A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western Cape

Background: The call for institutions of higher education to foster interaction with communities and ensure training is responsive to the needs of communities is well documented. In 2011, Stellenbosch University collaborated with the Worcester community to identify the needs of people with disabilit...

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Main Authors: Jana V. Müller, Lieketseng Ned, Hananja Boshoff
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2019-10-01
Series:African Journal of Disability
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/439
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author Jana V. Müller
Lieketseng Ned
Hananja Boshoff
author_facet Jana V. Müller
Lieketseng Ned
Hananja Boshoff
author_sort Jana V. Müller
collection DOAJ
description Background: The call for institutions of higher education to foster interaction with communities and ensure training is responsive to the needs of communities is well documented. In 2011, Stellenbosch University collaborated with the Worcester community to identify the needs of people with disabilities within the community. How the university was engaging with these identified needs through student training still needed to be determined. Objectives: This study describes the engagement process of reciprocity and responsivity in aligning needs identified by persons with disability to four undergraduate allied health student training programmes in Worcester, Western Cape. Method: A single case study using the participatory action research appraisal methods explored how undergraduate student service learning was responding to 21 needs previously identified in 2011 alongside persons with disability allowing for comprehensive feedback and a collaborative and coordinated response. Results: Students’ service learning activities addressed 14 of the 21 needs. Further collaborative dialogue resulted in re-grouping the needs into six themes accompanied by a planned collaborative response by both community and student learning to address all 21 needs previously identified. Conclusion: Undergraduate students’ service learning in communities has the potential to meet community identified needs especially when participatory action research strategies are implemented. Reciprocity exists when university and community co-engage to construct, reflect and adjust responsive service learning. This has the potential to create a collaborative environment and process in which trust, accountability, inclusion and communication is possible between the university and the community.
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spelling doaj.art-1fe9bfb8386a40fc99b80725976c20e52022-12-22T00:20:41ZengAOSISAfrican Journal of Disability2223-91702226-72202019-10-0180e1e1110.4102/ajod.v8i0.439210A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western CapeJana V. Müller0Lieketseng Ned1Hananja Boshoff2Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape TownCentre for Rehabilitation Studies, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape TownUkwanda Centre for Rural Health, Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape TownBackground: The call for institutions of higher education to foster interaction with communities and ensure training is responsive to the needs of communities is well documented. In 2011, Stellenbosch University collaborated with the Worcester community to identify the needs of people with disabilities within the community. How the university was engaging with these identified needs through student training still needed to be determined. Objectives: This study describes the engagement process of reciprocity and responsivity in aligning needs identified by persons with disability to four undergraduate allied health student training programmes in Worcester, Western Cape. Method: A single case study using the participatory action research appraisal methods explored how undergraduate student service learning was responding to 21 needs previously identified in 2011 alongside persons with disability allowing for comprehensive feedback and a collaborative and coordinated response. Results: Students’ service learning activities addressed 14 of the 21 needs. Further collaborative dialogue resulted in re-grouping the needs into six themes accompanied by a planned collaborative response by both community and student learning to address all 21 needs previously identified. Conclusion: Undergraduate students’ service learning in communities has the potential to meet community identified needs especially when participatory action research strategies are implemented. Reciprocity exists when university and community co-engage to construct, reflect and adjust responsive service learning. This has the potential to create a collaborative environment and process in which trust, accountability, inclusion and communication is possible between the university and the community.https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/439clinical trainingcollaborationcommunity engagementdisabilitydistributed trainingundergraduate health sciences
spellingShingle Jana V. Müller
Lieketseng Ned
Hananja Boshoff
A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western Cape
African Journal of Disability
clinical training
collaboration
community engagement
disability
distributed training
undergraduate health sciences
title A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western Cape
title_full A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western Cape
title_fullStr A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western Cape
title_full_unstemmed A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western Cape
title_short A university’s response to people with disabilities in Worcester, Western Cape
title_sort university s response to people with disabilities in worcester western cape
topic clinical training
collaboration
community engagement
disability
distributed training
undergraduate health sciences
url https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod/article/view/439
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