Cultural Beliefs and Attitudes about Disability in East Africa
Main Article Content
Keywords
beliefs, East Africa, culture
Abstract
This interpretive literature review of cultural beliefs and attitudes about disability in East Africa identified themes in four categories including (a) the causes of disability, (b) attitudes towards disability, (c) treatment of people with disabilities, and (d) language about disability. Referencing the medical, social, and pluralistic frameworks for conceptualizing disability, the authors sought to compare and contrast East Africa with perspectives about disability common in the developed world. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
References
African Studies Centre Leiden (2008). Disability in Africa. Retrieved from http://www.ascleiden.nl/Library/webdossiers/DisabilityInAfrica.aspx
Banks, J., Banks, C. & Banks, M. (1989) Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Bogdan, R., & Taylor, S. J. (1982). Inside out: The social meaning of mental retardation. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
Croft, A. (2002). Pedagogy in school context: An intercultural study of the quality of learning, teaching and teacher education in lower primary classes in Southern Malawi (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
Deku, P. (2002). Effects of training in community-based rehabilitation on attitudinal change of people toward people with disabilities. IFE PsychologIA, 10(2), 175-184.
Devlieger, P. J. (1994). Disability and community action in a Zimbabwean community: Priorities based on a biocultural approach. Journal of the Steward Anthropological Society, 22(1), 41-57.
Devlieger, P. J. (1995). Why disabled? The cultural understanding of physical disability in African society. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 94-106). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Devlieger, P. J. (1998). Physical 'disability' in Bantu languages: understanding the relativity of classification and meaning. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 21(1), 51-62.
Devlieger, P. J. (1999a). Frames of reference in African proverbs on disability. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 46, 439-451.
Devlieger, P. J. (1999b). Local knowledge and international collaboration in disability programs. In B. Holzer, A. Vreede & G. Weigt (Eds.), Disability in different cultures: Reflections on local concepts (pp. 167-179). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Edgerton, R. B. (1979). Mental retardation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
El Sharkawy, G., Newton, C., & Hartley, S. (2006). Attitudes and practices of families and health care personnel toward children with epilepsy in Kilifi, Kenya. Epilepsy and Behavior, 8, 201-212.
Filmer, D. (2008) Disability, poverty and schooling in developing countries: Results from 11 household surveys. Worldbank Policy Research Working Paper 3794. Retrieved from http://wber.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstrct/22/1/141
Fujiura, G. T., Park, H. J., & Rutkowski-Kmitta, V. (2005). Disability statistics in the developing world: A reflection on the meanings in our numbers. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 18, 295-304.
Gall, M., Gall, J., & Borg, W. (2007) Educational research (8th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Garland-Thomson, R. (1997). Extraordinary bodies. New York: Columbia University Press.
Harknett, S. G. (1996). Cultural factors in the definition of disability: A community study in Nyankunde, Zaire. African Journal of Special Needs Education, 01, 18-24.
Hartley, S., Ojwang, P., Baguwemu, A., Ddamulira, M., & Chavuta, A. (2005). How do carers of disabled children cope? The Ugandan perspective. Child: Care, Health & Development, 31, 167-180.
Haywood, H. C. (1970). Social-cultural aspects of mental retardation: Proceedings. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Helander, B. (1995). Disability as incurable illness: Health, process, and personhood in Southern Somalia. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 73-93). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Ingstad, B. (1995). Mpho ya modimo-A gift from God: Perspectives on "Attitudes" toward disabled persons. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and culture (pp. 246-264). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Ingstad, B., & Whyte, S. R. (Eds.). (1995). Disability and culture. Berkley: University of California Press.
Kaplan, D. (1999). The Definition of Disability. Retrieved from http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/demographics-identity/dkaplanpaper.htm
Kisanji, J. (1995a). Attitudes and beliefs about disability in Tanzania. In B. O'Toole & R. McConkey (Eds.), Innovations in developing countries for people with disabilities (pp. 51-70). Chorley, England: Lisieux Hall Publications.
Kisanji, J. (1995b). Interface between culture and disability in the Tanzanian context: Part I. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 42(2), 93-108.
Kisanji, J. (1995c). Interface between culture and disability in the Tanzanian context: Part II. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 42(2), 109-124.
Kisanji, J. (1995d). The relevance of indigenous customary education principles in the formulation of special needs education policy. Paper presented at the International Special Education Congress Birmingham, England, UK.
Kiyaga, N. B., & Moores, D. F. (2003). Deafness in Sub-Saharan Africa. American Annals of the Deaf, 148, 18-24.
Lamorey, S. (2002). The effects of culture on special education services: Evil eyes, prayer meetings, and IEPs. Teaching Exceptional Children, 34, 67-71.
