THE ROLE OF SOCIAL WORKER IN INTEGRATION OF THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED INTO THE MAIN STREAM OF EGOR COMMUNITY, EDO STATE
- Department: Sociology
- Project ID: SOC0212
- Access Fee: ₦5,000
- Pages: 76 Pages
- Chapters: 5 Chapters
- Methodology: Simple Percentage
- Reference: YES
- Format: Microsoft Word
- Views: 1,633
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THE ROLE OF SOCIAL WORKER IN INTEGRATION OF THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED INTO THE MAIN STREAM OF EGOR COMMUNITY, EDO STATE
ABSTRACT
This research study was designed to investigate the condition of the
physically challenged. The role of Social Workers integrating them into
the societies. When look at the condition of the physically challenged
persons in the society, the measures taken so far to reduced their
suffering by the different bodies concerned.
The questionnaires
and indebt interview were used to edit information from the respondents
which from the one of the data use for this study. The project is
divided into five chapters. The first chapter explains the meaning of
physically challenged persons and efforts of different concerned bodies
in attempted to remove the burdens and eliminate the stigmatization of
the physically challenged.
Chapter two reviewed the work of
eminent scholars as related to psychically challenged persons, with a
view to strengthening the hypotheses that were formulated. Chapter
three dealt with the method used in the collection of data. In this
chapter, questionnaires were administered and oral interview conducted
on a random sampling. Chapter four dealt with the analysis of data
collected. Every questionnaire administered and interview conducted
were critically analysed. Chapter five of the project work is summary
and recommendations. In the whole, it was recommended that the
physically challenged persons should be seen as group of persons that
make up the total population of any society. The need to remove their
burden of discriminations and integrated them into the society called
for urgent attention.
The government, professional Social Workers
and non-government agencies should jointly work hand in hand to enforce
law that could bring an end to the suffering of the physically
challenged. And how they can become useful to themselves and able to
contribute to the growth and development of the nation.
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
Statement Of The Problem
Objectives Of The Study
Scope Of The Study
Significance Of Study
Limitation Of Study
Historical Background Of The Study
Definition Of Terms
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review
CHAPTER THREE
Background Of The Study Area
Research Hypothesis
Populations
Sampling
Data Analysis
Method Of Data Analysis
Questionnaires
Date Organization
CHAPTER FOUR
Analysis Of Data With Research Findings
List Of Tables
Discussion Of Findings
Discrimination And Victimization
CHAPTER FIVE
Summary, Recommendation And Conclusion
Recommendation
Conclusion
References
Questionnaire
Appendixes – Questionnaire
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
People who are physically challenged are various group found all over
the world. They often lack common needs and face different barriers.
In Nigeria, people with disabilities make up the country’s population
strength and as such, there is need to eliminate the discriminations and
stigmatization on them by professional social worker and integrate them
back to the society.
The physically challenged persons can be
defined as those certified by a specialist in any field of therapy as
having one or more of the following disabilities:- blindness, partial
blindness, emotional disorder, deafness, social maladjustment, mental
retardation and amputation of part of the body as a result of illness or
unexpected accident. The disable persons could also be seen as the
handicapped, include those who are not capable of carrying out certain
functions or activities, which a normal person can perform as a result
of certain impairment such as blindness, deafness and mental
retardation.
However, the researcher agreed with the definition
of the term ‘The Physically Challenged’, according to the United Nations
General Assembly Resolution, 3447(30) of 9th December, 1985 “The term
disabled means any person unable to ensure by himself or herself wholly
or partly the necessities of life, as a result of a deficiency, either
hereditary or not, in his or her physical or mental capacities”. The
medical model of disability sees the disabled person as the problem.
The disables are to be adapted to fit into the world as it is and if
this is possible, then they are shut away in some specialized
institution or isolated at home, where only most basic needs are met.
(Self-Direction Community Project 2000-2001 (1)).
