Postgraduate Diploma in Disability and Rehabilitation
Programme Convenor: Dr Callista Kahonde
The PG Diploma in Disability and Rehabilitation focuses on strengthening and deepening knowledge and theoretical understanding of disability and rehabilitation, with the aim of promoting the development of current thinking, response and practice in disability and rehabilitation studies. In addition, it facilitates in-depth, advanced reflection on the latest international and national instruments and policies for disability, rehabilitation, and health, as well as other social justice related policies. Students are taught skills to analyse and examine how these instruments and policies affect disability and rehabilitation practitioners in their scope of work, and how such practitioners can develop sustainable disability and rehabilitation models of best practice to effectively respond to national needs in this regard. The graduates with a PG Diploma in Disability and Rehabilitation will be able to:
- Demonstrate responsible participation in the promotion of the quality of life and full inclusion of all persons with disabilities in the local, South African and global community;
- Demonstrate sensitivity to, and strive for a deep understanding of cultural, religious, social and ethnic diversity and its impact on persons with disabilities;
- Identify and find solutions to disability and rehabilitation-related problems through thinking within an outcomes-based approach;
- Work effectively with persons with disabilities, organisations for persons with disabilities and other community groups;
- Demonstrate familiarity with the legislation, policy documents and research literature in the field of disability and rehabilitation, and critically relate relevant literature to individual scope of practice;
- Identify and define complex problems within the disability and rehabilitation scope of practice, and apply appropriate knowledge and skills to solve them;
- Identify contradictions, challenge orthodox theory and practices, and suggest new approaches in the fields of health, disability and rehabilitation;
- Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the programme delivery principles, concepts and models in the field of disability management and rehabilitation, as well as the various contexts at primary, secondary and tertiary level in which these apply; and
- Demonstrate mastery of advanced theory and its application to the specialised field of disability and rehabilitation.
Admission requirements
For admission to the Postgraduate Diploma in Disability and Rehabilitation Studies programme, the student shall hold an MB,ChB degree, a bachelor's degree in an appropriate health or health-related field or an equivalent qualification at National Qualifications Framework level 7, or shall in some or other manner have attained, in his particular field of study, a standard of competence deemed adequate for such purpose by the Senate.
Structure and duration of programme
The programme comprises four taught modules over a period of one year. There two block weeks, one at the beginning of the year (late January or beginning February) and another one mid-year (late June or early July). The rest of the work thereafter is via asynchronous e-learning. All the components of the four modules are compulsory.
The modules are:
- Disability and Rehabilitation: theory and practice
- Ethical and Community Constructs
- Community Integration of the Disabled Person
- Policy Analysis on Health, Disability and Rehabilitation