intended to investigate the discourse on barriers and social safety nets foractive participation of persons with disabilities in society. Social Safety Nets (SSNs) are type ofinterventions implemented by the government for protection of the marginalized segment of the society including persons with disabilities against. SSNs are mostly in the form of cash assistance or assets transfer to the poorest of the poor in society. These safety nets include unconditional cash transfer, conditional/ co-responsibility cash transfer, school feeding, fee waiver, and in kind transfers. Such initiatives provide assistance in terms of cash, education, skill development, health, and other allied areas to save the families from falling into trap of poverty. This study also narrates barriers e.g. poverty, illiteracy, lack of information etc. through which emerging nations' social safety nets could not reach to PWDs . Disability-specific safety nets can be designed and implemented for PWDs and removal of barriers for their active participation. The main objective of the study is to access the barriers faced by the persons with disabilities and type of social safety nets for persons with disabilities. For the purpose of quantitative information gathering, five hundred disabled persons were selected randomly from data set of Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), Pakistan. Data was further collected with the help of a well-structured interview schedule, and collected data were processed through a statistical package for social sciences. Findings illustrate that social safety nets are helpful for the persons with disabilities and it is necessary to remove barriers so that PWD can become active part of society.

РОЛЬ И ВЛИЯНИЕ РАЗВИТИЯ ПРОТЕЗОСТРОЕНИЯ ВЕРХНИХ И НИЖНИХ КОНЕЧНОСТЕЙ НА ПОЛНОМАСШТАБНУЮ СОЦИАЛЬНУЮ ИНТЕГРАЦИЮ ТРУДОСПОСОБНЫХ ИНВАЛИДОВ

The research touches upon the issues of legal and financial accessibility of upper and lower limb prostheses (hereinafter - ULP) provided at the expense of budgetary funds to disabled people of working age, their functional capabilities for domestic and labor activities, as well as the introduction of innovative technologies in the production of ULP and the impact of the market of assistive products on increasing the motivation of disabled people to be involved in labor inclusion, including by expanding the range of employment opportunities. The aim of the research is to highlight the importance of the development of domestic scientific and technologically innovative production of technical rehabilitation devices and prosthetic and orthopedic products (TSR and prosthetic devices), as well as a wide market for their provision, including as mandatory and compensatory tools to increase the participation of disabled people in the creation of products and services in the actively developing labor market. The object of the research is scientific and technological achievements, industries, and clusters involved in the development and creation of technologically advanced rehabilitation aids to increase the inclusion of disabled people. The subject of the study is the impact of assistive technologies on the reintegration of disabled people into society. The scientific hypothesis is an attempt to prove that with the development of domestic scientific and technical production of assistive technologies, including prosthetics, the level of inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and the labor market should increase, and the financial accessibility of their suspension should be ensured. In the process of the research, the method of analysis and structuring of domestic and foreign experience in the development and creation of multifunctional rehabilitation devices as an instrument of inclusive mechanism that helps persons with disabilities to socialize and realize their labor potential in the labor market was used. The following conclusions were made based on the results of the research: state guarantees of accessibility and quality of rehabilitation equipment products, and their constant innovative modernization are essential for the disabled, which has a positive impact on the reintegration of persons with disabilities into the actively developing society and labor market; authorities at all levels need immediately begin to create a labor market for the disabled in connection with the actively advancing robotization and digitalization, and the use of artificial intelligence.

Letter to the Editor: "How Can Biomedical Engineers Help Empower Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities? The Potential Benefits and Challenges of AI Technologies to Support Inclusivity and Transform Lives".

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare and daily life, offering great opportunities but also posing ethical and societal challenges. To ensure AI benefits all individuals, including those with intellectual disabilities, the focus should be on adaptive technology that can adapt to the unique needs of the user. Biomedical engineers have an interdisciplinary background that helps them to lead multidisciplinary teams in the development of human-centered AI solutions. These solutions can personalize learning, enhance communication, and improve accessibility for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, AI can aid in healthcare research, diagnostics, and therapy. The ethical use of AI in healthcare and the collaboration of AI with human expertise must be emphasized. Public funding for inclusive research is encouraged, promoting equity and economic growth while empowering those with intellectual disabilities in society.