The medical
model views disabilities as a person’s problem caused by diseases,
trauma or other health condition which therefore requires sustained
medical care provided in the form of individual treatment by
professionals. The disability right movement, led by individual began
in the 1970s. The self-advocacy is often seen as largely responsible
for the shift toward independent living and accessibility. The term
“Independent Living” was taken from 1959 California Legislation that
enabled people who had acquired a disability due to polio to leave
hospital wards and move back into the Community with the help of cash
benefits for the purchase of personal assistance with the activities of
daily living, with its origins in the United State civil rights and
consumer movement of the late 1960s.
In 1976, the United Nations
launched its International Year for Disabled Persons (1981), and later
re-named the International Year of Disabled Persons. The UN Decade of
Disabled Persons (1983-1993) featured a World Programme of Action
Concerning Disabled Persons. Bowe (1979) was the only person with a
disability representing country in the planning of IYDP – 1981. Today,
many countries have named representatives who are themselves individuals
with disabilities. (Answers.com Tm).
On December 13, 2006, the
United Nations formally agreed on the convention on the rights of
persons with disabilities, the first human rights treaty of the 21st
century, to protect and enhance the rights and opportunities of the
world’s estimated 650 million disabled people. Countries that sign up
to the convention will be required to adopt National Law, so that
persons with disabilities would for example, have equal rights to
education, employment, and cultural life, the right to own and inherit
property; not be discriminated against in marriage, children and not be
unwilling subjects in medical experiments.
With following efforts
by United States and United Nation to improve the life of disables
stated, the efficiency of a professional Social Worker to improve the
standard of living of Physically Challenged persons in our society must
takes its roles.
Social Workers have a key role in working with
people to help them build resilience, maintain hope and optimism and
develop their strengths and abilities. Social Workers meet people and
manage their situations of danger and uncertainly in their environment
and change their negative behaviours. Social Work, as approved
recognized body can advise and influence government and legislature in
enacting laws that will be beneficiary to the disables in our society,
such as equal educational opportunity, equal right of being employ in
the labour market, and position in government decision making and
enforcement terms.
The Physically Challenged Persons can be
helped to overcome the notion of being seen as second hand citizen
through counseling and enlightens campaign to the general public not to
discriminate against the disables and that there is much abilities in
disable persons if they are received fully into the society as able
individuals.
The professional Social Workers could also persuade
the government in making provision benefits to disable persons, their
disability insurance as not be able to work due to their disability
should be inclusive. Provision of Wheel Chair, Standing Frames, Text
Telephones, Accessible Keyboards, Large Print, Braille and Speech
recognition Computer software. Individuals with disabilities often
develop personal or community adaptations, such as strategies to
suppress tics in public or sign language in deaf communities.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In
Nigeria, as elsewhere in many other cultures, the disabled is sometimes
considered a visitation of the sins of the parents on the child.
Congenital disability in children is often viewed with unpleasant
insinuations. As a result, many parents of disabled children prefer to
conceal them. For those who are grown up, families and relatives see
them as burden, thus early in life the disabled is faced with social
discrimination and isolation. Many prefer to treat them as social
outcasts. To many without the required level of understanding, the
disabled is incompetent, untouchable, incapable and irresponsible.
It
is against this background of discrimination to physically challenged
persons, that the researcher decided to carryout research on physically
challenged persons. The main purpose is to identify the causes of the
problems and make important recommendations as to improve their standard
of living that would make them to become useful to themselves and the
society.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
This study aims to achieve the following objectives:
To show how the disable persons can be re-integrated into the society by social workers and other stakeholders.
To enlighten the society on the need to show love and care to the victims of physical deformities.
To reduce the stigmatization and discrimination against the physically challenged persons in Nigeria.
To show the usefulness of physically challenged persons if they are integrated back to society.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
It
would have been reasonable to have research study such as physically
deformed persons around every state and strategic places in Nigeria but
owing to the study limitation, the scope of the study was streamlined to
Egor Communities in Egor Local Government Area in Benin City.
