TY - JOUR
T1 - Community service providers' roles in supporting communication disability rehabilitation in Majority World contexts
T2 - An example from Ghana
AU - Wylie, Karen
AU - Davidson, Bronwyn
AU - Marshall, Julie
AU - Bampoe, Josephine Ohenewa
AU - Amponsah, Clement
AU - McAllister, Lindy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Speech Pathology Association of Australia Limited.
PY - 2020/7/3
Y1 - 2020/7/3
N2 - Purpose: In Majority World countries, where speech-language pathology services are extremely limited, people with communication disabilities (PWCD) may seek help from a range of service providers. This qualitative research aimed to explore the nature of community services offered to people with communication disabilities who seek help in Accra, Ghana. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine individuals from three professions: pastors (3), doctors (3), and herbalists (3) exploring services that they may offer to PWCD seeking help. Interviews were analysed using Thematic Network Analysis. Result: Six global themes described beliefs about communication disability, types of intervention, explanations provided to people with communication disabilities, promoting communication, processes for selecting treatments, and links between service providers. Interventions encompassed physical, spiritual, psychosocial and environmental approaches, with the notion of plural beliefs interwoven through a number of themes. Conclusion: In Ghana, and other Majority World contexts, service providers in sectors not commonly associated with communication disability rehabilitation may have important roles to play in supporting people with communication disabilities. Understanding the contributions of other service providers may assist the growing profession of speech-language pathology to collaborate across sectors, to develop specific, culturally responsive approaches to service development.
AB - Purpose: In Majority World countries, where speech-language pathology services are extremely limited, people with communication disabilities (PWCD) may seek help from a range of service providers. This qualitative research aimed to explore the nature of community services offered to people with communication disabilities who seek help in Accra, Ghana. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine individuals from three professions: pastors (3), doctors (3), and herbalists (3) exploring services that they may offer to PWCD seeking help. Interviews were analysed using Thematic Network Analysis. Result: Six global themes described beliefs about communication disability, types of intervention, explanations provided to people with communication disabilities, promoting communication, processes for selecting treatments, and links between service providers. Interventions encompassed physical, spiritual, psychosocial and environmental approaches, with the notion of plural beliefs interwoven through a number of themes. Conclusion: In Ghana, and other Majority World contexts, service providers in sectors not commonly associated with communication disability rehabilitation may have important roles to play in supporting people with communication disabilities. Understanding the contributions of other service providers may assist the growing profession of speech-language pathology to collaborate across sectors, to develop specific, culturally responsive approaches to service development.
KW - community services
KW - developing countries
KW - multidisciplinary
KW - speech-language pathology
KW - sub-Saharan Africa
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071320831&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/17549507.2019.1651395
DO - 10.1080/17549507.2019.1651395
M3 - Article
C2 - 31438722
AN - SCOPUS:85071320831
SN - 1754-9515
VL - 22
SP - 414
EP - 424
JO - International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
JF - International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
IS - 4
ER -