Counseling people with disabilities

The counseling needs of people with disabilities in African settings have received relatively little attention in the published literature, despite the fact that a majority of Africans, or their families, experience disability in their lifetimes. The disabilities arise mostly from avoidable causes such as inadequate health care systems, civil strife, marginal or failing national economies, and lack of enforcement of disability rights by national governments. This chapter addresses conceptions of disability from an African cultural heritage perspective and counseling interventions to address disability-related needs in those settings. Legal and professional issues that influence the availability of psychosocial services to people with disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa are considered. Counseling enhances health and quality of life in people of African descent with disabilities.