Most disability research originates from high-income countries, masking important cultural variability in how disability is conceptualized. Through 199 interviews with people living in Sierra Leone, we investigated the following research questions: (1) What are the experiences of community members with people with disabilities? (2) What employment options or other resources are available for people with disabilities? (3) How do community members perceive people with disabilities? We used a mixed-method approach to data analysis by quantitizing the qualitative responses to further examine whether participants’ responses differed by urbanicity, age, or level of education. The results of this study provide insight into how disability is understood in a low-income country and reveal important directions for future research.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
3.
BauerK.MorinK.RenzT.ZanguS. (in press). Autism assessment in low- and middle-income countries: Feasibility and usability of western tools. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.
4.
BlaskoA.MorinK.BauerK.JohnsonK.EnriquezG.HunsickerG.TasikE.RenzT. (in review). A meta-synthesis of disability research in West Africa.
5.
BryantD. P.BryantB. R.SmithD. D. (2020). Teaching students with special needs in inclusive classrooms (2nd ed.). SAGE.
6.
CarterN.Bryant-LukosiusD.DiCensoA.BlytheJ.NevilleA. J. (2014). The use of triangulation in qualitative research. Oncology Nursing Forum, 41, 545–547.
CorrC.SnodgrassM. R.LoveH.ScottI. M.KimJ.AndrewsL. (2021). Exploring the landscape of published mixed methods research in special education: A systematic review. Remedial and Special Education, 42, 317–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932520924030
9.
CreamerE. G. (2017). Data transformation and other strategies for mixing during analysis. In An introduction to fully integrated mixed methods research (pp. 116–143). SAGE.
10.
DiopA. G.de BoerH. M.MandlhateC.PrilipkoL.MeinardiH. (2003). The global campaign against epilepsy in Africa. Acta Tropica, 87, 149–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-706X(03)00038-X
11.
DurkinM.S.ElsabbaghM.BarbaroJ.GladstoneM.HappeF.HoekstraR. A.LeeL. C.RattazziA.Stapel-WaxJ.StoneW. L.Tager-FlusbergH.ThurmA.TomlinsonM.ShihA. (2015). Autism screening and diagnosis in low resource settings: Challenges and opportunities to enhance research and services worldwide. Autism Research, 8, 473–476. http://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1575
12.
FordD. Y.MooreJ. L.WhitingG. W.GranthamT. C. (2008). Conducting cross-cultural research: Controversy, cautions, concerns, and considerations. Roeper Review, 30, 82–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783190801954924
13.
FranzL.ChambersN.von IsenburgM.de VriesP. J. (2017). Autism spectrum disorder in sub-Saharan Africa: A comprehensive scoping review. Autism Research, 10, 723–749. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1766
14.
GalletaA. (2013). Mastering the semi-structured interview and beyond: From research design to analysis and publication. New York University Press.
15.
GillespieA. M.ObregonR.El AsawiR.RicheyC.ManoncourtE.JoshiK.NaqviS.PouyeA.SafiN.ChitnisK.QuereshiS. (2016). Social mobilization and community engagement central to the Ebola response in West Africa: Lessons for future public health emergencies. Global Health: Science and Practice, 4, 626–646. https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-16-00226
16.
HarrisD.EndaleT.Hege LindU.SevalieS.Jawo BahA.JallohA.BainganaF. (2020). Mental health in Sierra Leone. BJPsych International, 17, 14–16. https://doi.org/10.1192/bji.2019.17
17.
HashimiG.WickendenM.BrightT.KuperH. (2020). Barriers to accessing primary healthcare services for people with disabilities in low and middle income countries: A meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Disability and Rehabilitation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2020.1817984
18.
KabiaF.TarawallyU. (2017). Sierra Leone 2015 population and housing census: Thematic report on disability. Statistics Sierra Leone.
19.
KirbyM. (2017). Implicit assumptions in special education policy: Promoting full inclusion for students with learning disabilities. Child Youth Care Forum, 46, 175–191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-016-9382-x
20.
KlingerJ. K.BoardmanA. G. (2011). Addressing the “research gap” in special education through mixed methods. Learning Disability Quarterly, 34, 208–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731948711417559
MckenzieJ. A.McConkeyR.AdnamsC. (2013). Intellectual disability in Africa: Implications for research and service development. Disability and Rehabilitation, 35, 1750–1755. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2012.751461
23.
MonteiroN. M.BalogunS. K. (2013). Urban and rural perceptions of mental illness in Ethiopia. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 8(3), 43–51. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-0834351
24.
NjelesaniJ. (2019). “A child who is hidden has no rights”: Responses to violence against children with disabilities. Child Abuse & Neglect, 89, 58–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.12.024
25.
PetersonC. H.PetersonN. A.PowellK. G. (2017). Cognitive interviewing for item development: Validity evidence based on content and response processes. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 50, 217–223. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481756.2017.1339564
26.
RohwerderB. (2018). Disability stigma in developing countries [K4D Helpdesk Report]. Institute of Development Studies.
SaxenaS.ParajeG.SharanP.KaramG.SadanaR. (2006). The 10/90 divide in mental health research: Trends over a 10-year period. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 188(1), 81–82. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.105.011221
29.
SesayH. B. (2020). Youth disability and the post-conflict justice reform: A case study of Sierra Leone [Unpublished Master’s thesis].
30.
Statistics Sierra Leone. (2017). Sierra Leone 2015 population and housing census: National analytical report.
31.
TrainorA. A.BalA. (2014). Development and preliminary analysis of a rubric for culturally responsive research. The Journal of Special Education, 47, 203–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466912436397
World Health Organization. (2011). World report on disability.
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
