NEWSLETTER 25 – DECEMBER 2020

 

Dear friends and colleagues

What a year we have had!!    Certainly, one not to be forgotten in a hurry!

In spite of this ALL, and with gratitude to those of you who presented at the 6^th AfriNEAD virtual conference, and those who attended, you gave your unconditional support to AfriNEAD!

We were able to host the virtual conference, as a result of the tremendous support given to us from different areas.  Firstly from the planning committee – and you all know who you are.  Thank you for your time and effort- for going the extra mile, (sorry – kilometre) for attending to meetings, for heading sub- committees and for the extra hours which you put into making sure that everything was in place for this conference.

Secondly, an especially big thank you, to all at Editmicro Systems. To the team, headed by Connie, with Andrea, Fadziso and Rushdah, who without doubt went above and beyond the call of duty to make things happen and to work, we thank you most sincerely.  However we also need to complement all the people at Editmicro systems who put up with us and allowed us to take over their space, but always with such wiliness and big smiles.  Thank you all so much.

Although the 6^th AfriNEAD was basically a virtual conference there was a group of us who work together- and laughed – and had fun, even with Luigia’ s guide dog Heiko

One of AfriNEAD’s intention for 2020 had been an all-encompassing approach to raising awareness on disability within Stellenbosch University SU, and in spite of the Covid 19 pandemic, we did just that.

Firstly, having had the VC announce at the end of 2019, the SU would observe 2020 as the year of people with disabilities (PWD), to us posting monthly articles on the SU facebook page, written by PWD associated with SU. Then the bittersweet event; the university awarding Rachel Kachaje an honorary doctorate which sadly she did not live to receive. However her husband and siblings were able to come from Malawi to receive the award and to attend the Chancellors dinner.

But for AfriNEAD the culmination of the year was the conference. Now is the time to access our achievements, which have been many, to look forward, to strengthen our endeavours and have our sights on the 7^th AfriNEAD conference in 2023 also to be held in Cape Town.

In the meantime, no sooner had the 6^th AfriNEAD conference ended, that AfriNEAD was invited to a:  “Regional Consultation for: The Development of the WHO Regional Framework for Assistive Technology in the African Region_Zoom Meeting: 14th to 16th December 2020 “. Gubela presented on how to legitimize partnerships to advance AT in Africa. She further facilitated discussion and feedback by the English group on the AT regional Framework on the 2^nd & 3^rd day of the conference.

African Journal of Disability (AJOD): A 2019 overview

Please find a short summary of the African Journal of Disability (AJOD) for 2019. The AJOD’s aim and scope includes intellectual and developmental as well as physical and psychosocial disabilities, and covers much of your work from clinical practice to organizational/service design and legislation/policy implementation – please see the call for papers at the end of the attached document!

Now in its ninth volume (2020) and initially under the guidance of 1^st edited in Chief  Prof Leslie Swartz, AJOD and now under the capable hands of Dr Charlotte Capri. The AJOD is read in 216 countries world-wide. AJOD is DHET accredited and subsidy earning, and all published articles are indexed in Scopus, PubMed Central, Scielo SA, Hinari. AJOD is also indexed in African Index Medicus, Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers (Level 1), Directory of Open Access Journals, EBSCO Host, GALE (CENGAGE Learning), ProQuest, Web of Science (Other Coverage, Emerging Sources Citation Index, ESCI), Sabinet, and Google Scholar. The full text of every one of our articles is also deposited in four different archives to guarantee long-term preservation.

We are also always updating and refreshing our pool of expert reviewers, and are constantly building capacity to match reviewers to manuscripts. Our reviewers are formally acknowledged at the end of every year, and AJOD review work can be included as one’s academic or disability community service. If you are interested in reviewing for AJOD, please take some time to tell us about your reviewing interests, no matter how many,  and feel free to get in touch with the Editor-in-Chief (editor@ajod.org or Charlotte.Capri@westerncape.gov.za). In the meantime, please visit us at https://ajod.org/index.php/ajod !

SOME OF THE CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

·        The numerous keynote addresses see conference program in the AfriNEAD website: www.sun.ac.za ·        The hosting for the first time of a roundtable discussion on Disability Country Working Groups with French/English delivery of a keynote address by Minister Irene Esambo from the DRC. ·        The inclusion of an AT commission as the 8th commission of AfriNEAD research area with delivery of keynote addresses by Mr Chapal Khasnabis: WHO-Access to AT & Medical Devices Unit & Prof Mac Maclachlan Mynooth University Ireland and introduction of the platform on African Community on Assistive Technology (ACAT). ·         The delivery of an address by Global Disability Advisor for the World Bank: Ms Charlotte McClean – Nhlapho: Celebrating the life of Rachel Kachaje ·         Presentation of a Regional African Framework on AT by WHO Regional Representative: Dr Sougou Sarassa Aissatou. ·         The AfriNEAD and City of Cape Town Celebration of 3rd of December.

 

BELOW IS A LINK TO AN ARTICLE CIRCULATED BY PROF LESLIE SWARTZ

From Professor Leslie Swartz – Department of Psychology – Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:

Dear friends and colleagues

I hope you will not mind my sharing this article, which was published on 3 December.  I feel strongly that if we are to build the best universities in Africa, we need the skills and perspectives of people with disabilities.

Here is the link: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20201130033320811

Attachment1: ACAT NEWSLETTER – link below

 

Gubela and I take this opportunity to thank everyone for the on going support for the work we do at AfriNEAD, and we wish you a very safe and happy Christmas and an even safer 2021.

oOo

NEWSLETTER 24 – JUNE 2020

The world is in lockdown, but life goes on!!

Where ever you are, and whatever your situation is, we wish your well and hope that this to will pass and that new ‘new’ normal might prove to be a better place for all.

In the meantime AfriNEAD is going ahead with its plans to hold its 6^th AfriNEAD Conference here in Cape Town in November/December 2020.

As each day passes it is less and less likely that we will be able to host our conference in person!  However all is not lost as we are planning to host it both physically as well as virtually, so this means that we can hopefully attract more people from all over the world, and in particular in Africa, who can connect with us virtual.  This connection will have a cost and more information will follow shortly!  SO PLEASE WATCH OUT FOR AFRINEAD NEWSFLASHES 

WE WOULD ALSO LOVE YOU TO  REGISTER ON OUR GOOGLE PAGE  – to give an indication of who will be attending (Currently it is still set up for a reality conference, however within the next 7 days we shall be launching the registration for the virtual registration – but do please register now so that we have an idea of you interest in participation

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KkHk6gC91UiKVkPByc8i4vi1VhmDyu3EASobAeGWKyc/viewform?edit_requested=true

Read Below

• DISABILITY RESEARCH COUNTRY WORKING GROUPS
• African Journal of Disability (AJOD)
• The Routledge Handbook of Disability Activism
• We would like to invite you to take part in a survey.
• Links to three articles on the Sun Facebook page
• IDM South Africa Country Study report – now available online

 

DISABILITY RESEARCH COUNTRY WORKING GROUPS  AfriNEAD is developing and piloting Disability Research Country working Groups in the following countries: Malawi, Zimbabwe, Ghana and South Africa. These four countries will present in the AfriNEAD conference the following: ·         Disability research evidence available in their countries ·         How this evidence have had impact on development of disability related policies ·         Models of best practise that has emerged from translation of evidence to action  had impacted on the lives of persons with disabilities ·         It is hoped that the presentation of these 4 countries in the conference will stimulate other countries to develop Disability Research Country working Groups in their countries.