Livingston, J. (2005). Debility and the moral imagination in Botswana. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Maclure, R. (2006). No longer overlooked and undervalued? The evolving dynamics of endogenuous educational research in Sub-Saharan Africa. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson, & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward access, equity and quality (pp. 75-102). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Mallory, B. L., Charlton, J. I., Nicholls, R. W., & Marfo, K. (Eds.). (1993). Traditional and changing views of disability in developing societies: Causes, consequences, cautions [Monograph #53]. New York: World Rehabilitation Fund.
Mamboleo, G. (2011). Predictors of attitudes toward disability and employment policy concerns among undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Masasa, T., Irwin-Carruthers, S., & Faure, M. (2005). Knowledge of, beliefs about and attitudes to disability: Implications for health professionals. South African Family Practice, 47(7).
Mashiri, P. (2000). The socio-cultural and linguistic aspects of childhood disability in Shona culture. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, 12(2), 170-194.
Mbah-Ndam, J. N. (1998). Caring for the disabled: The African experience. The Parliamentarian: Journal of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth, 79, 251-252.
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2006). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Miles, M. (2002). Children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida in East Africa: Can family and community resources improve the odds? Disability & Society, 17(6), 643-658.
Mutua, K., & Dimitrov, D. M. (2001). Prediciton of school enrolment of children with intellectual disabilities in Kenya: The role of parents' expectations, beliefs, and education. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 48, 179-191.
Nyerere, J. (1985) Education in Tanzania. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson, & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward Access, equity and quality (pp. 109-118). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
O'Keefe, P. (2007). People with disabilities in India: From commitments to outcomes. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DISABILITY/Resources/Regions/South%20Asia/PeoplewithDisinIndia.pdf
Ogechi, N., & Ruto, S. (2002). Portrayal of disability through personal names and proverbs in Kenya: Evidence from Ekegusii and Nandi. Vienna Journal of African Studies, 3, 63-82.
Omiegbe, O. (2001). Superstitious beliefs associated with the handicapped in Africa. In A. O. Orubu (Ed.), African traditional religion (a book of selected readings) (pp. 62-72). Benin City, Nigeria: Institute of Education University of Benin.
O’Sullivan, M. C. (2002). Reform implementation and the realities within which teachers work: a Namibian case study. Compare, 32, 219-237.
Peters, S. J. (1993a). An ideological-cultural framework for the study of disability. In S. J. Peters (Ed.), Education and disability in cross-cultural perspective (pp. 19-35). New York: Garland Publishing.
Peters, S. J. (Ed.). (1993b). Education and disability in cross-cultural perspective. New York: Garland Publishing.
Peters, S. J. (2003) Education Notes. Retrieved from http://www.worldbank.or/education.
Peters, S. J. (2004). Inclusive education: An EFA strategy for all children. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1099079877269/547664-
1099079993288/InclusiveEdu_efa_strategy_for_children.pdf
Peters, S. J., & Chimedza, R. (2000). Conscientization and the cultural politics of education: A radical minority. Comparative Education Review, 44, 245-271.
Piper, B., Dryden-Peterson, S., & Kim, Y. (2006) Introduction. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward access, equity and quality (pp. 1-8). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Skinner, D., & Weisner, T. S. (2007). Sociocultural studies of families of children with disabilities. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 13, 302-312.
Spring, J. (2009) Globalization of education: An introduction. New York: Routledge.
Stone-MacDonald, A. (2010). From Goats to Gardens: Preparing Children with Developmental Disabilities for Community Integration in Rural Tanzania (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Stone-MacDonald, A., & Butera, G. (2011). Immigration, globalization, and special education: Joy becomes an American. Unpublished manuscript.
Stromquist, N. P. (2006). Comparative and international education: A journey toward equality and equity. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson, & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward access, equity and quality (pp. 15-36). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Talle, A. (1995). A Child is a child: Disability and equality among the Kenya Maasai. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 56-72). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Teferra, T. (1993). Problems and prospects of persons with disabilities in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research, 15(1), 67-88.
Teferra, T. (2003). Early Intervention Practices: Ethiopia. In S. L. Odom, M. J. Hanson, J. A. Blackman, & S. Kaul (Eds.), Early intervention practices around the world (pp. 91-107). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special educational needs. Report generated at the World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality, Slamanca, Spain. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF
wa-Mungai, M. (2009). “For I name thee…” Disability onomastics in Kenyan folklore and popular music. Disabilities Studies Quarterly, 29, 4. Retrieved from http://www.dsq-sds.org/article/view/9841172
Whyte, S. R., & Ingstad, B. (1995). Disability and culture: An overview. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 3-32). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Zhang, C. (2001). Multicultural views of disability: Implications for early interventionist professionals. Infant-Toddler Intervention, 11, 143-154.
