The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) captures important individual beliefs (attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behaviour control), which influence people’s intentions towards performing a given behaviour. Due to the successful application of TPB to a number of areas of human activity, it has been adopted as a framework in a number of studies assessing teachers’ intentions towards implementing inclusive education. However, little work has been done to synthesise these studies. In this study, we reviewed published studies on inclusive education (2007 to 2019), which used the TPB as a framework to understand reporting trends and identify research gaps. We followed the guidelines for the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). Five keywords were used to search for studies in nine databases, which resulted in the identification of 604 papers, of which 22 satisfied the pre-set inclusion and quality assessment criteria. Although the findings from some studies confirm the ability of TPB to predict teachers’ intentions, the link between the predictors and actual behaviour was unclear. Moreover, there was divergence between the findings of the qualitative and quantitative studies. Limitations, recommendations for future studies and implications for inclusive practice are discussed.

The need to improve the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights of women with disabilities is increasingly acknowledged. Unfortunately, women with disabilities in low- and middle-income settings, including Ghana, face several barriers (including structural, financial, physical, social and attitudinal) to accessing SRH services and care. This paper explores the enablers and barriers to accessing SRH services and care among visually impaired women in the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions of Ghana. Qualitative data from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were collected from 21 visually impaired women, selected through purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. Thematic analysis was used to develop codes, and data were further grouped into emerging themes. The barriers to accessing SRH services and care were financial difficulties and lack of preferential treatment. The enablers which facilitated access to SRH services and care were the support provided by caregivers and friendly relationships with health providers. To address these challenges and promote access, SRH related policies, services and programmes should be inclusive of the needs of visually impaired women, and measures to remove financial challenges to service utilisation and foster positive relationships with health workers, church and community members should be adopted.

The abstracts of a conference are important for informing the participants about the results that are communicated. However, there is poor reporting in conference abstracts in disability research. This paper aims to assess the reporting in the abstracts presented at the 5th African Network for Evidence-to-Action in Disability (AfriNEAD) Conference in Ghana. This descriptive study extracted information from the abstracts presented at the 5th AfriNEAD Conference. Three reviewers independently reviewed all the included abstracts using a predefined data extraction form. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the extracted information, using Stata version 15. Of the 76 abstracts assessed, 54 met the inclusion criteria, while 22 were excluded. More than half of all the included abstracts (32/54; 59.26%) were studies conducted in Ghana. Some of the included abstracts did not report on the study design (37/54; 68.5%), the type of analysis performed (30/54; 55.56%), the sampling (27/54; 50%), and the sample size (18/54; 33.33%). Almost all the included abstracts did not report the age distribution and the gender of the participants. The study findings confirm that there is poor reporting of methods and findings in conference abstracts. Future conference organizers should critically examine abstracts to ensure that these issues are adequately addressed, so that findings are effectively communicated to participants.

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a non-progressive disorder of posture or movement caused by a lesion to the developing brain that results in functional limitations. The diagnosis of CP can vary from one child to another, causing family stress because of vague and unknown outcomes of the disorder. Although there are negative attitudes in Ghanaian societies towards primary caregivers and children with disabilities, fewer attempts have been made to understand their experiences.Objectives: The main aim of this study was to explore the experiences of primary caregivers across the trajectory of the diagnosis (before, during and after) of CP in the setting of a tertiary hospital.Method: Using Social Capital Theory as framework, 40 primary caregivers of children with CP, who were receiving treatment at a major referral hospital in Ghana, were interviewed about their experiences before, during and after diagnosis.Results: The results that emerged from the thematic analysis were discussed as follows: experiences before diagnosis, experiences during the diagnosis and experiences after the diagnosis. Particularly, participants discussed their inability to access essential services such as education for their children with CP.Conclusion: In light of systemic challenges faced by participants and their children with CP, the need for health policymakers to prioritise the public education about CP, promoting the well-being of caregivers and other implications of the study have been discussed.