Browsing by Author "Amosun, Seyi L"

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    The attitudes of academics to accomodating physically disabled students into the undergraduate civil engineering programme in the Faculty of Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal
    (2007) Mayat, Nafisa; Amosun, Seyi L
    Disabled students face a number of challenges in accessing equitable education within higher education institutions. The University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, as stated in the Policy on Students and Staff with Disabilities, is committed to making tertiary education accessible and inclusive for all students. However, it has been observed that physically disabled students are under-represented in the science and engineering fields, as there is a misconception that disabled students cannot fulfil all the criteria required to complete these programs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of academics to the possibility of admitting physically disabled students with the Undergraduate Civil Engineering Programme at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. A qualitative approach was adopted where data was collected by carrying out in-depth interviews with five permanent full - time academics within the Civil Engineering Programme. The participants included 2 professors, 2 senior lecturers and one lecturer who have been teaching courses in Civil Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal for periods between 3 and 20 years. The results of the study revealed that the academics interviewed all displayed a positive attitude in accommodating physically disabled students within their program. However, some challenges were identified, which included site / field work in the curriculum. All the participants indicated that these challenges can be met and are willing to provide the support that may be required by physically disabled students. Recommendations were made, that it implemented, will result in changes being made not only to the physical environment, but also as to how curricula can be planned and delivered.
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    A critical ethnography of young adolescents' occupational choices in a community in post-apartheid South Africa
    (2010) Galvaan, Roshan; Amosun, Seyi L; Van Niekerk, Lana
    This thesis explored the occupational choices of young adolescents in a southern peninsula Cape Town community of Lavender Hill in South Africa. Informed by current research and prior professional and personal experiences with young adolescents in Lavender Hill, the research question asked: 'What informs occupational choice among young adolescents in Lavender Hill?' This complemented the research aim, which was to generate insight into the nature of the occupational choices of a group of young adolescents in Lavender Hill, and the factors that influenced their occupational choices.
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    Disability in under-resourced areas in the Western Cape, South Africa : a descriptive analytical study
    (2015) Maart, Soraya; Amosun, Seyi L; Jelsma, Jennifer
    Disability is a complex construct, and our understanding of it has evolved over the years from a purely medical description to encapsulating the experience of those with disability in the context in which they live. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a framework to explore the concept in a biopsychosocial framework taking into account the interaction of a person with a health condition with their environment. The central purpose of this thesis was to explore disability within an under resourced context in order to provide data to service planners to improve the health and well-being of those affected. The exploration of disability involved a cross-sectional survey using instruments based on the ICF framework including the Washington Group Short Set of Questions on Disability, the WHODAS-2, the WHOQOL-BREF and the EQ-5D. The objectives were to establish the prevalence of disability and the description of the impairments, functional limitations and participation restrictions of those identified with disabilities. A total of 950 households were visited in Oudtshoorn (a semi-rural town) and Nyanga (a peri-urban area) and information was gathered on 7336 individuals with a mean age of 30.5 years. The majority of the participants were women. Both areas presented with estimates higher than those from the national census (5.0-6,7%). The urban area of Nyanga presented with a disability prevalence of 13.1% and the semi-rural area of Oudtshoorn with a prevalence of 6.8%. Overall the disability rate was 9.7%. The types of impairment and functional limitations were similar in the two areas, but more severe disability was reported in the semi-rural area, that also had significantly more elderly people. Non-communicable diseases were identified as the major cause of disability in both areas, followed by communicable diseases in Oudtshoorn and unintentional trauma in Nyanga. However, a person was twice as likely to be disabled due to non-communicable disease (Odds Ratio 2.2) when living in Oudtshoorn, and three times more likely to be disabled due to intentional trauma when living in Nyanga (Odds Ratio 0.3). Non-communicable diseases were responsible for the largest number of healthy life years lost. Those living in Nyanga had a higher burden of disability due to their lower quality of life scores as measured by the EQ-5D. Respondents in Nyanga consistently scored higher (worse) on all domains of the WHODAS-2 compared to respondents in Oudtshoorn. Living in Nyanga was associated with a 10% increase in domain scores. However, the pattern of scoring was similar and both areas reported worst functioning for the domains of Getting Around and Life Activities, which are associated with physical mobility. Respondents in Oudtshoorn reported