Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
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Item Perceptions of People with Disabilities on the Accessibility of New Zealand’s Built Environment(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2025-09-01) Flemmer C; McIntosh A; Frawley PAccessing the built environment poses many challenges for people with disabilities, severely affecting their independence and quality of life. A panel of experts with a lived experience of disabilities co-designed a survey capturing the challenges in New Zealand’s public places. There were 319 survey respondents with impairments related to mobility (66.5%), vision (18.8%), hearing (5.0%), sensory processing and cognition (8.8%). They perceived sports stadiums as the least accessible venue, followed by bars, boutique shops and public toilets. The most accessible venues were supermarkets, libraries and shopping malls. The type of disability affected the main accessibility challenges. Significant outdoor barriers included uneven and cluttered paths, inadequate provision of curb cuts, seating and accessible parking spaces, and obscure wayfinding. Entrance barriers included heavy doors, complex access control, remote ramps and narrow, obscure entrances. Interior problems included cluttered paths and poor signage. The top priorities for improvement were simplifying layouts, keeping paths clear, and providing clear, inclusive signage, communication and assistance for people with varying impairments. Providing lower counters, better colour contrast, hearing loop facilities and better control of lighting and acoustics also improve accessibility. This research contributes novel experiential data from people with disabilities that is critical to achieving an inclusive built environment.Item Reflexive thematic analysis and men's embodiment following injury or illness: A worked example(Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy, 2025-05-28) Terry G; Hayfield NReflexive thematic analysis (reflexive TA) originated within psychology and the social sciences and has become an increasingly popular qualitative analytic method across a range of disciplines. In this article, we offer a brief methodological guide for researchers hoping to use the method, suitable for beginners through to those experienced in qualitative research. Reflexive TA can be used to analyze data generated via a range of methods. Reflexive TA is highly flexible, and we outline the choices that researchers need to address when conducting their research. These choices relate to the theoretical approach (realist through to relativist/experiential to critical), their orientation to analyzing the data (inductive to deductive), and the depth in which they analyze their dataset (semantic to latent). We offer an accessible but comprehensive discussion of the six phases of reflexive thematic analysis and how best to produce a rigorous analysis. Starting with familiarization of the dataset as a foundation for analysis, data are then coded, before using these codes to generate initial themes. These early themes are then reviewed and developed, before the researcher moves to defining and naming them. The final phase of analysis is the writing up of the research, at which point final changes may still be made to the results. Written from the basis of our experience of using, teaching, and training reflexive thematic analysis within psychology and the social sciences, we see it as useful for those working across a range of disciplines.Item Evaluating the Accessibility and Inclusiveness of Community Playgrounds in Australia for Children with Disabilities(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-12) Glass C; Flemmer C; Frawley P; Cordier RPlay is vital to the wellbeing of children, but playgrounds can be inaccessible to children with disabilities and limit their physical and social participation. This study evaluated the accessibility/inclusivity of twenty-five free-entry playgrounds in two Australian states and investigated whether location, construction age, and regional socioeconomic status affected accessibility/inclusivity. The New South Wales Government’s Everyone Can Play: Playspace Evaluation Checklist was used as the assessment tool with a maximum score of 156 points. Playground scores ranged from 29% to 96% of available points. The average score for destination playgrounds was significantly higher (78.0% ± 16.6%) than that for neighborhood playgrounds (54.5% ± 20.7%). Modern playgrounds generally scored higher than older playgrounds. Regional socioeconomic status did not correlate with playground score. The audit tool inadequately addresses the needs of children with disability, allocating just 24 points (15.4%) to features they need and mostly considering mobility impairment. More inclusive audit tools that capture the needs of a wide range of impairment should be developed. Main areas for improving playground accessibility include wayfinding, layout, signage (including braille, auditory, and pictorial information), and sensory and cognitive play opportunities. These findings are useful for stakeholders involved in the design, provision, and maintenance of community playgrounds.Item Food security and disability in South Africa: an analysis of General Household Survey data(informa UK limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-08-14) Pillay M; Kara R; Govindasamy P; Motala RPURPOSE: We investigated the relationship between disability and food security in South Africa using data from the General Household Survey (GHS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Regression models were utilised with GHS data (2014-2018) to gauge the likelihood of food insecurity (the dependent variable) among individuals with disabilities. Socioeconomic and demographic traits of the 2018 GHS sample were analysed. All estimates were weighted and represented nationally at the individual level. RESULTS: In this study population (32 187) of food insecure