{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T10:16:13Z","timestamp":1785406573941,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"0","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]],"date-time":"2025-10-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1761868800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background:\u00a0Rural settings may present particular challenges to the inclusion and participation of people with physical disabilities (PWPD). These relate to the physical environment, infrastructure and service delivery issues, socioeconomic constraints and specific traditional and cultural beliefs surrounding disability. Targeted interventions require an understanding of these contextual specifics.\nObjectives:\u00a0This study investigated the lived experiences of people with disabilities in relation to social inclusion and participation in Mount Frere, a rural town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.\nMethod:\u00a0A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the barriers, facilitators and underlying cultural perceptions that shape the inclusion and participation experiences of PWPD in this community. Five participants with paraplegia were interviewed using semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was employed.\nResults:\u00a0The findings reveal significant challenges, including societal stigma rooted in traditional beliefs, infrastructural inaccessibility and economic constraints, which collectively hinder social inclusion and participation. Despite these barriers, the participants\u2019 resilience, adaptability and agency were evident. The results illustrate the importance of a biopsychosocial approach to understanding the barriers and facilitators to inclusion and participation for PWPD in rural settings.\nConclusion:\u00a0The study highlights the need for a holistic approach to disability interventions, emphasising development, community education to combat stigma and the promotion of economic empowerment for PWPD.\nContribution:\u00a0These findings contribute to the broader discourse on disability rights in rural South African contexts and call for targeted, context-specific policies to enhance inclusion and participation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/ajod.v14i0.1735","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,29]],"date-time":"2025-10-29T11:47:20Z","timestamp":1761738440000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4102\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Disability inclusion and participation in Mount Frere, Eastern Cape: Barriers and facilitators"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-5923-8455","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yanga","family":"Manxusa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05bk57929","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8436-1230","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Michelle","family":"Botha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/05bk57929","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Stellenbosch University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"2580","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Babik, I. & Gardner, E.S., 2021, \u2018Factors affecting the perception of disability: A developmental perspective\u2019, Frontiers in Psychology 12(1), 702166. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.702166","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2021.702166"},{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Botha, M., Fischer Mogensen, K., Ebrahim, A. & Brand, D., 2023, \u2018In search of a landing place for persons with disabilities: A critique of South Africa\u2019s skills development programme\u2019, International Journal of Discrimination and the Law 23(1\u20132), 163\u2013180. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/13582291231162315","DOI":"10.1177\/13582291231162315"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Botha, M. & Watermeyer, B., 2024, \u2018Metanarratives of visual impairment rehabilitation: The discursive positioning of disabled service users in South Africa\u2019, Disability & Society 39(2), 381\u2013399. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/09687599.2022.2071232","DOI":"10.1080\/09687599.2022.2071232"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Bowa, M.A., 2024, \u2018Ubuntu, disability inclusion and sustainable development: Breaking the disability-poverty nexus in Africa\u2019, in E. 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