better QoL and HRQoL than those in Nyanga. Functional level predicted the QoL scores, with Nyanga reporting worse functioning. Being employed and married was associated with a higher (better) EQ-5D VAS score, while mobility problems, pain or discomfort and anxiety or depression decreased the score. Transport was the most commonly identified barrier in both areas. Major barriers for those living in Oudtshoorn were Surroundings and Help in the home, whereas Help in the home and Prejudice and discrimination were viewed as the major barriers for respondents in Nyanga. The elderly were the ones most likely to not receive the rehabilitation services that they needed. The conclusions that can be drawn from this research are that context influences the experience of disability, and that disability prevalence alone is an insufficient basis for service planning. Those who experience greater deprivation also have a worse experience of disability. It is therefore essential for South Africa policy makers to view disability through a socio-political lens to ensure the equalisation of opportunities for people with disabilities. Improved quality of life for those living in under-resourced communities should be a priority. Service providers should have a broad range of skills to enable them to address not only the rehabilitation needs of people with disabilities, but also their social needs.
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    The experiences of people with disabilities during their integration and retention into employment in South Africa
    (2013) McKinney, Emma Louise; Amosun, Seyi L; Ronnie, Linda
    The aim of this thesis is to identify the employment integration and retention experiences of people with disabilities in South Africa. The objectives of the study are to examine factors that influence these experiences. These factors include the time of onset of a person’s disability, the education the person received, the integration and retention phases of employment and attitudes towards disability in the workplace.
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    An exploratory case study on the preparation of undergraduate civil engineering students at the University of Cape Town to contribute to an inclusive society for people with disabilities
    (2016) McKinney, Victor John; Amosun, Seyi L; Howell, Colleen Jane
    Based on the experiences of the researcher who is a quadriplegic, people with disabilities still encounter many challenges within the built environment. As civil engineers play a central role, this study set out to address the question - How are undergraduate Civil Engineering students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) being prepared to contribute to an inclusive society that accommodates people with disabilities? Based on a conceptual theoretical framework that draws from a broader context of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, a production line analogy was adopted to explore the resources, approaches and experiences of key stakeholders involved in the preparation of the students. The adopted model recognised the students as the "raw materials", the graduates as the "products", UCT as the "factory", the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) as the "quality controller", the Engineering Industry "utilised and refined" the product, while people with disabilities were the "consumers". A qualitative, exploratory, multiple case design was utilised incorporating interviews with representatives of UCT, the Engineering Industry, and people with disabilities, while the contents of the website of ECSA was reviewed. ECSA has a transformation agenda that does not explicitly identify issues about disability. However, there were opportunities to incorporate the concept of Universal Design (UD) into the exit level outcomes of the undergraduate civil engineering programme. Furthermore, while UCT, Industry and people with disabilities identified legislation around disability as a major resource for the training of students, and UCT and Industry shared an open minded approach to the concept of UD, its inclusion in the education programme is still lacking. There was a conspicuous gap for collaboration between the stakeholders, which seem to hinder the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach in the preparation of the students. The study highlighted the need to formalise a platform that brings the key stakeholders together in the preparation of civil engineering students to contribute to the development of an inclusive society that accommodates people with disabilities.
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    Intergenerational shifts and continuities in children's play within a rural Venda family in the early 20th and 21st centuries
    (2009) Ramugondo, Elelwani; Amosun, Seyi L
    This research involved studying the childhood play of three generations within one family based in the Venda region, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Two main questions were asked: 1. What is the nature of intergenerational shifts or continuities in children?s play within one Venda family? 2. What are the factors that bring about the shifts or continuities? The Gudani family was studied as a single case. The case study was approached with an understanding proposed by Stake (1998, 2008) and supported by others like Flyvbjerg (2006), who regard it not always a research method, but also the object of study. Handling the family as a bounded system, information was gathered from multiple sources, situating the case within its context. Interviews were conducted with a grandparent, the parents and children in order to gain an understanding of their childhood play, foregrounding participants' own view of what constitutes play. In addition, an ethnographic lens was used to investigate the third generation's everyday culture, with specific attention to their play.
