UN COVID 19 Disability Inclusion Strategy: Assessing the Impact on Cultural-Safety and Capability Information Approach

P.T.T.  Nwachukwu; L.  Asuelime

doi:10.6000/2292-2598.2021.09.01.4

Authors

P.T.T. Nwachukwu Thabo Mbeki School of Public and International Affairs, University of South Africa, South Africa
L. Asuelime Department of Politics and International Relations, Faculty of Humanities, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6000/2292-2598.2021.09.01.4

Keywords:

Capability Information (DSM-5), COVID-19, Cultural-Safety, Health and Social Care, Persons with Disability, UN-Disability Inclusion Strategy

Abstract

This paper is aimed at exploring the role of the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy as a rights-based concept in understanding the recent COVID-19 outbreak; and how Cultural-Safety Capability Information, visible within the DSM-5, is linked with the achievable recovery and inclusion for persons with disabilities and post-COVID-19 pandemic for health and social care practitioners. There are two measured, actionable targets from the Disability Inclusion Strategy that are geared towards achievable standards of health for persons with disabilities, which are the identifying and eliminating of obstacles and barriers to accessibility in healthcare facilities and the training of healthcare personnel on disability inclusion and improving service delivery for persons with disabilities. The concepts of recovery and inclusion are discussed within a rights-based, and Cultural-Safety Capability Information (DSM-5) approaches in order to curb the COVID-19 info-demic (Information epidemic). This paper has recommendations for the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy as a rights-based idea and the re-educating and re-orientation of both the right-holders, persons with disabilities, for example, and the duty-bearers. This paper also discusses the health and social care practitioners and their realisation of health care and recovery, curbing inequalities in accessing health care, education, and easing participation for persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

References

United Nations. In Focus: Gender equality matters in COVID-19 response. June 8, 2020 https://www.unwomen. org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-matters-in-covid-19-response.

United Nations Women "Put women and girls at the centre of efforts to recover from COVID-19"-Statement by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, April 9, 2020. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/4/statement.

American Psychiatric Association. Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) Measure. 2013. htttps://www.dsm5.org/paper/ feedback-form.aspx.

United Nations. COVID-19 Response: A Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19. July 6 2020. https://www.un.org/en/ coronavirus/disability-inclusion.

Oliver L. Coronavirus: a pandemic in the age of inequality. 2020 https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/03/coronavirus-pandemic-inequality-among-workers/

World Relief Web. COVID-19 Exacerbating Hardship for People with Disabilities, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Network Round Table, Urging Action to Create Inclusive Societies. 2020. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/covid-19-exacerbating-hardship-people-disabilities-deputy-secretary-general-tells.

International Disability Alliance Organization. COVID-19 response: Considerations for Children and Adults with

Disabilities. August 17 2020. http://www.internationaldis-abilityalliance.org/sites/default/files/covid19_response_considerations_for_people_with_disabilities_190320.pdf.

World Bank. Disability Inclusion. August 7 2020. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/disability.

Nwachukwu PTT. Fusing the rights-based and community-based models in evaluating gender inequality amidst social justice advocacy: 'Precursor to the right- to-development in Africa'. In: Serges Djoyou Kamga (ed) The Right to Development in Africa: Issues, Constraints and Prospects. Pan-African University Press: Austin, TX 78759. 2020; pp. 539-560.

United Nations: Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948. http://www.un.org/en/universal-declarationhuman-rights/index.html

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. COVID-19 and Persons with Disabilities: New UN report calls for Disability-Inclusive Recovery. 2020. https://www.un.org/ development/desa/disabilities/news/dspd.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 2016: https://www.un.org/development/desa/ disabilities/convention.

United Nations, COVID-19 and the Rights of Persons with Disability. 2020 https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/ Disability/COVID-19.

United Nations, Estimate from UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Note that estimates can vary according to country context. 2020 https://www.un.org/development/desa/ disabilities/disability-and-ageing.html.

United Nations, Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner, Declaration on the Right to Development at 25, June 9 2020. https://www.un.org/events/rights to development/declaration.shtml.

Blake R, Bjorn A, Edward A. ‘Fishing for Justice: Human rights, development, and fisheries sector reform,’ Global Environmental Change 2014; 1(27): 120-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.05.006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.05.006

World Health Organization, Apartheid and Health: Report of an International Conference held in Brazzaville, Peoples Republic of Congo, 16-20 November 1983.

Uberoi N, Finegold K, Gee E. Health Insurance Coverage and the Affordable Care Act, 2010-2016. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services 2016. https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/187551/ACA2010-2016.pdf

Nwachukwu PTT, Segalo P. Life Esidimeni Tragedy: Ecological Justice Ethical Code Branding for Social Care and Mental Health Practice. Gender and Behaviour 2018; 16(2): 11235-11249.

