Self-determination among adolescents with physical disabilities in Zimbabwean inclusive-community setting: an exploratory study

The purpose of this study was to explore self-determination among adolescents with physical disabilities living in inclusive-community settings of Makonde Urban, Zimbabwe. An inclusive community is one that aims to remove exclusionary practices within the community and promote community systems that accept all people irrespective of their difference. Inclusive communities on their own are not uniquely designed for people with disabilities, but they have been adopted by most developing countries as a basic strategy to influence and enhance self-determination among people with disabilities. A constructivist-lived experience perspective underpinned this research, in which multiple case studies were used to interact with the participants on inclusion and self-determination in adolescents with physical disabilities. Fourteen participants, 9 males and 5 females, were purposively sampled. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and transcribed verbatim. Three themes emerged from the inductive thematic analysis of data sources. It was found that participants were having low levels of self-determination in choosing inclusive-community activities to participate at home, at school, and in their communities. The findings of this study have the potential for the inclusive communities' policy makers and researchers to better understand the level of self-determination in choosing inclusive-community activities to participate among adolescents with physical disabilities in inclusive-community settings.