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    Locally manufactured wheelchairs in Tanzania : Do they meet the needs of Tanzanian wheelchair users?
    (2014) Ndosi, Aston; Buchanan, Helen; Amosun, Seyi L
    Access to suitable wheelchairs may seriously impact the ability of people with physical disabilities to integrate into regular community life. The overall aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the needs of users of wheelchairs manufactured locally in Tanzanian are met. The specific objectives of the study were to determine users' satisfaction with the wheelchairs manufactured in Tanzania, their satisfaction with services associated with the provision, repair and maintenance of these wheelchairs, and the extent to which these wheelchairs enabled them to carry out their daily activities. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 75 users of locally manufactured manual wheelchairs, aged 18-65 years and residing in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and the Kilimanjaro regions of Tanzania. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of demographic items and two existing instruments, the Functioning Everyday with a Wheelchair (FEW) and Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) 2.0. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program version 20.0. Descriptive analysis was performed using frequencies and proportions for categorical data or median and ranges for numerical data. The chi-square test was conducted to determine whether there were significant difference between gender and place of residence (rural/urban) and satisfaction with functional needs, wheelchair and activity and participation.
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    Physical activity behaviours in school-going adolescents in the Western Cape Province, South Africa
    (2011) Naidoo, Nasheen; Amosun, Seyi L; Reddy, SP
    The aims of this study were (a) to determine the prevalence of self-reported physical activity behaviours among adolescents in Grades 8-11 in Western Cape public schools from the YRBS 2, (b) to determine if there were statistically significant differences in these behaviours in comparison to the YRBS 1 and (c) to identify the characteristics of physically inactive participants. The study design was a cross sectional national prevalence school-based quantitative survey and focused on the results from Grade 8-11 classes in public secondary schools sampled in the Western Cape Province only. A total of 1134 students were surveyed across 22 schools.
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    Processes in widening access to undergraduate allied health sciences education in South Africa
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 2012) Amosun, Seyi L; Hartman, Nadia; Janse van Rensburg, Vicki; Duncan, Eve M; Badenhorst, Elmi
    The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the processes followed in initiating and managing widening access to allied health sciences education at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. In response to national higher education policy imperatives in South Africa and in anticipation of the first cohort of Outcome Based Education (OBE) school leavers entering tertiary education, the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the university launched an extensive intra- and cross-programme transformation project in 2004. The project afforded four undergraduate professional programmes, namely audiology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech therapy, an opportunity to address common educational and contextual drivers. These included, among others, the need for increased access and throughput of historically under-represented students in higher education. An advisory task team, named the curriculum review management team (CRMT), was engaged in envisaging, navigating and containing a complex socio-political process involving many stakeholders with disparate ideas, practice approaches, and focal concerns. The use of the Gale and Grant model of change management, augmented by the Community of Practice conceptual framework, to assist with these processes is described.
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    Tobacco use and cessation counseling in a population of health professions students in South Africa
    (2011) Tsai, Yu-Chia; Amosun, Seyi L; Reddy, SP
    Tobacco is a leading risk factor for the global burden of disease in both developed and developing countries. The morbidity and mortality caused by tobacco can be prevented efficaciously and cost-effectively by active intervention from health professionals. In developing countries, a limited number of studies have explored tobacco usage and training in smoking cessation and prevention amongst health professions students. This pilot study evaluated: 1. tobacco use patterns; 2. knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards tobacco use and tobacco control; 3. environmental tobacco smoke exposures; and 4. training in smoking cessation and prevention amongst health professions students in South Africa.