African Journal of Disability (AJOD)

We are calling for the submission of prioritised manuscripts that cover issues of disability in Africa amidst the Covid-19 epidemic. These will go through the double-blind peer review process as do all our papers.

African Journal of Disability (AJOD) is the official journal of the Centre for Rehabilitation Studies (University of Stellenbosch), the Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation Studies (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), and AfriNEAD. Founded by Prof Leslie Swartz with a first volume published in 2012, AJOD has become a credible publication for promoting disability scholarship in and from Africa over the years.  For the period 2016-2019, AJOD received an average of 80 new manuscript submissions per year. Advised by an editorial team with vast experience and variety in expertise, our journal helps authors develop their manuscripts with support from committed reviewers. The quality of AJOD articles, and the credibility and reputation of our journal, crucially depends on the experience and commitment of our peer reviewers. Since 2016, our manuscript rejection rate in relation to new submissions has been climbing as an intended function of stringent double-blind peer review.

Thank you to all our reviewers for gifting us your invaluable time and expertise amidst pressures of work.  African Journal of Disability continues to introduce and critically discuss issues and experiences relating to and supporting the act of better understanding the interfaces between disability, poverty and practices of exclusion and marginalisation. Our articles aim to bring serious scholarly analysis to bear on problems of disability shared across the African continent. Now in its ninth volume (2020), the journal is DHET accredited and subsidy earning, and all published articles are indexed in Scopus, PubMed Central, Scielo SA, Hinari. African Journal of Disability is also indexed in African Index Medicus, Norwegian Register for Scientific Journals, Series and Publishers (Level 1), Directory of Open Access Journals, EBSCO Host, GALE (CENGAGE Learning), ProQuest, and Web of Science (Other Coverage, Emerging Sources Citation Index, ESCI). African Journal of Disability publishes a wide range of article types which are all freely available with the potential to be widely cited, read, downloaded, distributed, searched, or linked as full text articles without charge by users or institutions anywhere in the world. Our cross ref citations are growing steadily, from 27 in 2016, 91 in 2017, 145 in 2018, to 260 in 2019. The full text of every one of our articles is deposited in four different archives to guarantee long-term preservation. Articles in our current volume (Vol 9 of 2020) cover, among other topics, the recycling and tested reuse of plaster of paris in order to reduce environmental pollution in a study from Tanzania; assessing the impact of an NGO-led inclusive education intervention on the educational attainment of girls with disabilities in Kenya; and garnering legal expertise for recommended court accommodations in the perusal of transformative equality for people with severe communication disabilities in South Africa.

Apart from the current urgency of African disability issues as impacted by Covid-19, AJOD continually welcomes manuscripts on all aspects of disability in the developing African context. These include, for example, the design and use of assistive and ambient technology; inclusive and emancipatory research, policy design, and leadership;  equitable service access (social justice); disability studies as a public health enquiry; all spheres of rehabilitation, including vocational and community-based rehabilitation; community development; medical issues related to disability and poverty; disability-related stigma and discrimination; inclusive education; legal, policy, human rights, assisted-advocacy, and self-advocacy issues; the role of arts and media; disability as part of the agenda; disability and postcolonial issues; globalisation and cultural change; environmental and climate-related issues linked to disability; intersections of identity; and the promotion of human development  .Future developments for AJOD will aim to focus on the accessibility of knowledge as it relates to users with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and we welcome any input and suggestions from our communities, from anywhere on our continent, for any further ideas that we can put to use for the or potential advancement of our field. Please visit us online at ajod.org or join us on social media by following @AJOD_Journal to keep us on our toes and stay in touch.

Dr Charlotte Capri

Editor-in-Chief: African Journal of Disability (AJOD)

—

The Routledge Handbook of Disability Activism

Something that has cheered us up in the midst of covid-19. Help us to celebrate. Our book, The Routledge Handbook of Disability Activism has been awarded the 2019 Outstanding Handbook – Social Sciences Category Award Winner. Thanks for all those who supported in reviewing the book and all the authors who contributed.

The Routledge Handbook of Disability Activism – Edited By Maria Berghs, Tsitsi Chataika, Yahya El-Lahib, Kudakwashe Dube

https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Disability-Activism/Berghs-Chataika-El-Lahib-Dube/p/book/9780815349303?utm_source=outlook&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=B002477_ca1_1au_4cm_d279

We would like to invite you to take part in a survey.

We would like to invite you to take part in a survey. South Africa is facing enormous challenges caused by COVID-19 and we are interested in its impact on persons with disabilities.

The purpose of this survey is to gather information (i) on the experiences of persons with disabilities and organisations of persons with disabilities, and (ii) identify possible strategies and recommendations for disability inclusive pandemic responses. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete and will contain a combination of questions covering demographic information and various experiential questions.

Please note that we are sending out two surveys. One is to be filled out on behalf of a disabled people’s organizations and other organizations which provide services or support to people with disabilities.  Click on this link https://sunsurveys.sun.ac.za/Survey.aspx?s=0ca3c72422f7422497b9ef9b2611fc54 to participate on this survey and feel free to circulate the link to other organisations of persons with disabilities in SA.

The second survey is for people with disabilities themselves (and may be filled in on a person’s behalf). Click https://sunsurveys.sun.ac.za/COVID19-and-disability-considerations.aspx to take this survey. Please do share the link to other persons with disabilities in South Africa to complete – it is important that we get as much information from as many people as possible.

Links to three articles on the Sun Facebook page

SU has declared 2020 the year of persons with Disabilities.  So to this end, we are endeavoring to raise the awareness of PWD within the University. to date we have had three articles published , the one below is our latest.

http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=7311     Luigia Nicholas http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=7141     Wentzel Barnard

http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=7236&fbclid=IwAR282p9pdWvatBqmjC1F8S3nSyOS2rQPZ-egidO-vN3bjwSTgTYPzPKYro0

—

 IDM South Africa Country Study report – now available online

Dear colleagues,

I’m very pleased to be able to tell you that the IDM South Africa Country Study report is now available online here.

As you would all expect, it provides the initial analysis of the main national-level sample and the purposive sample of people with disabilities. It also provides the results for both samples disaggregated by gender, age, rural/urban locality and disability status.

oOo

Newsletter 23

December 2019

 CONTENTS

1. Conference planning – 6^th AfriNEAD Conference
2. Honorary Doctorate from Stellenbosch University.
3. Call for abstracts
4. The African Journal on Disability.
5. PhD programme for researchers with disabilities, (this opportunity is now available in both Zambia and Uganda)
6. ALTER Conference and meeting with ESDR
7. Finally

Yet another year has come to an end, and so we reflect on what has been and consider what is to come!

As we had reported in our previous newsletter in June, we are in full swing with the planning committee for the conference next year!  The committee has met monthly since June and many thanks go to the committee member who are giving freely of the time and effort, without which we certainly would not be able to do ALL what we want and have to do, to make the conference a success.

1. Conference planning – 6^th AfriNEAD Conference

Theme for the 6^th Afrinead conference:

“Disability unplugged – Beyond convention and Charters: what really matters to persons with Disabilities in Africa.”

Artscape, Cape Town 30^th November -3^rd December 202

 

So…. We can now confirm that the 6^th AfriNEAD conference will be held at ArtsCape on the foreshore in
Cape Town. Please go to our webpage for all the information, but also visit regularly for updates. We shall also be sending out Newsflashes in the New Year and leading up to the conference with information that we will be posting on the webpage.

