Investigation into the participation of students with disabilites in HIV and AIDS programmes at the University of Johannesburg

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the participation of students with disabilities on the HIV and AIDS programmes at the University of Johannesburg.METHOD: The researcher used the quantitative method, by administering questionnaires with mainly closed-ended questions and a limited number of open-ended questions to collect data from 40 participants of the University of Johannesburg's four campuses. Students with disabilities have a support group called 'DARE (Demonstrating our Abilities and Recognizing Excellence) and the executive committee members of DARE distributed the questionnaires to some of the students, whilst other questionnaires were distributed at different campuses through the library and the primary health care facility. The study focused on knowledge about the existing policies and their applicability (HIV and AIDS policy, as well as the policy on people with disabilities), awareness and knowledge of existing HIV and AIDS programmes, participation on HIV programmes, barriers experienced by students in participation as well as ways to encourage students to participate in HIV initiatives.DATA ANALYSIS: Data was analyzed by means of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) programme, using descriptive statistics.RESULTS: The study indicated that most participants were aware of the existing HIV and AIDS programmes on campus, and it was easy for them to access HIV and AIDS information. Despite this finding, the conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that the level of participation on HIV and AIDS programmes by students with disabilities at the University of Johannesburg is very low.CONCLUSION: The University of Johannesburg's HIV and AIDS programmes have been well marketed on campus. However, involving students with disabilities in HIV committees, making HIV and AIDS policies fair and recruiting students with disabilities as peer educators, can help encourage participation of people with disabilities on HIV and AIDS programmes on campus.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University