Cultural Beliefs about Disability in Practice: Experiences at a Special School in Tanzania

Abstract

This article examines cultural beliefs and values about disability in one Tanzanian community and the influence of those beliefs on a school for children with disabilities. The larger ethnographic study examined the role of beliefs in the community and the development of the school curriculum. This study used the models of disability as a framework for classifying and understanding the different belief systems present. The study was conducted in a rural community in Tanzania at a school for children with developmental disabilities. In this community, multiple models of disability were present, but the socio-cultural and pluralistic models were most prevalent. Beliefs centred about the causes of disability, God’s plan or role in the community, and a mixture of Christian, Muslim, and traditional beliefs. Participants saw the school staff as integral to influencing beliefs about disability in the community through their presence and outreach efforts.