2. Honorary Doctorate from Stellenbosch University.

Stellenbosch University, the university hosting AfriNEAD aim is to make the whole of 2020 a disability awareness year leading up to the conference at the end of November 2020.  The first major event of the year will take place in March when one of AfriNEAD’s biggest supporters, Rachel Kachaje is to be awarded an honorary Doctorate from Stellenbosch University.

Ms. Rachel Kachaje from Malawi is a well-known activist with over 25 years’ experience in advocating for equal opportunities and rights for persons with disabilities in Malawi, the rest of Africa and across the globe. Kachaje, who contracted polio at the age of three, held high office in several disability and human rights-related organisations and committees, and is also a former Minister of Disability and Elderly Affairs in the Malawian government.

3. Call for abstracts

The Scientific Committee of the 6th AfriNEAD Conference invites contributions from persons with disabilities, researchers, business personnel, policy makers, activists and practitioners to share evidence, experiences and ideas on what really matters to persons with disabilities in Africa. The theme for the conference: “Disability unplugged – Beyond Conventions and Charters: what really matters to persons with disabilities in Africa” reflects the need to move our research and practice from rhetoric to impacting on the lives of persons with disabilities. 2020 will be all about impact. We aim for evidence-based solutions to actions in disability work – or a map, a plan for the future, a blue print for going forward.

Through a wide range of perspectives, knowledge and methodologies, presenters at this conference are invited to participate in a common exploration of questions such as, but not limited to, the following:

• What is the impact of the work/research that I am doing now?
• How has my work/research impacted on policy and practice?
• How can my work/research inspire persons with disabilities and other stakeholders in the disability sector?
• How does my work/research go beyond rhetoric and bring meaningful change to the lives of persons with disabilities?
• How is this work/research going to continue to have an impact on the lives of person with disabilities in the future?

 

Abstracts will be organized around seven thematic areas drawn from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (UNCRPD):

• Children & Youth with Disabilities
• Education: Early Childhood to Tertiary
• Economic Empowerment
• Development Process in Africa: Poverty, Politics, and Indigenous Knowledge systems
• Health and HIV & AIDS
• Community Based Rehabilitation
• Holistic Wellness: Sport, Recreation, Sexuality and Spirituality

Please indicate whether you want your submission to be considered for oral presentation or poster presentation.

Exhibitions and pre and post conference events

If you would like to exhibit or showcase your work at the conference please submit an abstract in form of a concept (at most one page) describing your work or product and the nature of presentation that you prefer out of the four options below. Where applicable you can provide a link to refer the reviewers to your website or other relevant web resources. Your presentation will be considered for one or more of the following four options:

• Pre-conference events: Sunday 29 November 2020
• Exhibits parallel to the conference proceedings: Monday 30 November to Wednesday 2 December 2020
• Workshop after hours from 17h00: Tuesday 1 December 2020
• Post conference workshop: Thursday 3 December 2020

Abstract Structure

The abstract should be a maximum of 250 words, in Times New Roman font size 12 and written in British English. All abstract submissions should follow the below structure:

• Background
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions

Abstract Key Dates

• Abstract Submission Open: Thursday, 31 October 2019
• Abstract Submission Deadline: Thursday, 30 April 2020, midnight GMT
• Notification to Authors: Friday, 29 May 2020
• Revised Abstract Deadline: Friday, 26 June 2020

For more information on oral and poster abstract submission, please contact:

Dr Lieketseng Ned (lieketseng@sun.ac.za) & Dr Callista Kahonde (ckkahonde@sun.ac.za)

For exhibitions, pre and post conference events, please contact: Dr Chioma Ohajunwa (chioma@sun.ac.za) & Dr Tsitsi Chataika (tchataika@education.uz.ac.zw)

For other conference related queries, please visit our homepage  http://blogs.sun.ac.za/afrinead or contact Hillary Lane: afrinead@sun.ac.za

*The costs for exhibiting at the conference will be announced through the AfrNEAD Newsletter. Please keep an eye on it.

We look forward to receiving your submissions and meeting you in Cape Town in 2020!

4. The African Journal on Disability. – AJOD

Perhaps the AJOD is one of the greatest successes of AfiNEAD.  It is the official journal of CDRS, AfriNEAD and CEDRES. It introduces and discusses issues and experiences relating to and supporting the act of better understanding the interfaces between disability, poverty and practices of exclusion and marginalisation. Its articles yield new insight into established human development practices; evaluate new educational techniques and disability research; examine current cultural and social discrimination; and bring serious critical analysis to bear on disability problems shared across the African continent.

However it is costly to run/ operate a journal like this especially for authors from the African region. AJOD would like to raise funds to aid authors and help them publish.  On the built up to the conference in 2020, AfriNEAD secretariat also aim to fund raise for the AJOD. Over and above the doors we are knocking on for this venture, we would welcome any idea or suggestion on how this request could be met, kindly share your ideas and thoughts with us.

 

Newsletter 22

June 2019

Reflecting on past newsletter from us at AfriNEAD, it is amazing to read about the activities we engage in and accomplish, based on the fact that this office is not run on a full time basis. So although our aim is the produce a quarterly newsletter every year, our time is taken up with simple focusing on the events of AfriNEAD. This time the biggest event in our minds is how to host the 6^th AfriNEAD conference in Cape Town in 2020. The intention was that AfriNEAD will host 2 bi-annual conferences in South Africa and 3 tri-annual conference in countries outside South Africa. Our Colleagues from Zimbabwe, Malawi and Ghana did us proud. A special issue of the African Journal on Disability –AJOD – was tabled from the 3^rd AfriNEAD conference in Zimbabwe in 2011. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology emerged from the 5^th AfriNEAD conference in 2017 with GhaNEAD which intend to ensure at grass root levels that the work done by AfriNEAD is emulated.  A special issue with the AJOD, from this conference is towards completion.

 

1. 2020 6^TH AFRINEAD CONFERENCE

 

A lot of consultation with the governing structure of AfriNEAD went into coining the theme for the 6^th AfriNEAD conference and as we informed you in the previous email the theme for the 6^th AfriNEAD conference is:

“Disability unplugged – Beyond convention and Charters: what really matters to persons with disabilities in Africa.”

The date for this conference is: 30^th November 2020 – 3^rd December 2020. With the plan that the 3^rd of December, being the International Day of Disability, AfriNEAD and Stellenbosch University join hands with regional, international and local AfriNEAD delegates to celebrate the 3^rd of December – more information will follow on this item.

The plans for now are that the conference will be held at the Artscape Theatre Centre, with the possibilities of both pre and post workshops, which has become common practice at AfriNEAD conferences, and that unlike before we will not have break away session, but rather have more meaningful session in the form of a key note speaker, two other presentations and then a panel discussion.

A committee has been formed to get the wheels going for the conference, with three meetings already having been held. Drawing from the AfriNEAD booklet that has been used by countries in the past 3 conferences – various subcommittees have also been established to work on different aspects of the conference. So early days but there is much to do if we have to live by the intention of bringing the conference back home – which is to strengthen and re-orientate the network.

 

2. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF DISABILITY

Our journal the African Journal of Disability (AJOD) is always the pride of this Network. Towards end of last year it became fully registered with Scopus and this really further strengthen this valuable resource of our Network. Soon it will be tabling a special issue from the 2017 conference in Ghana. It continues to be steered by a very capable editor in Chief Dr Charlotte Capri and Co-editors in Chief Dr Martha Geiger and Dr/Sister Francis Awusu – Ansaah. Prof Leslie Swartz continues giving support and highlighting areas that might undermine the functioning of AJOD. He had already highlighted to the AfriNEAD secretariat of the authorship fees that are asked by the publisher which are undermining the possibility of authors both regionally and internationally in using the AJOD as a home for their articles. This is a challenge especially for the Regional authors as this undermines the intention of this journal i.e. also publishing articles that are written by African academics to build African scholarship that will start assisting in developing an African understanding of disability. Part of having AfriNEAD back in Cape Town would be to see how to strengthen the AJOD.

