Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Oct 14;3(1):33.
doi: 10.4102/ajod.v3i1.33. eCollection 2014.

Impact of inaccessible spaces on community participation of people with mobility limitations in Zambia

Martha Banda-Chalwe  1 , Jennifer C Nitz  1 , Desleigh de Jonge  2
Affiliations

Impact of inaccessible spaces on community participation of people with mobility limitations in Zambia

Martha Banda-Chalwe et al. Afr J Disabil. .

Abstract

Background: The study investigated the perspective of people with mobility limitations (PWML) in Zambia, firstly of their accessibility to public buildings and spaces, and secondly of how their capacity to participate in a preferred lifestyle has been affected.

Objectives: Firstly to provide insight into the participation experiences of PWML in the social, cultural, economic, political and civic life areas and the relationship of these with disability in Zambia. Secondly to establish how the Zambian disability context shape the experiences of participation by PWML.

Method: A qualitative design was used to gather data from 75 PWML in five of the nine provinces of Zambia. Focus group discussions and personal interviews were used to examine the accessibility of the built environment and how this impacted on the whole family's participation experiences. The nominal group technique was utilised to rank inaccessible buildings and facilities which posed barriers to opportunities in life areas and how this interfered with the whole family's lifestyle.

Results: Inaccessibility of education institutions, workplaces and spaces have contributed to reduced participation with negative implications for personal, family, social and economic aspects of the lives of participants. Government buildings, service buildings, and transportation were universally identified as most important but least accessible.

Conclusion: Zambians with mobility limitations have been disadvantaged in accessing services and facilities provided to the public, depriving them and their dependants of full and equitable life participation because of reduced economic capacity. This study will assist in informing government of the need to improve environmental access to enable equal rights for all citizens.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationship(s) that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Deductive reasoning in relation to data collection using focus groups.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Outcome of focus group responses using the reductive analysis process.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Parked cars obstruct ramp access.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
The indignity of crawling up stairs.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Inaccessible toilet facility.
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Steep ramp without rails leading to an automated teller machine at a bank.
FIGURE 7
FIGURE 7
Model of factors that have contributed to ceasing participation by people with mobility limitation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Badley E.M., 2008, ‘Enhancing the conceptual clarity of the activity and participation components of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health’, Social Science Medicine 66(11), 2335–2345. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2008.01.026, PMid: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Banda-Chalwe M., Nitz J.C. & De Jonge D, 2012a, ‘Globalising accessibility: Drawing on the experiences of developed countries to enable the participation of persons with disabilities in Zambia’, Disability and Society 27(7), 917–934. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2012.692024 - DOI
    1. Banda-Chalwe M., Nitz J.C. & De Jonge D., 2012b, ‘Participation-based environment accessibility assessment tool (P-BEAAT) in the Zambian context’, Disability and Rehabilitation 34(14), 1232–1243. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2011.641665, PMid: - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barnartt S.N, 1992, ‘Disability policy issues in developing countries’, Journal of Disability Policy Studies 3, 45–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/104420739200300103 - DOI
    1. Barnes C. (ed.), 1991a, Disabled people in Britain and discrimination: A case for anti-discrimination legislation, Hurst, London.

LinkOut - more resources