The South African Journal of Communication Disorders (SAJCD) publishes reports and papers concerned with research, and critically evaluative theoretical, philosophical and conceptual issues dealing with aspects of human communication and its disorders, dysphagia, service provision, training and policy.

Background: Aphasia is an acquired impairment in language and in the cognitive processes that underlie language. Aphasia affects the quality of life of the person with aphasia (PWA) and his or her families in various ways in diverse contexts and cultures. It is therefore important that speech language therapists understand how different contextual and cultural factors may mediate experiences.Purpose: The aim of the study was to describe the caregiving experience of female caregivers of PWA residing in Tembisa, a township situated in the east of Johannesburg.Method: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary caregivers of PWA. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 14 primary caregivers of PWA who were daughters, daughters-in-law or wives of the PWA. The interviews were conducted in participants’ first language and analysed by the researcher, who is proficient in isiZulu. Data were analysed according to the principles of thematic analysis.Results: Findings indicated that caregivers are unfamiliar with aphasia and the support available to them. Participants experienced frustration and found communication to be challenging owing to their lack of communication strategies. The participants’ experiences reflected their context-specific experiences, such as feminisation of caregiving, barriers to healthcare, the influence of low health literacy and contextual perspectives on stroke and aphasia.Conclusions: Contextual factors of caregivers in Tembisa have an influence on the experiences between caregivers and PWA, the feelings of individuals and families and health-seeking behaviours of individuals and families.

The journal is published for the purpose of advancing scholarship in disability studies and rehabilitation sciences in a uniquely African context. Widely read by scholars, professionals and students, it encourages scholarly exchange between all disciplines and academics from low, middle and high-income countries to work towards the improvement of human development and its practices across the continent.

The journal is published for the purpose of advancing scholarship in disability studies and rehabilitation sciences in a uniquely African context. Widely read by scholars, professionals and students, it encourages scholarly exchange between all disciplines and academics from low, middle and high-income countries to work towards the improvement of human development and its practices across the continent.

The case of Hellen Keller presents a great example of what a learner who is deafblind can achieve if provided with the appropriate educational accommodation in terms of content, environment, learning approach, instructional strategies, and teaching methodologies. However, access to education is not the reality for most learners who are deafblind due to their unique educational needs, owing to their dual sensory impairment. There has been an assertion that learners who are deafblind may not thrive in inclusive educational spaces, but there is a paucity of research to support or dispute this assertion. This scoping review explored what is documented in the literature on the barriers and facilitators to inclusive education for learners who are deafblind. A scoping review methodology using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework was employed. A search was conducted using six databases, including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus Medline, ProQuest and gray literature, to identify publications focusing on the barriers and facilitators to inclusive education for learners who are deafblind. The findings from the scoping review suggest that the factors that influence the inclusion of learners who are deafblind in inclusive educational settings include the availability of educational settings; accessibility to the physical and social environment, and assistive devices; acceptability by peers and educators and the preparedness of educators; and the adaptability of classroom strategies. For learners who are deafblind to thrive in inclusive educational settings, transformational attitudes and intentional and specific strategies from multiple stakeholders are necessary. Therefore, the educational system, schools, peers and communities should be deliberate in putting in place specialized support and resources to accommodate the diverse needs of learners who are deafblind in all phases of their schooling life.

This study sought to describe spirituality resourcing of family caregivers for people with aphasia (PWA). A purposive sample of 14 female family caregivers of PWA from a historically disadvantaged South African community were participants (married = 42%; age range 21 to 65 years). They completed interviews regarding the spiritual support that they received when caring for their family member with aphasia. Thematic analysis of the data yielded findings to suggest spiritual interpretation of their experiences, importance of prayer as a source of hope and healing, and significance of social support from church fellowship. Spirituality is a resource for coping with the carer-role among community women with responsibility over family members with aphasia.