3. INFO-MAP PROJECT -GOOGLE PROJECT – WEBINAR MEETING

As you may remember, for the last 3 years SAFOD, together with Washington University and AfriNEAD have been working on the Google Project from Botswana. This has involved collecting information in the Southern African region on Assistive devices and ‘mapping’ where they are to be found. This project has covered 10 DPOs in Southern Africa. A paper has been published with the AJOD:  Visagie SJ, Matter R, Kayanga GM, Chiwaula M, Harniss M, Mji G, Scheffler ES. Lessons from the pilot of a mobile application to map-assistive technology suppliers in Africa. African Journal of Disability (2018); 7(1). As part of dissemination of the research outcomes of the project a webinar on AT was tabled at Stellenbosch University in February 2019.

The Webinar on AT in Southern Africa was the very first held by AfriNEAD as part of giving its researchers a platform to disseminate research evidence, AND WAS A GREAT SUCCESS.  It was also a huge learning curve and we are extremely grateful to Yusuf Ras, the Head of Medicine and Health Sciences Library, for his very generous support in setting up the technical links for the Webinar – we had about 25 people come and attend the event and over 100 people register for the webinar, however only about 80 people directly participated on line, which I think was wonderful for our very first Webinar. Continuing with the disseminating strategy SAFOD is tabling an AT EXPO in Namibia in October 2019 (for further information see appendix 1 & 2).

4. DISABILITY RESEARCH NETWORK MEETING

On the 10 – 12 April Gubela attended a Disability research network meeting in the University of KwaZulu Natal that was organised by Professor Jill Hanass Hancock from the South and steered by Prof Paul Lynch from the North and funded by DFID. The aim of the meeting was:

• Establishment of sustainable partnerships between Global North and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) disability researchers to serve as a foundation for knowledge sharing and skill transfer to advance excellence in disability research in SSA.
• Development a strategy to build a disability hubs with SSA researchers and improve research and training capacity in SSA in the field of disability.

There was also a need to determine how the new structure will interface with AfriNEAD. Jill will initiate a meeting with Gubela to discuss the relationship between the 2 structures. A request was also tabled to inaugurate this meeting during the 2020 AfriNEAD conference.

 

ALTER:  EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR DISABILITY RESEARCH (ESDR)

Gubela will be attending an ALTER/ESDR conference in Cologne on the 5-6 September 2019 entitled: Histories, Practices, and Policies International, Comparative and Transdisciplinary perspectives. An AfriNEAD abstract has been accepted. Gubela will also meet with the President of ALTER /ESDR Isabelle Ville and Joanne Woiak (President Society for Disability Studies SDS) to discuss future collaboration as well as the coming 2020 AfriNEAD conference.

AJOD

Great excitement to do with Leslie Swartz today. In 7 years he got AJOD into Scopus and Pubmed. With foresight from AfriNEAD-partners and KNUST (Ghana), and amazing support from our publisher, AOSIS, in Cape Town.

Thank you for your continued support and interest in AfriNEAD.

Appendix 1

Submission Deadline for Paper Abstracts, Exhibition Application, Extended to July 31

The Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD has extended the deadline for receiving paper abstracts and application for exhibitions of Assistive Technology (AT) at the Southern Africa Assistive Technology Expo (SAATE), to be held from 23 to 25 October 2019 at the Namibia’s largest Conference Centre, the Safari Court Hotel & Conference Centre, in the Capital City, Windhoek.

31 July 2019 is the new application deadline for both those who want to  showcase different types of AT, and it is submission deadline for those want to present papers or facilitate workshops and roundtables that explore best AT product delivery models for southern Africa; reflect on role of international NGOs and development actors; examine policy and regulations to increase access, including financing mechanisms; and most importantly advance local innovations of appropriate AT solutions, products and services.

The SAATE 2019 will bring together representatives of leading public, private and non-governmental organizations – including academia, government representatives, Disabled People’s Organizations (DPOs), just to mention a few – from around the world to share insights and build networks to advance the AT sector within Southern Africa. Expo activities aim to explore and find practical solutions to a myriad of AT challenges in the region, while increasing general awareness of AT products and the AT sector as a whole. This event serves as an important component of the AT-Info-Map project, a project jointly run by SAFOD, the University of Washington and the African Network for Evidence–to–Action in Disability (AfriNEAD), which was established to map the current availability of different types of AT in ten countries in Southern Africa using a mobile application and web-based database. The Expo, in particular, builds on the AT-Info-Map project to contribute towards the long-term goal of increasing AT access for persons with disabilities, and influencing AT awareness among DPOs and their members, Governments and their agencies, and the public.

The core thematic priorities for SAATE 2019 include:

• Right to AT for inclusive education
• Right to AT for inclusive employment (formal and informal)
• Right to AT for home living (daily living aids, adaptive environments)
• Right to AT for community living (moving about, accessible buildings, transportation, voting, recreation)
• Right to AT for access to criminal justice system (police, courts)
• Right to AT for arts, crafts and other creative expressions

Organizers acknowledge that the thematic priorities listed above on their own may exclude critical presentations/round tables that examine parts of the AT sector such as production, procurement, provision, etc. but not linked to specific activity (for instance education). Applicants are, therefore, encouraged to contact us to discuss this further if their presentation explores critical issues not clearly linked to the core thematic priorities above but they strongly feel they would make interesting discourse at the Expo.

More information about abstracts submission, including online submission form, can be found on this link here: http://saate.org/abstracts.html

More information about AT exhibitions and what to exhibit can be found here: http://saate.org/exhibitions.html

 

Appendix 2

Report of the AT-Info-Map-Project

I write to provide a few updates related to our beloved AT-Info-Map project since webinar last month, as follows.

1. Webinar

As observed at the review meeting last month, the webinar generally went well. However the set-back was that there was a technical problem that prevented the recording of the video for those who were unable to participate. I had done an audio recording of almost the whole webinar so that i could later transcribe in the form of a report that can also be uploaded on the website. Unfortunately the recorder was stolen here together with the laptop bag for Louisa after we came back. So what i have are just the questions but i can’t recollect exactly how we responded to each and every question. So all that i did was just to upload the presentations on the website and not the actual conversations.

2. New app.

The good news is that the app is live on both Google Play Store and App Store, and the download links can be accessed here: http://atinfomap.org/app.html (or simply a search using ‘ATInfoMap’ keyword on both stores would still take you straight to the download page). The bad news is that both apps still have a few bugs that need to be fixed, and the iOS app on the app store has even more serious bug that prevents the listings from appearing.

Another important issue is that the app cannot run on Android and iOS platforms that are lower than version 8.0 respectively, because those are the new minimum requirements on both Google Play and App Store. To address this, they have to downgrade the app and upload the lower version directly on the SAFOD server to cater for the users whose phones may not be up-gradable to version 8.0.

Ashveer (the app developer) changed jobs and we are now working with his new employer to finish all work related to the app. We hope they will be able to fix all outstanding app issues soon.

3. Journal article

It’s good news that the article has finally been accepted for publishing in the AJOD. Congratulations to Surona for the excellent work! Please keep us in the loop if there are any other updates that we need to be aware of.