Application of the Precede and Proceed Model in the Development of Community-Based Daily Emergency First Aid Management Training

ABSTRACTBackground: Emergency conditions that occur in society can occur at any time and anywhere. If this emergency condition is not handled properly, it will result in the threat of death and disability for society, which is certainly not in line with the SDGs ideals that have been proclaimed. It is necessary to increase the number of community members who have first aid competency so that it can reduce mortality and morbidity rates. In an effort to increase the number of first aid workers who are prepared to provide first aid, a health promotion model is needed in first aid in emergency cases. Methods: A mixed method of qualitative and quantitative research with research and development (R&D) research was applied to produce a training model for the community. Health promotion model was tested in phase two on 50 respondents who were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Both group was evaluated with pre-post test. Results: Community-Based Daily Emergency First Aid Management Training gives a positive effects in knowledge, skills, and attitude of respondent with sig 0.00. Conclusion: The conclusion of this research is that the Community-Based Daily Emergency First Aid Management Training Model increases community competence in carrying out first aid for everyday emergency situations

Quality of Life of Patients Who Have Suffered from Acute Cerebrovascular Accident (Investigation Based on EQ-5D-5L).

Acute cerebrovascular accident is known to be one of the main causes of morbidity, mortality, long-term disability, and disability in society. To investigate the quality of life of patients who have suffered from acute cerebrovascular accident (hereinafter ACVA) in stratified groups by age, gender, diagnosis, type (primary or secondary), and severity of a stroke, as well as undergoing rehabilitation. This research is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. The main research method is a survey. Data collection was carried out in 2020 in Almaty of the Republic of Kazakhstan by inpatient doctors (City Clinical Hospital No. 5 of the Public Health Department of Almaty), engaged in the rehabilitation treatment of patients with acute cerebrovascular accident. The standardized questionnaire EQ-5D-5L was used to assess the quality of life due to health conditions. Data on the state of "mobility", "self-care", "daily activities", "pain", "anxiety", as well as data on self-assessment of health status (according to the EQ VAS scale) were analyzed using the Level Sum Scores (hereinafter LSS). The study involved 258 respondents who had a stroke. The survey was conducted 2 months after the respondents were discharged from the hospital. The average LSS index of patients who underwent ACVA was 10.2 (9.7±10.7). Significant differences in LSS levels ( P ≤ 0.001) were revealed by the severity of stroke and by the fact of rehabilitation. Differences in LSS levels by age, gender, diagnosis, and type of ACVA are insignificant (P > 0.05). The difference in health indicators of patients with primary and repeated strokes indicates the fact of deterioration in the quality of life with each subsequent stroke. The quality of life of patients with ACVA is associated with the fact of rehabilitation: low values of EQ VAS in the group of patients who did not undergo rehabilitation and high values of EQ VAS in those who underwent rehabilitation. After a stroke, the majority of patients tend to have a negative quality of life, mostly due to violations of the component "daily activities". The identified significant disparities in LSS and EQ VAS indicators further show that the quality of life varies among stratified groups. The kind (primary or secondary) and severity of the stroke, as well as the existence of rehabilitation, are indicators that impact the quality of life of patients who have had ACVA.

Pemberdayaan Penyandang Disabilitas dalam Mewujudkan Hak Pekerjaan yang Layak oleh UKM Tiara Handicraft Surabaya

This study describes the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Realizing the Right to Decent Work by UKM Tiara Handicraft Surabaya. Persons with disabilities in society tend to experience discrimination and are seen as unable to work or hinder work in their daily lives, causing persons with disabilities to not get jobs. With the existence of small and medium enterprises that empower people with disabilities, namely UKM Tiara Handicraft Surabaya, they are able to prove the quality of their workforce can be taken into account in the world of work and increase community participation to be able to help improve their quality of life with voluntary assistance such as in the medical, educational, financial and other fields. etc. So this study aims to find out the process of empowering people with disabilities and the supporting factors and obstacles in realizing decent work rights by UKM Tiara Handicraft Surabaya. This study uses a Qualitative Research Method based on existing problems and is considered the most appropriate and appropriate to describe the problems that occur and uses several data collection techniques, namely Interview, Observation, Documentation, and Library Studies. The results of the study show that the empowerment of persons with disabilities in realizing the right to decent work by UKM Tiara Handicraft Surabaya has been carried out well although there are still several inhibiting factors.

