Cultural Perspectives of Disability and Its Effects on the Education and Rehabilitation of Children with Disabilities in Francistown, Botswana
Keywords:
education and rehabilitation, children with disabilities, perspective, culture, DisabilityAbstract
This study discusses Cultural Perspectives of Disability and Its Effects on the Education and Rehabilitation of Children with Disabilities in Francistown, Botswana. Majorly, this study aims at exploring the perspective of three basic component parts of a society namely: family members, neighbours and the religious leaders. This study comprises of 45 participants who are residents of Francistown, Botswana. Face to face interview is used as a data collection technique. Purposive sampling and snowball are used to select the participants. The study finds out that disability in Botswana is mostly associated with sociocultural factors such as witchcraft; ancestors and God's will or test. Language and Religion are found to have both positive and negative effects on the education and rehabilitation of children with disabilities. The severity of the child's disability influences the attitudes of the respondents towards children with disabilities. It is concluded that culture influences people's perceptions about disability in Botswana. Therefore, there is need for the services to adopt a culturally sensitive approach.
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