4. Expo Preparations.

This month, we have been prioritizing on two of the most important aspects of the expo event preparations; the event budget and the marketing plan. We are done with both documents. Ideally, the marketing plan will guide us how we are going to engage with different stakeholders to ensure that we do not only secure participation of delegates, but also that we have people interested to send in abstracts for the workshops, round-tables and lectures, as well as exhibitors sending in their registrations. On the other hand, the entire event budget will now provide us with clear estimates of expenses and income projections. Please find attached the two docs for your review.

We hope that Tone and Tendekayi who are specifically mentioned in the Marketing Plan to help us with real-life experiences/stories of locally designed/produced AT at Lorewo and Deaftronics respectively, will indeed send us the articles so that they can inspire other people to share their own stories on the website and in newsletters that we will be sending out regularly from now until the Expo as part of the marketing plan. We also hope that the stories will inspire local innovators who cannot sponsor themselves to apply for scholarships to be able to come to SAATE and share their work, subject to availability of SAATE scholarship funding.

 

5. Fundraising

The only critical document remaining is the fundraising strategy which will be ready by march 31st, but meanwhile we can begin implementing the Marketing Strategy in earnest (in fact we have already started implementing by sending out an expo invitation newsletter to the ACAT community over the weekend and we will post more announcements on other platforms this week, including on the GATE Community). Both the Marketing and Fundraising docs will complement each other, but the fundraising strategy will specifically look at what exactly we’re going to do to raise funds from various stakeholders, and will also include specific templates for fundraising letters of requests, proposals, etc for our internal use throughout the preparatory period.

6. 1st Leadership Meeting after Feb 28th

The good news is that it is the Google contract/funding that officially expired on February 28th, not the AT-Info-Project per se :). We will do our best to ensure that we are not only marketing the Expo but also the entire project, including the associated products/services like the app and website database. So once in while, it would be good to resume review meetings for the project leadership just to share some updates whenever time permits for everyone.

On our part at SAFOD Secretariat, we would like to ensure that we complete all the donkey work related to the expo this month i.e. the fundraising strategy this week, and then from 1st April going forward we can begin to focus more on both implementation of everything we have put in writing as well as focus on scheduled leadership meetings for updates and evaluation. So Thursday, 4th April (5 pm SAST), will be the earliest most convenient date for SAFOD Secretariat with regards to the next Advisory Committee meeting. Please let us know what you think?

7. Letter to WHO and other strategic players

Becky shared with the SAFOD Secretariat some more ideas of how best we frame the communication to WHO and others. It will also be very useful in our process of developing the fundraising strategy which will include several customized templates. So we are concurrently reviewing her input and the other templates that we’re developing together, for both the expo specifically and the entire project in general.

As hinted above, our interest is to ensure that we continue fundraising for the AT-Info-Map moving forward. In this context, we did upload a short proposal on the GlobalGiving.org crowdfunding platform on this link: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/southern-africa-a-t-information-and-advocacy-prgram/. This was uploaded on the deadline day for their current accelerator program: https://www.globalgiving.org/acceleratorhub/ . I urge all to contribute at least $10 each😀, or alternatively, support this cause by creating your own personalized fundraising pages here: https://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/fundraisers/start/?fundraiser.projids=39150

oOo

Newsletter 21

December 2018

Once again we find ourselves at the end of a year, which has just flown by.In some respects it has been a quite year for Afrinead, but rest assured there is always something going on!Gubela has been on Sabbatical – well that means she has had her laptop on different desk, including overseas, and we have a report on her meetings, below.

• A number of us travelled to Zambia in May to attend the Afr-can CBR conference which we have reported on.
• Work is been done to establish Country Working Group.
• Core Group had a meeting in November and now much of our time and effort is going to be the 6^th Afrinead conference in 202 here in Cape Town.  Budgets have been put together for funding and we now have a theme. So book the date 30^th-November –  3^rd December 2020 with the theme  ”Disability unplugged – be yond conventions and Charters” what really matters to persons with disabilities in South Africa.

 

20^th February 2019 AT Webiner

 

First Meeting of the Presidents of ALTER European Society for Disability Research (ESDR), African Network Action to Evidence in Disability (AFRINEAD), and Society for Disability Studies (SDS) on October 23^rd, 2018.

Present: Patrick Devlieger (coordinator), Gubela Mji (President AFRINEAD), Isabelle Ville (President ALTER ESDR), Joanne Woiak (President Society for Disability Studies)

Conference Meeting Dates/co-conferencing. The next ALTER conference will be taking place in Cologne on 5-6 September 2019 at the University of Cologne; the next AFRINEAD meeting will be taking place in Cape Town on November 30^th to December 2^nd at ArtScape and subsequently move to Stellenbosch University on December 3^rd, 2020. SDS is currently not organizing a self-standing meeting but is co-organizing meetings.

It was discussed that the possibility could be entertained that the different networks are presented at each other’s conference. This would be possible at the next ALTER meeting and the next AFRINEAD meeting.

It was also discussed that back-to-back conferences could be organized. This is a possibility that could be considered for the 2020 Afrinead conference.

Other networks. A brief discussion was entertained regarding the involvement of other regions of the world. Prior to the meeting there was also conversation with NNDR who would discuss issues at its November 7^th meeting.

The next Alter conference will include disability scholars from Russia. The existence of a Franco-Latino conference should also be mentioned. Disability Studies in the Netherlands is a remarkable initiative.

Research Education: Doctoral Education / Disability Leadership / Disabled People’s Organization

The discussion on research education revolved around the development of disability studies. Priority is doctoral education. There have been consistently doctoral workshops being organized at ALTER meetings prior to the meeting with currently also the possibility of reporting on the workshop during the meeting. Perhaps the ALTER model of working with doctoral students could be expanded in other networks.

There was also discussion on disability leadership training. As many disabled people may not reach master or doctoral level but are under the motto ‘Nothing about us without us’ involved in their future, there is an important challenge on how academic networks can facilitate leadership training. In many cases the questions around leadership revolve around ‘the human condition’ and the participation of disabled people. Disability network should take seriously the education of DPO’s and their leading in research.

There was a need identified of sharing effective methodologies. Methodologies make sense in terms of research questions and testing ways of working. Methodological issues can be raised in both the training of doctoral students as in the training of disability leaders who are not academically trained.

 

The arts: exploring complementarity between academics and arts

Both in Africa and Europe, there is an interest of more widely exploring the potential of the arts as a component of the conference but also more widely in disability scholars

Examples were also given of SDS’s long engagement with the arts.

Specific initiatives

-it was suggested that a specific brainstorm or thinktank be organized;

-it was suggested that group memberships might be organized on the basis of mutual benefit (i.e. SDS being a member of AFRINEAD and vice versa etc.)

-it was suggested that individual memberships could be offered at a special rate: e.g. if someone would be interested in becoming a member of SDS, that additional membership could be offered in another network at a reduced rate.

-it was suggested that back-to-back conferences might be organized

-it was suggested that each other’s prizes might be encouraged. ALTER has recently initiated the ‘prize of the young scholar’ (which includes the participation of the young scholar as a keynote speaker at the conference).

-it was suggested that capacity building should be at the core of the work of disability networks, thus installing hope.

oOo

Newsletter 20

June 2018

  Brief summary of AfriNEAD Activities for 2018  

2018 is flying by faster than 2017.  The chair of AfriNEAD Ass. Prof Mji (Gubela) has taken a sabbatical leave for the year, so even though she is not physically here, the work of AfriNEAD continues.