United Nations Children’s Fund, COVID-19 response: Considerations for Children and Adults with Disabilities. 2020. http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/sit

Baldwin JA, Talk to Teachers. Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education 2008; 107(2): 15-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7984.2008.00154.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7984.2008.00154.x

Barrett JA. Multicultural Social Justice and Human Rights: Strategic Professional Development for Social Work and Counselling Practitioners. Journal for Social Action in Counselling and Psychology 2011; 3(1): 117-123. https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.3.1.117-123 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.3.1.117-123

Madge C, Raghuram P, Noxolo P. Conceptualising international education: From international student to international study. Progress in Human Geography. 2015; 39(6): 681-701. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132514526442 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132514526442

Lewis-Fernández R, Balán IC, Patel SR, Sánchez-Lacay AJ, Alfonso C, Gorritz M, Blanco C, Schmidt A, Jiang H, Schneier F, Moyers TB. Impact of motivational pharmacotherapy on treatment retention among depressed Latinos. Psychiatry 2013; 76: 210-222. https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2013.76.3.210 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2013.76.3.210

Kirmayer LJ, Fung K, Rousseau C, Lo HT, Menzies P, Guzder J, Ganesan S, Ander-Mann L, McKenzie K. Guidelines for training in cultural psychiatry. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 2012; 57: 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371205700312 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/070674371205700312

Mezzich JE, Caracci G. Cultural formulation: A reader for psychiatric diagnosis. Jason Aronson; Lanham, MD. 2008.

Mezzich JE, Kirmayer LJ, Kleinman A, Fábrega H, Parron DL, Good BJ, Lin KM, Manson SM. The place of culture in DSM-IV. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 1999; 187: 457-464. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-199908000-00001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-199908000-00001

Corcoran J. Walsh J. Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis in Social Work Practice. New York: Oxford University Press. 2006.

Frazer P, Westhuis D, Daley JG, Philips I. How clinical social workers are using the DSM-IV: A national study. Social Work in Mental Health 2009; 7(4): 325-339. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332980802052100 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15332980802052100

Nwachukwu PTT, Mazibuko NC. Integrating Strength-based Social Work Interview and Eco-Justice Ethical Approach in Assessing Living Conditions for Migrant Women and Families in Africa. Journal of African Union Studies 2019; 8(3): 67-97. https://doi.org/10.31920/2050-4306/2019/8n3a4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31920/2050-4306/2019/8n3a4

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. COVID-19 Outbreak and Persons with Disabilities. 2020 https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/development/disabilities/covid-19.html

Wakefield JC. DSM-5 and Clinical Social Work: Mental Disorder and Psychological Justice as Goals of Clinical Intervention. Clinical Social Work Journal 2013; 41: 131-138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-013-0446-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-013-0446-1

Marcus SC, Olfson M. National Trends in the Treatment for Depression from 1998-2007. Archives of General Psychiatry 2010; 67(12): 1267-1273. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.151 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.151

Lewis-Fernandez R, Aggarwal NK, Baarnhielm S, Rohlof H, Kirmayer LJ, Weiss M, Jadhav S, Hinton S, Hinton L, Alarcon RD, Bhugra D, Groen S, Dijk RV, Qureshi A, Callozos F, Rousseau C, Caballero L, Ramos M, Lu F. Culture and Psychiatric Evaluation: Operationalizing Cultural Formulation for DSM-5. Psychiatry 2014; 77(2): 130-154. https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2014.77.2.130 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/psyc.2014.77.2.130

Hansen H, Dugan TM, Becker AE, Lewis-Fernández R, Lu FG, Oquendo MA, Trujillo M. Educating psychiatry residents about cultural aspects of care: A qualitative study of approaches used by U.S. expert faculty. Academic Psychiatry 2013; 37: 412-416. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340081 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03340081

Kirmayer LJ, Guzder J, Rousseau C. Cultural consultation: Encountering the Other in Mental Health Care. Springer; New York, NY. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7615-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7615-3

World Bank Group. Disability Inclusion and Accountability Framework. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. 2018. http://documents1.worldbank.org/c

Campbell VA, Gilyard JA, Sinclair L, Sternberg T, Kailes, JI. Preparing for and responding to pandemic influenza: implications for people with disabilities. American Journal of Public Health 2009; 99(Suppl 2): S294-S300. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.162677 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.162677

World Health Organization. Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report. 2020a. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200202-sitrep-13ncov

World Health Organization. World Health Organization: Coronavirus. 2020b. https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/transcripts/who-audio-emergencies-coronavirus-full-press-conference-13feb2020-final.pdf?sfvrsn=b5435aa2_2.

Calder G. Competence, Ethical Practice and Professional Ethics Teaching. Ethics and Social Welfare 2015; 9(3): 297-311. https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2015.1031263 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17496535.2015.1031263

Rathebe PC. The role of environmental health in the Basotho male initiation schools: neglected or restricted? BMC Public Health 2018; 18(994). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5936-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5936-1

Fisch RS. Re-educating the Educated. The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, University of California 2020. https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/dpublog/.

Said EW. Orientalism. London: Penguin 1978.

United Nations, Children’s Fund. COVID-19 response: Considerations for Children and Adults with Disabilities. 2020. http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/sit.

United Nations, Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. New York: United Nations. 2006. https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention.

Arlington V.A. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. American Psychiatric Association 1994.

Human Rights Watch. South Africa: Set Rights-Centered COVID-19 Measures Monitor Lockdown Enforcement; Support Vulnerable Groups 2020. https://www.hrw.org/ news/2020/04/07/south-africa-set-rights.