Simulación de fuentes generadoras de armónicos

This chapter has set out the range of theoretical influences that helped shape the research process. This research adopted a framework using insights from different theoretical perspectives in order to better explore and understand the experiences and views of mothers of children with disabilities in Zambia: social disability model, feminist intersectionality theories and social empowerment model. This study was approached using social model of disability to understand the sociocultural factors that may be active in devaluing mothers of children with disabilities and excluding them from the rest of society. It was also used to explore how mothers view the disabilities of their children. Women in Zambia have the responsibility of clothing, feeding and educating their children; however, their disability or that of a dependent may limit their chances of getting a job and earning a living (Nyoni and Serpell, 2012). This, in turn, would greatly impact on their livelihood and various responsibilities (Emerson et al., 2006, Read and Harrison, 2002). Thus, economic, social and political factors all work together to influence whether an impairment is truly disabling or not. If those systems do not integrate those with disabilities or their carers (mothers in countries such as Zambia) as equal and contributing members of society, the result is poor health, isolation, loneliness and poverty for those with disabilities. The social model of disability was thus important in understanding the lives of mothers of children with disabilities.

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The study also used feminist intersectionality approaches to elucidate the power dynamics between men and women, and how disability and motherhood combined impact upon these relations, at individual, household and societal levels. This approach also helped in appreciating how different social categories such as socioeconomic status, gender and disability intertwine to disadvantage mothers of children with disabilities. Another primary tool that was utilised and is consistent with feminist intersectionality theory was the social model of empowerment as postulated by John Friedmann (1992). This perspective focused on aspects of poverty experienced by mothers. It focused on how having a child with disabilities impacts on mothers’ ability to among others find or remain in employment, form strong social networks and belong to social organisations. This framework was also relevant to different situations where disempowerment was an issue among mothers of children with disabilities in Zambia that have been neglected and have suffered poverty due to lack of power.

Of course, none of the theoretical perspectives that influenced the study is without some criticism. As well as seeking new empirical data about the lives and experiences of the mothers of children with disabilities in Zambia, critical reflection was also exercised. The data that emerged has also allowed an evaluation of the relevance of these theoretical perspectives which will be explored in the thesis after the chapters that present the study findings. Furthermore, the literature reviewed indicates a dearth of discourse on what it is means to mother children with disabilities especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, one way of understanding the meanings given to motherhood is through the lived experiences of mothers, especially those with children with disabilities. The next chapter focuses on just such empirical studies and draws heavily on literature from the United Kingdom and other countries within East and Southern Africa.

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Chapter Three

Engaging with Literature on Parenting a Child with

Disabilities

3.1 Introduction

Having set out theoretical positions in the previous chapter, this chapter reviews the extant literature on the experiences of parenting children with disabilities. Many of the studies in this area have been undertaken in the developed countries particularly the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia and the Nordic countries. Few studies have also been undertaken in the sub- Saharan African countries such as South Africa and Kenya. In the theoretical discussion in chapter two, one of the things I highlighted was that sometimes parenting is approached in a gender-neutral way but in reality what we find is that parenting is unequal and gendered. Mothers are often the primary caregivers (Boyer and Spinney, 2016, Laney et al., 2013, Cowdery and Knudson‐Martin, 2005). There is a general body of literature on parenting children with disabilities (Theule et al., 2013, Dabrowska and Pisula, 2010, Estes et al., 2009) and there is specific literature on mothering children with disabilities (Chirwa, 2016, Blum, 2015, Read, 2000).

In order to review this literature, the chapter is divided into six sections. The first section focuses on how literature was searched in the databases. The next five sections reflect the dominant themes that emerged from the literature. The first of these themes focuses on repositioning parents within the context of disability studies. This section focuses on literature on how parents navigate their daily lives following the disclosure of a diagnosis of their child’s disability. This is followed by a section that discusses the belief system, attitude and perception about disability. The third section highlights research on the families with children with disabilities with regard to their quality of life with a focus on their financial wellbeing. The fourth section focuses on the social support systems available to such families. Finally, the fifth section discusses how parents of

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children with disabilities cope with the challenges associated with raising a child with disabilities.

A diligent search of literature on mothering a child with disabilities in Zambia revealed that there is a dearth of literature in the area. The closest works to the present study include a phenomenological study on the challenges that parents (ten mothers and seven fathers) of autistic children experience in Lusaka (Nyoni and Serpell, 2012). Similarly, another study looked at how eleven mothers of children with physical disabilities utilised community based rehabilitation centres in Lusaka (Hansen et al., 2014). The above two qualitative studies focused on specific conditions of children. Another study was by Traini and Loeb (2012), who used data collected from surveys to compare the living conditions among people with disabilities in Afghanistan and Zambia. Mung’omba’s (2008) study focused on people’s perception of intellectual disabilities in Zambia. And even then, the aforementioned studies did not look at relevant issues from the mothers’ perspective, as my study did. Other qualitative researches explored an intersection of HIV/AIDS and gender among people with disabilities in Lusaka (Parsons et al., 2015, Yoshida et al., 2014, Wickenden et al., 2013, Nixon et al., 2011). These studies did not differentiate males and females. My thesis sought diversity in terms of age and disabilities of children.

Despite the important role that mothers play on behalf of their children, not much attention has been given to their role in Zambia (UNICEF, 2008, Maher, 2005). This section focuses on empirical studies on motherhood and disability undertaken in various parts of the world, this thesis draws on studies undertaken in the West particularly in the United Kingdom. This is where a lot of research has been conducted. Zambia was governed by the United Kingdom until 1964, and as a result, the two countries have a shared political and economic history. Zambia adopted the British legal and education system (chapter one highlighted the connections between the two countries). This study also draws on the literature from East and Southern Africa. Zambia and the countries in the two regions have a shared social and cultural history; they

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are all predominantly Bantu speaking people who share a lot of socio-cultural traits (Noyoo, 2000). Based on the above stated reasons, this thesis makes significant references to literature from the aforestated country and regions.