The first quarter of the year was spent raising funds so that AfriNEAD secretariat  had a presence at the 6^th CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation, one of Afrinead partners,) conference at the beginning of May in Zambia, and then attending the conference at the beginning of May. So along with two other members of staff, from the Centre for Rehabilitation Studies, Callista Kahonde and Lieketseng Ned, who were to give papers, Gubela and I were able to attend their conference.

It is important to attend the conferences of our partners, not only to support them in their work, but to learn more about the work they are involved in and meet their membership.

This conference was no different. Having never been to Zambia before, we were delighted with what we saw of Lusaka. Gubela and I decided not to stay at the conference venue, but rather at a wonderful little B & B about 20 minutes’ drive away – depending on the traffic and the time of day. Our allocated driver had lost his left arm in a bus accident and spending time with him gave us an insight, yet again, on how people with disabilities are trail blazer on one hand, and on the other just ordinary people dealing with their adversities in the best way possible.

And this too was the sense one got when engaging with other people who attended the conference, especial people with disabilities, particularly those whose work involve working for and with other people or children with disabilities.  On one hand Africa is greatly  assisted by international organisations not in Africa but on the other hand it is so encouraging to learn about what is been done to assist  fellow people with disabilities by those who walk the same path in their own countries understanding the contextual differences.

To have the conference opened by the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Edgar Chagwa Lungu was very impressive, from the point of view that his presence at such an event, showed a certain level of commitment by the Zambia government to  persons with disabilities of that land – this was further followed by the presence of his wife the next day who is a strong advocate of disability related issues..

So once again friendships were made and hope was given, that going forwards, work for and by people with disabilities in Africa is strengthening and the future looks brighter.

Contribution of AfriNEAD and CRS to the CBR conference:

Three of the staff members of the Centre for Rehabilitation studies were privileged enough to contribute to the conference. However due to time constraint Callista’ presentation on emancipatory research was cut short.

Below is a brief overview of some of the contributions from AfriNEAD to the CBR Conference:

1. The emancipatory research workshop:

Callista Kahonda, a post doc fellow, presented a very interesting workshop on the afternoon of the first day of the CBR conference on emancipatory disability research on behalf of AfriNEAD. The title of the workshop was: With or without us? Research with persons with disabilities. The main objective of the workshop was to initiate dialogue among CBR and other disability practitioners on the African continent with an understanding of the need for transformative research. This is research that involves and empowers persons with disabilities during and through the research process and also aims of implementation of the research evidence for the benefit of persons with disabilities. The workshop

practitioners. The main areas covered were:

• What is research and why do we need to conduct research with persons with disabilities
• Emancipatory research- raising the voices of persons with disabilities
• Collaboration in emancipatory disability research – with who, how and why?
• Packaging research evidence for dissemination to relevant stakeholders
• Way forward in generating disability research evidenceon the African continent

The audience responded very well to the discussions and it was apparent that most of the CBR practitioners in Africa lack the backing of coordinated research evidence in the work that they do. We hope that through the country working groups and AfriNEAD conference we will continue to engage disability practitioners on the continent and work together in facilitating and coordinating research evidence to support the transformative agenda in the disability sector as mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

 

1. Key note address:

Gubela gave a key note address focused on a reflection on previous research presentations and the need to shift the dialogue and lens from seeing Africa as needing to be saved to one that acknowledges the rich assets of indigenous knowledge’s that African encased in rural homes have. It is within this context of acknowledging community based assets that persons with disability can play a leading role in coining critical research questions as they have lived experiences of being disabled and have clarity with regard to what can turn around the tide of inequity not only for persons with disabilities but for ALL that have experienced exclusion and marginalisation. In Africa.  This coining of research questions need to firstly the disabled person and secondly  include indigenous families that have a disabled person as part of their family unit.

2. AfriNEAD2017 conference in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. 

We will again circulate the AfriNEAD 2017 conference report for new members of this network who have not managed to receive the copy that was circulated in December  2017 of note in this report are critical issues that emerged from the conference including the fact that AfriNEAD will be tabling its 6^th conference in 2020 in Cape Town.

3. Ongoing relationship with AfriNEAD partner’s 

Afrinead is very happy to have formed partnerships and we are in the process of signing MOU with  CBR  SAFOD and Artscape and once these MOUs  have been signed off we shall let you know more about the detail these MOUs and how they are used to advance our work.

4. African Journal of Disability (AJOD)

Is currently preparing a special issues, by Callista, based on papers presented at the 5^th
AfriNEAD conference held in Malawi and we hope in will be ready towards the end of this year. We will let you know!

5.Assistive products (AP)/Assistive Technology (AT) 

WHO / Gate project

The 21 World Health Assembly (WHA) that was tabled on the 18^th – 19^th of May 2018 wrapped up with adoption of resolutions on wide ranging topics. It is with jubilation that Delegates adopted a resolution urging Member States to develop, implement and strengthen policies and programmes to improve access to assistive technology and requesting the Director-General to prepare by 2021 a global report on effective access to assistive technology.

Assistive technology, such as wheelchairs, hearing aids, walking frames, reading glasses and prosthetic limbs, enables people with difficulties in functioning to live productive and dignified lives, participating in education, the labour market and social life. Without such technology, people with disabilities and older people and others in need are often excluded, isolated and locked into poverty, and the burden of morbidity and disability increases. An estimated 1 billion people would benefit from assistive products, a number that will rise to more than 2 billion by 2050. Yet 90% do not have access, owing to high costs and a lack of availability.

1. INFO-MAP Ptoject(Google project  on AT) 

This is the final year of the INFO- MAP project. SAFOD in collaboration with partners is planning an Expo on Assistive products (AP)/Assistive Technology (AT) beginning of 2019.

1. African Initiative on Assistive Technology (AfriAT)“Assistive Technology for participation to promote inclusive African Societies”

The Centre for Rehabilitation Studies host a new initiatives on Assistive products (AP)/Assistive Technology (AT).  African Initiative on Assistive Technology (AfriAT) is guided by the philosophy of inclusiveness and full participation through engagement with assistive technology. AfriAT is committed to exploring the different notions, understandings and applications of AT that are reflected within the uniquely diverse African contexts, seeking to spread the discourse on AT beyond the medical domain towards a public health and cross-sectoral, societal approach, as an issue of life and existence.  Kindly se attachment 1 to read more about what this initiative is about.

Sustainability of Afrinead.

Afrinead is a project of the Centre for rehabilitation at Stellenbosch and the fact that we have survived for 10 good years is nothing short of miraculous, and is a testament to the driving force of Gubela. However there is so much more work that needs to be done to sustain Afrinead and so for the next few month we shall be focusing on raising sponsorship going forward, with particular emphasis on the 2020 conference here in Cape Town. So if any one reading this email has ideas or contacts of people who might be able to assist kindly let Hillary know.

 

(Newsletter 19 has gone for a walk, and we can’t access it till we can get back to the office to retrieve it from the office computer)

Newsletter 18

 May 2017

We have gone back to the old format of the newsletter due to the fact that we could not fit information on the new template as we wanted to comprehensively report on the coming AfriNEAD conference.

 5^th AfriNEAD conference – Ghana – 7-9^th August.

We are so excited that our 5^th AfriNEAD conference is almost upon us, and so at the beginning of March an Advance team consisting of Gubela Mji, Chairperson of Afrinead, Hillary Lane, Lieketseng Ned and Chioma Ohajunwa, visited Ghana to meet with the local organising team headed by Anthony Edusei and Sister Emily, at Collage of Health and Science at Kwama Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST.  We were very encouraged with their advanced state of readiness and have high hopes for a very successful conference in a few months’ time in August.

