Welfare Reform on the Web (December 2010): Services for the disabled - overseas

Neo-colonial discourse and disability: the case of Canadian international development NGOs

S. Wehbi, L. Elin and Y. El-Lahib

Community Development Journal, vol.45, 2010, p. 404-422

This paper uses documentary analysis to examine the discourse of Canadian international development NGOs in relation to disability. The analysis demonstrates that disabled people are mostly absent from the international development discussion, and that, when present, they are discussed in ableist ways that reflect and reinforce a neo-colonial discourse.

Partnership in practice: what parents of a disabled child want from a generic health professional in Australia

J. Fereday, C. Oster and P. Darbyshire

Health and Social Care in the Community, vol. 18, 2010, p. 624-632

This paper reports on a qualitative needs analysis undertaken as part of a South Australian Project to develop disability awareness resources for generic health professionals, exploring the experiences of children with a disability and their family. Their interaction with the many and varied health professionals they encounter, such as dentists or nurses, can ameliorate or exacerbate the difficulties they face. Results show that parents above all want to work in partnership with generic health professionals. Advocacy was found to play an important role in the development of relationships when partnership was absent and parents fought for adequate service provision for their children.