Heterogeneity in Disability and the Quality of Life of South African Children

In South Africa, fragmented research has shown that children with disabilities experience lower levels of education, poorer health and lower life expectancy than children without disabilities. Yet, no study has developed a multi-dimensional measure that can provide a multifaceted understanding of their quality of life (QoL). Furthermore, life quality has not been compared by heterogeneity in disability. This study therefore aims to: 1) construct a QoL index for children with disabilities; 2) compare QoL based on heterogeneity in child disability; and 3) determine which dimensions most contribute to explaining the variance in QoL for different groups of children. Categorical Principal Component Analysis (CATPCA) and the method of Nicoletti et al. (2000) were used to construct and weight a composite QoL index using the 2016 South African General Household Survey which comprises 1247 children with disabilities. The findings revealed that children with sight impairments experienced the highest QoL in South Africa and that those with mobility impairments experienced the lowest QoL. Furthermore, irrespective of the severity of disabilities experienced, increased access to basic services emerged as a priority area for policy implementation. This was also true for children with sight, hearing and multiple disabilities. Yet, for children with walking and concentration impairments, income support for households emerged as an immediate need, while for those with communication impairments, food access was imperative. Focusing on these specific areas for children with disabilities, depending on their type and severity of disability is crucial if their QoL is to be improved.