Aim and rationale for the visit was to:

Meet with University management of KNUST with the goal of reassurance and commitment from both KNUST and Stellenbosch University regarding hosting the 5^th AfriNEAD conference from 7-9^th August in KNUST, Kumasi Ghana.  Meet with the KNUST conference organizing committee and revisit the draft programme and respond to pertinent questions regarding the conference plan and logistics.

We also wanted to review the conference infra-structure and meet with Anthony Edusei and his committee at KNUST, seeing where the conference will be hosted and understanding that consideration has been given and met, for people with disabilities, we are well satisfied with the progress made for hosting. Consultation also took place on the draft program, and we are confident that all is in line for a successful conference.

AfriNEAD is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and this is our 5^th conference- the 3^rd one outside of South Africa, and then the 6^th conference will return to the Western Cape in 2020 for a review on where we are as a network.

So, with the theme of this upcoming conference being ‘Disability and Inclusion in Africa – the role of Assistive Technology’ and the closing dates for the submission of Abstracts on the 31^st of May, we urge you ALL to contribute to the success of the conference by submitting your abstracts.  Do also remember that there are plenary session as well as the 8 commissions in line with the CRDP namely;

• Children and youth
• Education
• Economic Power
• Poverty, Politics and Indigenous knowledge
• Health
• Community based rehabilitation
• Holistic welfare sport, recreation, sexuality and spirituality
• Research Evidence and utilization

On the poster, for the conference – also attached – you might see that under the information for the abstracts – which the call fall under different headings.  One of the reasons for this is because Collage of Health and Science which is hosting the event at Kwama Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST, is combining their annual conference with the AfriNEAD conference, which is a big support for AfriNEAD in terms of reaching medical students and their lecturers from KNUST university and so the information on the poster with its discipline related information is meant to encourage students from the university to submit abstracts but the AfriNEAD conference will still be tabled and based on the 8 commissions focusing on the theme of inclusion and role of assistive devices in this regard.

We are planning some side events before and after the conference. Some will be open to the AfriNEAD membership while others will be closed events targeting a specific audience. Not all workshops before and afterwards have been finalised, so watch out for announcements on these in the form of a newsflash – “Ghana AfriNEAD conference”. The local organising committee is busy with the conference programme and we hope at our soonest we can have a draft programme available in our website.

Ghana is the 2^nd African country to gain independency (The 1^st one being Sudan). It does have an interesting history on how it has continued to forge forward in advancing this democratic space for its peoples. Now it is trying to see how the rights for persons with disabilities can too be advanced and by doing – it will already be responding to many challenges that are blighting vulnerable groups in that land. For many people this might be a once in a life time opportunity to visit Ghana – so please allow an extra day for sightseeing – visit our website to locate the list of the different sightseeing venues.

Some helpful facts;

Conference registration –          $300   (1$ in R13.78) R4137

Those coming from Cape Town Flight – Cape Town – Accra = R10790

Accra – Kumasi =          R3496

By bus from Accra – Kumasi     50 Ghana Cedi (1cedi = R3.27) R163.50 – Having made the trip – 4hour, I can highly recommend this as the buses are very comfortable– so make the time to see the country- unfortunately the busses are not wheelchair friendly

Accommodation between 90 & 120 cedi per night = R294,  – R392.40

A visa is required which you can get from Dr Michael Twum-Darko – ghanaconsul.capetown@gmail.com 47 Strand Street Cape Town – 3 months’ visa is R900.

Please visit the AfriNEAD webpage  www.sun.ac.za/afrinead for registration, list of hotels and more information on this conference.

The links and events shown here are either because they groups affiliated to AfriNEAD – please see our website for our partners- or it is information passed onto us which we would like to share with you.

Please let us know if there is any news you would like us to share with the readers of this AfriNEAD newsletter, and comments and feedback are always appreciated.

Other interesting events and announcements

1. Link to DeafNET conference

Following DeafNET’s very successful conference last year, the SABC filmed and made available these links from the conference which you can click on and view.

1. _{Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xom5jCSEtFU&t=66s}
2. _{Red Star Method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xNiC8Gg35M&t=144s}
3. _{Storytelling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX8_KyhviSQ&t=153s}
4. _{Early Childhood Development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-MFNai_Ow0&t=47s}
5. _{Parents and the education of their Deaf Child https://www/youtube/watch?v=12EUZKamRSg&t=2s}
6. _{Journey in Deaf Education: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICaf5biPdtU}
7. _{Training of Deaf Interpreters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujcet0qswek&t=119s}
8. _{10th Year Anniversary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UpqPHGqCHw}
9. Our article on Isidimeni has been published on the university website to align with the Human Rights day. Kindly note below. Though I presented the article as coming from the staff of the CRS – they still attached my name to it – will follow this up for the outside publication. http://www.sun.ac.za/english/Lists/news/DispForm.aspx?ID=4760

 

3. FCEI Africa – 2017 – Family centered early intervention -Conference on family centered Early childhood and hearing loss and other disabilities

This Conference will be in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 28 – 30 June 2017.

2 day conference: 29-30 June 2017

Pre-conference workshops: 28 June 2017

_{https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/fcei2017/welcome/}

 

4. SAFOD – Southern African Federation on Disability– – Disability Round Table Forum

20 June – 23 June 2017 http://safod.net/event-details/nid/68/disability-round-table-forum/

Holiday Inn, Johannesburg, South Africa

SOFOD will organize the Regional Disability Round Table Forum which will bring together SAFOD       Affiliates, Disability    Researchers & Academicians, the Private Sector, Key Founders of SAFOD, International Development Partners, and other Strategic Partners with the overall aim of creating a stakeholders’ forum to reflect and re-evaluate the work of SAFOD and the disability movement in general over the past three decades within the region, as well as interrogate the future direction. The theme for the forum will be: “Reflecting on 30 years of Disability Advocacy & Activism in Southern Africa”

 

5. RamUP helps the Church and people with disabilities to grow relationship, so that everyone came ‘be at home in church’.  Erna Moller of the Leprosy Mission and is also their coordinator.  They offer training course – the next one is in Pretoria on the 19th of May- please visit rampup.co.za – latest news for more information.
6. NAPCP – National Association for People with Cerebral Palsy

http://www.napcp.org.za/node/95

Cerebral Palsy National Conference – Theme Conceive-Believe – Achieve
Cape Town: 22 – 24 May 2017 Milnerton Lagoon

Organized by Paarl School

New name, same vision, same determination

In recognizing diversity and inclusivity the National Council for Persons with Physical Disabilities in South Africa (NCPPDSA) recently changed its name to National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD).

9. . Ukwanda Centre for Rural Health & Anova Health presents the 7^th annual Rural Health research days on 18^th19th May – email lindsaym@sun.ac.za for more information
10. And finally for something completely different and inspiring please read this.                https://www.generosity.com/education-fundraising/ugandan-disabled-young-woman-to-be-an-advocate.

African Network for Evidence – to – Action in Disability (AfriNEAD). AfriNEAD is a regional network based at Stellenbosch University. Its aim and focus is to facilitate translation of research evidence from policy to practice for realization of the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs) with in an African regional perspective.

 

Newsletter 17

November 2016

GOOGLE PROJECT

SAFOD –Southern African Federation on Disability, together with Washington University, Afrinead and Dimagi are piloting the mapping of Assistive devise in Africa. Based in Botswana, SAFOD has started in the 9 SADC countries, for 2016, and in 2017 they will move into the rest of Africa- Web page will be up and running shortly.