A Comprehensive Look into Monitoring Disability Rights: A Case of Northern part of Cyprus by Disability Rights Monitoring Committee at Near East University

All individuals living together in society have equal rights. Users with disabilities maintain their existence in the community with all users and are included in the description of all individuals. However, although this issue has been accepted in various countries, the problems faced by individuals with special needs have not completely disappeared. In this context, studies are carried out by researchers in many countries to raise awareness of the existence and place of users with disabilities in society. This research study as an outcome of the workshop on disability monitoring sheds light to examine activities and scientific reflections of Near East University activities about disability rights on behalf of the Northern part of Cyprus. The workshop is held with the contributions of researchers from different disciplines. Thus, the universal rights of persons with disabilities are discussed from various perspectives. It gives insights on holistic perspective to the servi ces to all and provides valuable reflections to show the best practices within the local context setting an example to other countries.

SPECIAL EDUCATION, HEALTH AND INCLUSIVE PROCESSES

The article Special Education, Health and Inclusive Processes: The Importance of the School in the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities as a theme, aims to strengthen the attitudes of acceptance of individual differences and appreciation of human diversity, emphasizing the importance of belonging, coexistence, cooperation and the contribution that all people can make to build fairer community lives, healthier, more egalitarian and more satisfying. This is a bibliographic and qualitative study that aimed to survey bibliographic data presented in books and articles on the subject. In this sense, we searched for studies with the following keywords: Inclusion; School; Integration. The word inclusion implies the idea of segregation, since it is only possible to include someone who has already been excluded. Inclusion is supported by the inclusion/exclusion dialectic, with the struggle of minorities in the defense of their rights. The historic milestone of inclusion was in June 1994, with the Declaration of Salamanca, Spain, held by UNESCO at the World Conference on Special Educational Needs. Brazil is a signatory of international documents that define the unconditional insertion of people with disabilities in society, the so-called inclusion. However, it is not enough for Brazil to be a signatory to international treaties, to have fundamental guarantees of great impact, to have a specific status of Persons with Disabilities, with rights and duties, if we do not free ourselves from the mesmerizing positivist dogmas, seeking to ensure the rights already consecrated, in addition to announcing, through the insurgency, rights to those peoples still invisible and knowing that although we have solid constitutional and infraconstitutional matrices on the subject, We cannot settle for the great gulf between the legislative foundation, which is easy to enchant, and the practical reality, the daily life, the barriers and confrontations of those who experience the false inclusion and discrimination that exists today.

Challenges as a Driving Force for the Modernization of Social Statehood in Europe

One of the most significant social achievements of the twentieth century was the development and implementation of the welfare state concept within the framework of the theory of a democratic, rule-of-law state which ensures the best option for social and economic development, as well as political stability in society. It is proved that although, since the 1970s, some economists, political scientists and lawyers have periodically sharply criticized the concept of the welfare State, predicting its decline, the positive results of its transformation in European countries, as well as the development of the European Social Community within the European Union, show that the welfare State has a chance not only to survive, but also to remain one of the fundamental principles of statehood in democratic countries, and an element of the supranational organization of power embodied in the European Union.The purpose of the article is to analyze the traditional and new challenges to the welfare state which determine the change of approaches to its functioning and priorities at the current stage of development of state-legal and interstate (integration) relations.The key idea that structures the study is the thesis that European states that form a united Europe or aspire to join it, such as Ukraine, despite belonging to the same civilizational community, retain the right to choose how to respond to the economic, social, demographic, migration, environmental and climate challenges of our time. This choice determines the future of national welfare state models. In accordance with the stated goal, the article identifies two groups of major challenges: established (demographic changes, in particular, population aging; changes in the position of women in society and in the labor market; changes in the labor market; poverty and social exclusion) and new (rapid growth of emigration of Ukrainian doctors and nurses; introduction of artificial intelligence technologies; uncontrolled mass immigration; rapid growth of disability in society) faced by the welfare state and, mainly, the social security system, which is its foundation. While the established challenges require adjustments to the priorities and tasks of the welfare state, the newest ones require a significant modernization of the welfare state, adapting it to the new political, economic and social conditions of society.Further research on the selected issues should be conducted taking into account the existence of certain models of the welfare state that unite European states either by geographical (Scandinavian, continental, Anglo-Saxon, Southern European) or ideological (liberal, conservative, social democratic, corporate, solidarity) criteria.The problem of the welfare state's response to the challenges of environmental and climate crises deserves separate development, and in the context of this consideration, the correlation between the social and environmental (“green”) state.

Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Africa: exclusion of students with disabilities in South African higher education

While contemporary scholarship seeks to include Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into epistemology, to re-centre knowledge that has been placed in the periphery, in Africa largely and in South Africa specifically, construction of African Indigenous Knowledge (AIK) has shaped disability in negative ways, hence the exclusion of persons with disabilities in society. The article utilised a review of literature as a methodology to explore the ways in which negative AIK has been constructed, to frame disability negatively and to exclude students with disabilities in South African higher education. Decolonial theory informed the imperceptible underlying cause of negative AIK about disability. Ubuntu was viewed as an African philosophy that could bring back the being and humanness of those with disabilities. Incorporating African proverbs relating to tolerance of disability into the curriculum was proposed as the way in which positive AIK could be re-centred, to assist the inclusion of students with disabilities in families, communities and higher education. The article sought to contribute to the contemporary debate of placing IKS at the centre of epistemology in higher education. While a number of studies have focused on re-centering IKS in epistemology largely, few have looked at it from the perspective of re-centering the positive AIK, to include students with disabilities in higher education in the South African context.

Participation, Legal Capacity, and Gender: Reflections from the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Project in Serbia

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) establishes that people with disabilities shall enjoy their human rights on an equal basis with others. Those rights include the right to legal capacity and to protection against discrimination, including intersectional and multiple forms of discrimination on the basis of disability and gender. In an effort to support the realisation of the CRPD, the United Nations team in Serbia undertook a project to address the implementation of these rights under the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) programme. Namely, by bringing together stakeholders from the UN, government and civil society, the UNPRPD project in Serbia sought to create structural changes to uphold the rights of people with disabilities. With a view of understanding the process of change within, rather than the outcomes of, this UPRPD project, twenty-eight semi-structured interviews were conducted using the Most Significant Change Technique (MSCT) with key stakeholders involved in such a project. The interviews were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to preserve the unique and diverse perspectives of participants who had differing roles across the project. The analysis allowed us to identify a number of facets of the process that facilitate structural change: coalition-building events; strengthening stakeholder capacity and relationships; the participation of persons with disabilities; and innovation in terms of what made the project significant, novel and in itself a change. All these facets are discussed in this article, with the purpose of supporting global efforts in alignment with the CRPD. On the whole, this article aims to support a better understanding of disability-inclusive development projects in line with the CRPD and to give evidence on how countries may begin to tackle the structural exclusion of persons with disabilities in society.

Analysis and Achievement s of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 at the First Stage of its Implementation

Problem setting. Ensuring the full participation of people with disabilities in society, combating discrimination, removing barriers and combating social exclusion are the main goals of the European Union in the field of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. The signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the European Union imposed an obligation to implement its provisions, which in turn necessitated the adoption of an instrument for the effective and full implementation of the Convention’s requirements. And European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 became such a tool. Analysis of recent researches and publications. Given the importance of this topic, the European disability policy attracts the attention of many foreign authors, including S. Charitakis, D. L. Hosking, Ch. O’Mahony, Sh. Quinlivan, L. Waddington. Among domestic lawyers, S. Vavzhenchuk, S. Maidanik, O. Melnyk, L. Susharnyk and others touched on this problem in their works. But in general, this problem remains little researched precisely in the science of international law, which gives it relevance. Target of the research is to analyze the European disability strategy 2010-2020, identify the main directions of its activities and assess the current state of implementation of relevant measures. Article’s main body. The article is devoted to the description of the state and problems of the implementation of The European Disability Strategy 2010-2020. The author provides a detailed analysis of the development and adoption process of the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 and reveals the main goals and objectives of this document. The author also emphasizes the achievements that have been made during this stage of the implementation of the Strategy. Special attention in the paper is given to the recommendations provided by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the review of the Strategy and the possibilities for their implementation. Сonclusions and prospects for the development. The strategy was developed in response to the significant challenges faced by people with disabilities in accessing education, employment, healthcare, and other basic services. The strategy was designed to create a barrier-free Europe by 2020, where people with disabilities could enjoy equal opportunities and participate fully in society. The author highlights the recommendations provided by the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the review of the provisions of the European Disability Strategy 20102020. The most important conclusion is that «the goals of the decade-long strategy remain fully relevant» at this stage, and it has been decided to continue implementing existing measures until the end of the Strategy’s term. It can be said that the progress made at this stage, particularly in terms of accessibility, is quite significant and allows for greater opportunities for people with disabilities to integrate and actively participate in society.