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The
study is important because it will portray the usefulness of the
physically challenged persons in Nigeria. It will also help to
enlighten the policy makers and stakeholder on the need to integrate the
physically challenged persons into their plans and budget. It will
also help in the improvement of knowledge. The study is also useful
because it will help the policy makers in policy formation. So also as
an avenue for further study. It can also of relevance for good
readership for all person in the society.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The
main problem of this research is financial constraint suffered by the
researcher. The cost of relevant books and other materials required for
this research is on high increase.
Transportation is another serious
problem in the course of this research work. There was high cost of
transportation because of the festive period hence the huge amount of
money to run around for data collection in attempt to cover large city
like Benin became a problem. Egor Community was then chosen as a case
study.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The physically
challenged persons are found all the world. They are more and easily
identify in Nigeria, especially in states capitals where they roam the
street begging for alms for survival. Most of these disabled are locked
up in a house as untouchable and irresponsible while some others are
driven out of the house as an outcast by their relations as a result of
being seen as physically challenged persons.
Most government and the
society shows non-challant attitude or little contributions towards
these set of persons, they are abandoned to suffer without showing any
felling or concerned about them. The International Year of Disabled
people which was launched in 1979 and that of Advisory Group on
Disability set up by the Prince of Wales in 1985 in attempt to unit
local health housing and social services authorities to work together to
develop better services for disabled people yielded little improvement
on them.
The physically challenged persons are parts of the society
and they cannot be ruled out or been neglected. Hence the government,
non-governmental organization, the humanitarian and the society should
see to the well being of these set of people.
Egor Communities is
located in Edo State and it is Administered directly by Egor Local
Government Council which governmental parastatal that provides social
amenities for the physically challenged person in the community. The
council is managed by the Chairman. The council is funded by the
Federal government and it also make do with internally generated funds
like tax etc, however, there is financial constrain to execute planned
projects in the agency. There is lack of special required equipment to
train the physically challenged in the agency. There is inadequate
staff on ground and the inability to employed more staffs.
Also,
there is problem of discriminations and victimizations against the
physically challenged persons as they are not treated and given equal
opportunity like their fellow non-physically challenged persons by the
society. It could be said that these problems of discriminations and
neglect against disabled persons call for urgent intervention by the
professional Social Workers to address and enlighten the public the
usefulness of the physically challenged ones. And if such persons are
cater for and integrated into the society, they would be useful to
themselves and contribute to the growth and development of the country.
However,
it can be said that the Social Work Department of Egor Local Government
Council, Uselu had been able to put a smile on the faces of many
physically challenged persons that were formally rejected. The Social
Work Department trained and rehabilitated many physically challenged
persons in Egor Community that are now living an independent life while
some are admitted to higher institution of learning. The department had
been able to lift the burden from many parents and society thereby
making Nigeria as a country that cares for her less privileges once.
In
summary, the researcher suggest that the government should redirect and
reposition its attitude towards and individual spirit filled
philanthropists and the professional Social Workers should see the need
of removing the burden of discriminations and victimizations against the
physically challenged persons and create good atmosphere for them to
live.
Definition Of Terms:
Physically Challenged: Connection to the body resulting to handicapped in the body rather than the mind.
Social Worker: A person whose job involves giving help and advice to people who are in need of it.
Integrating: The act or process of mixing people who have previously been separated.
Discrimination: Practice of treating a particular group in society less fairly than others.
Victimization: Make to suffer unfairly.
Isolation: The state of being alone.
Untouchable: People that cannot be touched.
Incapable: Not able to do anything well.
- Department: Sociology
- Project ID: SOC0212
- Access Fee: ₦5,000
- Pages: 76 Pages
- Chapters: 5 Chapters
- Methodology: Simple Percentage
- Reference: YES
- Format: Microsoft Word
- Views: 1,633
Get this Project Materials