GATE PROJECT

In Geneva in March for the conclusion of the Delphi system on the 50 Assistive Priority List (APL), took place. In May next year at the ISPO World Congress Mr Chappel Kannabis will present the GATE project and its significance.

AJOD- African Journal on Disability – update

Five candidates had been selected for the new editor of AJOD. A suggested put forwards was that maybe there should be an editor in chief and a board. Watch this space!

 

NEWSLETTER 16

June 2016

In this newsletter we bring you up to date with some of the events which have been taking place and tell you about new ones.

A reminder: Afrinead is the African Network for the Evidence – to – Action in Disability! And so all the projects which we are involved in and report on are part of the process of realising this vision. Africa Journal on Disability – AJOD AJOD is a collaboration between AfriNEAD, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Centre for Rehabilitation Studies (CRS). It is one of the most important part of AfriNEAD, that is doing very well indeed – please do look at the attached AOSIS Annual report. The current editor, Leslie Swartz has given his time freely and has done a wonderful job, for which we thank him most sincerely. Please visit http://www.ajod.org/index.php/ajod on all the latest articles. His tenure as the editor is coming to the end and below is the process of how to select new people to support the journal:

AJOD call for expression of interest for future, prospective Editor in Chief:

AJOD is an open access journal that can be found on www.ajod.org. The term of office for the current Editorin-chief, Professor Leslie Swartz of Stellenbosch University is due to expire at the end of 2017. We call now for expressions of interest for people who would be willing to take over this honorary position. Requirements for the post are:

1. Experience in academic publishing

2. Excellent written English skills

3. Familiarity with online research databases

4. Breadth of understanding of the field of disability studies

5. Good editing skills

6. Computer literacy

7. Time available to dedicate to editorial work.

Depending on applications received, the journal is considering a model whereby potential editors-in-chief may work closely together with the current editor-in-chief for a period prior to a decision being made on either side as to the suitability of the candidates for the post. Please send a brief letter explaining your vision for the journal and your role as a potential editor-in-chief together with a full CV and an example of your recent published work to afrinead@sun.ac.za by 30 July 2016. (Please note that this a paid position) Please see attachment

Development of AfriNEAD Country Working Groups (CWGs):

Part of the implementation process of one of the key objectives of AfriNEAD is the development, facilitation and coordination of CWGs. This is a way for each CWG in member countries that are affiliated to AfriNEAD to set up a system to profile their own disability research – please see attached documentation. It is in this regard that AfriNEAD has opted to use the area of assistive device/assistive technology (AD/AT) as a pilot project for AfriNEAD to initiate the start of country working groups. AfriNEAD intends to facilitate in the next 5 years a debate on an African centred approach to assistive technology with the goal of enhancing community integration of persons with disabilities (PWDs). We also believe that the area of AD/AT will also lead to other research debates on other related areas. In AfriNEAD we are more than convinced that now Africa is ready to unlock the potential and creativity that is lying dormant to ensure that people in need can access high-quality affordable assistive technology. We are in need of our partners in their various countries to start forming Country Working Groups so that at the 2017 conference in Ghana, a real focus can be applied to the progress and work of CWG. It is also in this regard that AfriNEAD has kept the membership aware of the developments of the WHO GATE project and as well as the google INFO-Map Project lead by SAFOD. We intend that in the next news – letter, we will table a step –by step template on how country working groups can be developed by each member country in preparation for the AfriNEAD conference. Please see attachment

The GATE Project:

On the 21st& 22nd March Gubela went to Geneva, along with people from different countries for the conclusion of the Delphi system on the 50 Assistive Priority List (APL). In order to have maximum possible impact, the APL needs to be supported with additional policy and legislation, resources, and personnel working within integrated health services. Hence, WHO is in the process of developing three additional tools to assist Member States to develop national assistive technology policies and programmes, as an integral component of universal health coverage. These tools include:

a. Policy: Assistive technology policy framework: WHO will assist Member States to initiate national policy dialogues to develop national assistive technology programmes.

b. Personnel: Assistive products training package: WHO will support Member States to develop the capacity of their health workforce through an assistive products training package. Provision:

c. Assistive products service delivery model: A network of specialist referral centres connected to primary health care infrastructure is needed for universal access to assistive products, and to ensure early intervention.

d. For further details: The GATE initiative is hosted by the department of essential medicines and products and works across other departments within WHO. For more information: http://www.who.int/phi/implementation/assistive_technology/en/

 The GOOGLE Project:

The Assistive Technology Information Mapping project (AT-Info-Map) that was funded by the Google Impact Challenge as one of the ‘big ideas that will use technology to expand opportunity and independence for people with disabilities’. Representatives from AfriNEAD, Southern Federation for the Disabled (SAFOD), Dimagi, and the University of Washington are tasked with this newly funded initiative, AT-Info-Map, that aims to map the availability of assistive technologies (AT) in Southern Africa. AT-Info-Map is a 3 year project (2016- 2019) that has the goal of mapping the availability of different types of assistive technology (AT) in 9 countries in Southern Africa. The project was launched in Cape Town on the 13th of April 2016, and In Botswana on the 18th April. The project is being piloted in Botswana where the lead organisation SAFOD is based.

The ISPO World Congress:

Is being organized by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics and will take place from 8th May to the 11th May 2017 in Cape Town, South Africa. The first call for submission was made in May 2016 and the closure will be in November 2016. Visit http://www.ispoint.org/events/ispo-world-congress-2017 for more information.

5 th Afrinead conference in Ghana (August 7-9- 2017):

We will keep reminder you about our 5 th Afrinead conference in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi in Ghana in August 7-9 – 2017. -the theme being: “Disability and Inclusion in Africa: The Role of Assistive Technology”.

The 4th DeafNET AFRICA CONFERENCE:

To be held form 26 -30 September 2016, The Premier Hotel, Johannesburg South Africa. The conference will focus on; “Deaf Education; Empowering Deaf Persons in Africa through knowledge.” English to French and French to English translators; Regional, SA SL as well as International sign language interpreters will be available at the conference. Tusk Event Management is assisting DeafNET with the arrangements of the conference. Please see attachment for future details.

9th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the UNCRPD:

A small South African delegation under the leadership of Deputy Minister Hendrietta BogopaneZulu will participate in the 9th Session of the Conference of State Parties to the UNCRPD to be held from 14 to 16 June 2016 at the UN Headquarters. Please see Attachment.

Dissemination of important announcements:

We are often sent request to pass on important announcements to the people on our mail lists, and we are very happy to do so. As we have a quarterly Newsletter we often have to wait till we send out our next newsletter, and this might mean that the important announcements will be sent out too late. In order to accommodate your request we shall at the end of each month send out a ‘mini’ newsletter just spreading the information. So please do forwards us you requests no later than the last Wednesday of each month.

People assessing the Newsletter:

We have approximately 350 people assessing the newsletter. When we send this Newsletter out we would like to hear from you if there is anyone else you think we should send this newsletter to. We need to get out to as many people as possible so please email us with their names and email address and for any other comments on afrinead@sun.ac.za.

First deaf University in Ghana:

A point off interest is that Ghana has announced its First deaf University – got to http://m.starrfmonline.com/1.9153718 to find out more about it.

Attachment included in this Newsletter

1. Country Working Groups

2. AOSIS Annual Report

3. 50 Priority AT List

4. THE 4th DeafNET AFRICA CONFERENCE

5. UN Enable Newsletter

6. 9th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the UNCRPD

7. Political declaration –HIV Aids 2016

8. Corporate Service Centre Special Vacancy bulletin – 3 -2016 – External; opportunities for people with disabilities

Gubela Mji: