”I will achieve my goals where I wanna go” - En kvalitativ etnografisk studie om delaktighet och hopp för personer med funktionshinder i Sydafrika.

Abstract

The aim of the study has been to explore what participation and hope means for persons with disabilities living in an institution called Horizon House, in Stellenbosch South Africa. The aim has also been to discover the South African approach to disability and how Horizon House fits into this approach. Horizon House is an institution and a protective workplace in Stellenbosch for adults whose main impairment is of an intellectual nature but there are also physical and emotional disabilities. Another aim has been to explore the perspectives of the residents. The research questions of the study are:

• What does participation imply for the residents of Horizon House? • What does Hope represent for the residents of Horizon House? • What importance can hope have for people with disabilities, in their approach towards increased participation?

We travelled to South Africa during a two week period in March 2009, where we participated at the protective workplace of Horizon House. The study was carried out as a semi structural qualitative interview together with participant observations and photography. The theoretical framework of the study has been based on the concepts of hope and participation.

The study shows that social fellowship and activity have an important role in the meaning of participation for the residents. They described friends, love and caring for each other as important aspects in their everyday life. The study also shows the challenges and the complexity it can mean to be living in a context with other people and working together. The protective workplace is compulsory for all the residents, although the study has also shown aspects of self-determining and residents being proud over their work.

One of Horizon House´s missions are to provide hope to the residents and to make training and provision of work opportunities available. The study shows that hope for the residents revolves around goals and future visions, acceptance, faith and dreams. The study also shows that there are some parallels found between hope and participation but the study can not demonstrate that hope has a significant meaning in the approach towards increased participation.