Disabled youth in South Africa: barriers to education

Abstract

Background: In South Africa, disability limits access to education and leads to economic and social exclusion. Identifying related barriers is a first step in solving this problem. This study explores barriers to education among disabled youths in South Africa. Methods: Fieldworkers identified households with disabled youths aged 18 to 35 years. A snowball sample consisting of 989 individuals was used in the study. These individuals were interviewed at nine sites in five South African provinces. The sample consisted of 523 (52.9 % ) disabled and 466 (47.1 % ) non-disabled youths. Physical disability (n = 231, 44.2 % ) comprised the largest group in the sample, followed by intellectual disability (n = 169, 32.3 % ) the second largest. Differences in education between disabled and non-disabled youth groups were established via χ 2 -tests. Logistic regression analyses were also used to find educational barriers for disabled youth. Results: As expected, we found a large difference between non-disabled and disabled youths who currently attend or attended school in the past (99.3 % vs. 82.4 % ; p ≤ 0.001). Results from the logistic regression analyses among the disabled youth showed no significant relationship between financial exclusion and education. Social exclusion and exclusion by design were significantly associated with education. Conclusions: The study ’ s findings suggest that special attention should be given to vulnerable groups who are disproportionally disadvantaged and to the specific education barriers they face, which may require a combination of various interventions. Reducing negative social attitudes requires interventions aimed at teachers and families of disabled youth. Exclusion by design can be reduced through proper information about schools, less difficult admission systems, improved access, and elimination of physical obstacles.