Integration of Religion and Spirituality With Social Work Practice in Disability Issues: Participant Observation in a Rural Area of Sri Lanka

SAGE Open

Masateru Higashida¹ 

关键词: disabilities in societies;    social work;    Buddhism;    community-based rehabilitation;    spiritually sensitive practice;   

DOI  :  10.1177/2158244015627672

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

This case study examines the integration of religion and spirituality (RS) into disability issues from the perspective of social work in Sri Lanka. Participant observation was applied in the model administrative division of the national community-based rehabilitation (CBR) program in Anuradhapura from February 2013 to January 2015. Theravada Buddhists constitute more than 99% of the population in the area studied. The participation opportunities included group activities, home visits to disabled people, and informal interviews with stakeholders. This study used the author’s field notes, which were based on the participant observation. By applying qualitative analysis, episodes and narratives were summarized into two main categories: RS-related activities and secondary RS-related phenomena. We found that the possible functions of RS practices, by disabled people and the other stakeholders, were alternative education, promotion of participation, and a sense of unity. These findings suggest that integration can be the practice to reconstruct RS aspects in disability issues.

【 授权许可】

CC BY