people, 9.64% are disabled. Food insecurity impacts more Black people with disabilities (91%) versus those without disabilities (90%), and disabled women (65%) versus nondisabled women (58%). Most reside in KwaZulu-Natal. Those with disability grants lower food insecurity odds, while child support grant recipients face higher odds. Household size and education are significant predictors, while marital status and gender are not. CONCLUSION: This study data justifies the need for disability-inclusive food security programmes in South Africa, especially amid crises like COVID-19. Significantly, there is a nil data finding about people with eating/swallowing disabilities whose needs intersect with food security. This emphasises the need for inclusive data collection that operates within a food sovereignty framework to increase the visibility of people with disabilities.Item Dysphagia management in community/home settings: A scoping review investigating practices in Africa.(Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-02-21) Jayes M; Madima V; Marshall J; Pillay MPURPOSE: Little is known about how people living with dysphagia in rural, socioeconomically impoverished contexts in Africa are supported and manage their disability. This scoping review sought to map and synthesise evidence relating to the management of dysphagia in adults in community/home settings in Africa as a starting point for a broader study on this topic. METHOD: A multifaceted search strategy involved searches of electronic databases and grey literature, hand searches, ancestry searches, and consultation with expert advisors. Records were screened by two blinded researchers. Characteristics of included studies were summarised, and their findings synthesised using the Framework approach. RESULT: Six studies were included, relating to services for people with dysphagia secondary to various aetiologies. No grey literature was identified that provided service delivery descriptions or practice guidance. This limited evidence suggests little professional support is available to people living with dysphagia in the community. Individuals and carers use a range of strategies, including choosing different food and drink items and modifying how food is chewed and swallowed. CONCLUSION: Further research is required to understand current practice in managing dysphagia in the community in Africa, and the needs and priorities of community members who experience dysphagia and their carers.Item Interactions between the Public and Assistance Dog Handlers and Trainers(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-11-24) McManus B; Good G; Yeung P; Hart BThis research aimed to explore the experiences of handlers and trainers of disability assistance dogs in terms of the types of interactions they had with members of the Aotearoa NZ (NZ) public and how these interactions were perceived, interpreted, and managed. A qualitative method, guided by an interpretive approach and social constructionism, was utilised to collect data via semi-structured interviews with six handlers and six trainers of assistance dogs. Data were analysed using thematic analysis with the social model of disability as the theoretical base. Findings indicated that participants regularly faced a complex range of unique interactions due to various factors such as the public’s lack of knowledge and understanding of the dog’s role and right of access to public places. While participants encountered brief friendly comments about the dog and its role, other encounters involved long conversations, invasive personal questions, interference with their dogs, and denied access to businesses, cafés, restaurants, and public transport. These findings underpin the need to provide more education to the public on the etiquette of engaging with handlers and their assistance dogs and more support for businesses to understand the legal rights of handlers. Through education and support to change societal attitudes and remove structural barriers, disabled people using assistance dogs may be able to independently participate in community life and be fully included without hindrance.Item Ableism, Human Rights, and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Healthcare-Related Barriers Experienced by Deaf People in Aotearoa New Zealand(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2022-12-18) Roguski M; Officer TN; Nazari Orakani S; Good G; Händler-Schuster D; McBride-Henry K; Moreira PS; Morgado P; Almeida PRThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected global healthcare access and exacerbated pre-pandemic structural barriers. Literature on disabled people's experiences accessing healthcare is limited, with even less framing healthcare access as a human rights issue. This study documents and critically analyses Deaf people's healthcare access experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eleven self-identified Deaf individuals participated in semi-structured videoconferencing interviews. Discourse analysis was applied to participant narratives with discourses juxtaposed against a human rights analysis. Barriers influencing healthcare access included: (1) the inability of healthcare providers to communicate appropriately, including a rigid adherence to face mask use; (2) cultural insensitivity and limited awareness of Deaf people's unique needs; and (3) the impact of ableist assumptions and healthcare delaying care. Barriers to healthcare access represent consecutive breaches of rights guaranteed under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Such breaches delay appropriate healthcare access and risk creating future compounding effects. Action is required to address identified breaches: (1) The CRPD should also underpin all health policy and practice development, inclusive of pandemic and disaster management responsiveness. (2) Health professionals and support staff should be trained, and demonstrate competency, in Deaf cultural awareness and sensitivity.Item