Youth Accountability for Deaf inclusion in South Africa (YADISA)
The YADISA project, lead by the University of Leeds (Prof P Cooke) and including the University of Pretoria ( Prof Shakila Dada), Hope and Homes for Children, DeafKidz International and the Bishop Simeon Trust. The project aims to develop and implement a youth leadership program which will provide vulnerable youth and youth who are Deaf with the skills and opportunities to participate in decisions regarding their lives and futures. In addition, the program aims to provide youth with the mechanisms they require to hold the structures and institutions which should be looking after them accountable for the care their receive. The project will be implemented by the Bishop Simeon Trust, DeafSA and One Home One Child (the South African arm of Hope and homes for children) in Ekhuruleni, Gauteng. Ultimately this project aims to provide evidence of how youth can guide and improve their own futures and those of their communities through meaningful engagement with government in order to maintain accountability for their rights.
Bastable, K., Cooke, P., Harvey, L., Olarte, V., Zimmerman, J., & Dada, S. (2022). How Are Leadership Programs Empowering Our Vulnerable Children and Youth? A Scoping Review. Social Sciences, 12(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/
Policy brief //www.up.ac.za/media/shared/212/ZP_Resources/yadis-research-briefing-2023.zp242267.pdf
Project: Pictorial language representation for Sepedi: Language access for persons with severe communication disabilities.
An estimated 80 000 children who come from a Sepedi (Sesotho sa Lebowa) language background require AAC. While there are many pre-programmed picture-based AAC systems for English (both high and low-technology), no such resources exist for Sepedi.
The aim of this project is therefore to develop a research- and stakeholder-informed low tech AAC system for Sepedi /Sesotho sa Leboa. A comprehensive system with a range of vocabulary items that allow for language development is the goal.
The collaborators on the project include:
Students involve in the project include:
The project is funded by the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLAR) https://sadilar.org
A training programme for South African families on person-centred AAC strategies with people with dementia
Dementia is a tremendous global public health concern. In African countries, including South Africa, where kinship is highly valued, most people with dementia live at home and are cared for by their family. This project aims to develop a training programme to support families to communicate with a person with dementia using person-centred augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. The project has three main objectives. First, to conduct a survey to understand the communication challenges experienced by families of those with dementia. Second, to develop a training programme with families to ensure that it is responsive to their needs. Third, to implement the programme focused on a combination of AAC strategies such as gestures, visual aids, and paper-based life-story books. A key component of the training will involve applying person-centred care principles alongside AAC strategies to support the preferences, choices, personal history, and strengths of the person with dementia.
The project is led by Dr Adele May (principle investigator), and includes Prof Shakila Dada (co-researcher) as well as student researchers. A steering group consisting of AAC professionals, family members and dementia care NGO representatives will provide advice on the project. With its focus on older people in society, the project aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on good health and wellbeing. The project is co-funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Thuthuka grant (2025-2027) and the University of Pretoria.
NRF/SASUF Seed grant for Collaborative Research
Co-designing an online training course on conducting ethical research with vulnerable
children with postgraduate students in South Africa and Sweden
PI (South Africa): Prof Alecia Samuels; PI (Sweden): Prof Karina Huus (Jonkoping
University) Co PI’s Shakila Dada, Prof Jenny Wilder (Stockholm University) and Prof
Shazly Savahl (University of the Western Cape (2023 – 2024)
In 2024 we were finally able to commence with developing an online training programme for
researchers and research students on conducting ethical research with vulnerable children.
We specifically focused on the ethical consideration of obtaining Informed Consent from
vulnerable children including children with disabilities. Following a collaborative online
international learning (COIL) discussion on ethical decision making between students from
South Africa and Sweden held in 2023, in 2024 we were also able to conduct a focus group
with postgraduate students in these countries where we explored ideas regarding the content
and activities that should be included in the online training programme.
The data obtained from these research activities with postgraduate students was then used by
the PI’s and Co PI’s together with a postgraduate student and postdoctoral research fellow to
begin writing up the content for the online training programme during a research visit to
Jonkoping University in Sweden in July 2024. The content for the module Involving Vulnerable
Children in Participatory Research: Informed Consent vs Assent was then finalised during the
Swedish PI and Co PI’s visit to the Centre for AAC in South Africa in September 2024 and then
finalised after feedback from critical readers. The module was then uploaded to the University
of Pretoria’s Learning Management System for piloting in November to December 2024 by
postgraduate research students from the participating universities.
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