ERIC Number: EJ984754
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1034-912X
EISSN: N/A
Cultural Beliefs about Disability in Practice: Experiences at a Special School in Tanzania
Stone-MacDonald, Angi
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, v59 n4 p393-407 2012
This article examines cultural beliefs and values about disability in one Tanzanian community and the influence of those beliefs on a school for children with disabilities. The larger ethnographic study examined the role of beliefs in the community and the development of the school curriculum. This study used the models of disability as a framework for classifying and understanding the different belief systems present. The study was conducted in a rural community in Tanzania at a school for children with developmental disabilities. In this community, multiple models of disability were present, but the socio-cultural and pluralistic models were most prevalent. Beliefs centred about the causes of disability, God's plan or role in the community, and a mixture of Christian, Muslim, and traditional beliefs. Participants saw the school staff as integral to influencing beliefs about disability in the community through their presence and outreach efforts. (Contains 2 notes.)
Descriptors: Ethnography, Foreign Countries, Developmental Disabilities, Beliefs, Special Schools, Cultural Background, Disabilities, Role, Curriculum, Classification, Models, Rural Areas, Sociocultural Patterns, Religion, Christianity, Islam, African Culture, Teacher Role, Interviews, African Languages, Parent Attitudes, Attitudes toward Disabilities
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Tanzania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A