Banks, J., Banks, C. & Banks, M. (1989) Multicultural education: Issues and perspectives. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Bogdan, R., & Taylor, S. J. (1982). Inside out: The social meaning of mental retardation. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
Croft, A. (2002). Pedagogy in school context: An intercultural study of the quality of learning, teaching and teacher education in lower primary classes in Southern Malawi (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
Deku, P. (2002). Effects of training in community-based rehabilitation on attitudinal change of people toward people with disabilities. IFE PsychologIA, 10(2), 175-184.
Devlieger, P. J. (1994). Disability and community action in a Zimbabwean community: Priorities based on a biocultural approach. Journal of the Steward Anthropological Society, 22(1), 41-57.
Devlieger, P. J. (1995). Why disabled? The cultural understanding of physical disability in African society. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 94-106). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Devlieger, P. J. (1998). Physical 'disability' in Bantu languages: understanding the relativity of classification and meaning. International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, 21(1), 51-62.
Devlieger, P. J. (1999a). Frames of reference in African proverbs on disability. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 46, 439-451.
Devlieger, P. J. (1999b). Local knowledge and international collaboration in disability programs. In B. Holzer, A. Vreede & G. Weigt (Eds.), Disability in different cultures: Reflections on local concepts (pp. 167-179). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Edgerton, R. B. (1979). Mental retardation. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
El Sharkawy, G., Newton, C., & Hartley, S. (2006). Attitudes and practices of families and health care personnel toward children with epilepsy in Kilifi, Kenya. Epilepsy and Behavior, 8, 201-212.
Filmer, D. (2008) Disability, poverty and schooling in developing countries: Results from 11 household surveys. Worldbank Policy Research Working Paper 3794. Retrieved from http://wber.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstrct/22/1/141
Fujiura, G. T., Park, H. J., & Rutkowski-Kmitta, V. (2005). Disability statistics in the developing world: A reflection on the meanings in our numbers. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 18, 295-304.
Gall, M., Gall, J., & Borg, W. (2007) Educational research (8th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
Garland-Thomson, R. (1997). Extraordinary bodies. New York: Columbia University Press.
Harknett, S. G. (1996). Cultural factors in the definition of disability: A community study in Nyankunde, Zaire. African Journal of Special Needs Education, 01, 18-24.
Hartley, S., Ojwang, P., Baguwemu, A., Ddamulira, M., & Chavuta, A. (2005). How do carers of disabled children cope? The Ugandan perspective. Child: Care, Health & Development, 31, 167-180.
Haywood, H. C. (1970). Social-cultural aspects of mental retardation: Proceedings. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Helander, B. (1995). Disability as incurable illness: Health, process, and personhood in Southern Somalia. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 73-93). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Ingstad, B. (1995). Mpho ya modimo-A gift from God: Perspectives on "Attitudes" toward disabled persons. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and culture (pp. 246-264). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Ingstad, B., & Whyte, S. R. (Eds.). (1995). Disability and culture. Berkley: University of California Press.
Kaplan, D. (1999). The Definition of Disability. Retrieved from http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/demographics-identity/dkaplanpaper.htm
Kisanji, J. (1995a). Attitudes and beliefs about disability in Tanzania. In B. O'Toole & R. McConkey (Eds.), Innovations in developing countries for people with disabilities (pp. 51-70). Chorley, England: Lisieux Hall Publications.
Kisanji, J. (1995b). Interface between culture and disability in the Tanzanian context: Part I. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 42(2), 93-108.
Kisanji, J. (1995c). Interface between culture and disability in the Tanzanian context: Part II. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 42(2), 109-124.
Kisanji, J. (1995d). The relevance of indigenous customary education principles in the formulation of special needs education policy. Paper presented at the International Special Education Congress Birmingham, England, UK.
Kiyaga, N. B., & Moores, D. F. (2003). Deafness in Sub-Saharan Africa. American Annals of the Deaf, 148, 18-24.
Lamorey, S. (2002). The effects of culture on special education services: Evil eyes, prayer meetings, and IEPs. Teaching Exceptional Children, 34, 67-71.
Livingston, J. (2005). Debility and the moral imagination in Botswana. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Maclure, R. (2006). No longer overlooked and undervalued? The evolving dynamics of endogenuous educational research in Sub-Saharan Africa. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson, & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward access, equity and quality (pp. 75-102). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Mallory, B. L., Charlton, J. I., Nicholls, R. W., & Marfo, K. (Eds.). (1993). Traditional and changing views of disability in developing societies: Causes, consequences, cautions [Monograph #53]. New York: World Rehabilitation Fund.
Mamboleo, G. (2011). Predictors of attitudes toward disability and employment policy concerns among undergraduate students at the University of Nairobi [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Masasa, T., Irwin-Carruthers, S., & Faure, M. (2005). Knowledge of, beliefs about and attitudes to disability: Implications for health professionals. South African Family Practice, 47(7).
Mashiri, P. (2000). The socio-cultural and linguistic aspects of childhood disability in Shona culture. Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research, 12(2), 170-194.
Mbah-Ndam, J. N. (1998). Caring for the disabled: The African experience. The Parliamentarian: Journal of the Parliaments of the Commonwealth, 79, 251-252.
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2006). Research in education: Evidence-based inquiry (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Miles, M. (2002). Children with hydrocephalus and spina bifida in East Africa: Can family and community resources improve the odds? Disability & Society, 17(6), 643-658.
Mutua, K., & Dimitrov, D. M. (2001). Prediciton of school enrolment of children with intellectual disabilities in Kenya: The role of parents' expectations, beliefs, and education. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 48, 179-191.
Nyerere, J. (1985) Education in Tanzania. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson, & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward Access, equity and quality (pp. 109-118). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
O'Keefe, P. (2007). People with disabilities in India: From commitments to outcomes. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DISABILITY/Resources/Regions/South%20Asia/PeoplewithDisinIndia.pdf
Ogechi, N., & Ruto, S. (2002). Portrayal of disability through personal names and proverbs in Kenya: Evidence from Ekegusii and Nandi. Vienna Journal of African Studies, 3, 63-82.
Omiegbe, O. (2001). Superstitious beliefs associated with the handicapped in Africa. In A. O. Orubu (Ed.), African traditional religion (a book of selected readings) (pp. 62-72). Benin City, Nigeria: Institute of Education University of Benin.
O’Sullivan, M. C. (2002). Reform implementation and the realities within which teachers work: a Namibian case study. Compare, 32, 219-237.
Peters, S. J. (1993a). An ideological-cultural framework for the study of disability. In S. J. Peters (Ed.), Education and disability in cross-cultural perspective (pp. 19-35). New York: Garland Publishing.
Peters, S. J. (Ed.). (1993b). Education and disability in cross-cultural perspective. New York: Garland Publishing.
Peters, S. J. (2003) Education Notes. Retrieved from http://www.worldbank.or/education.
Peters, S. J. (2004). Inclusive education: An EFA strategy for all children. Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EDUCATION/Resources/278200-1099079877269/547664-
1099079993288/InclusiveEdu_efa_strategy_for_children.pdf
Peters, S. J., & Chimedza, R. (2000). Conscientization and the cultural politics of education: A radical minority. Comparative Education Review, 44, 245-271.
Piper, B., Dryden-Peterson, S., & Kim, Y. (2006) Introduction. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward access, equity and quality (pp. 1-8). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Skinner, D., & Weisner, T. S. (2007). Sociocultural studies of families of children with disabilities. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 13, 302-312.
Spring, J. (2009) Globalization of education: An introduction. New York: Routledge.
Stone-MacDonald, A. (2010). From Goats to Gardens: Preparing Children with Developmental Disabilities for Community Integration in Rural Tanzania (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Stone-MacDonald, A., & Butera, G. (2011). Immigration, globalization, and special education: Joy becomes an American. Unpublished manuscript.
Stromquist, N. P. (2006). Comparative and international education: A journey toward equality and equity. In B. Piper, S. Dryden-Peterson, & Y. Kim (Eds.), International education for the millennium: Toward access, equity and quality (pp. 15-36). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Talle, A. (1995). A Child is a child: Disability and equality among the Kenya Maasai. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 56-72). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Teferra, T. (1993). Problems and prospects of persons with disabilities in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Development Research, 15(1), 67-88.
Teferra, T. (2003). Early Intervention Practices: Ethiopia. In S. L. Odom, M. J. Hanson, J. A. Blackman, & S. Kaul (Eds.), Early intervention practices around the world (pp. 91-107). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
UNESCO (1994). The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special educational needs. Report generated at the World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality, Slamanca, Spain. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF
wa-Mungai, M. (2009). “For I name thee…” Disability onomastics in Kenyan folklore and popular music. Disabilities Studies Quarterly, 29, 4. Retrieved from http://www.dsq-sds.org/article/view/9841172
Whyte, S. R., & Ingstad, B. (1995). Disability and culture: An overview. In B. Ingstad & S. R. Whyte (Eds.), Disability and Culture (pp. 3-32). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.
Zhang, C. (2001). Multicultural views of disability: Implications for early interventionist professionals. Infant-Toddler Intervention, 11, 143-154.
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Author Biographies
Angi Stone-MacDonald, Assistant Professor, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Angi Stone-MacDonald, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings program. Her research areas include early intervention personnel preparation, online training for early childhood educators and international special education.
Gretchen Digman Butera, Associate Professor, Indiana University, Bloomington
Gretchen Digman Butera, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at Indiana University-Bloomington where she conducts research in early intervention for preschool children considered at risk for school failure, special education personnel preparation, and children and families in rural schools.