Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Kinshasa, DRC: Personhood and Support

Abstract

This dissertation consists of four individual, but related chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the key constructs of this dissertation: intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), personhood, and support. It provides information about the context of the study, which was conducted in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Finally, it provides a general overview of the other chapters in this dissertation. Chapter 2 is a study of local understandings of causality as it relates to the personhood of people with IDD in Kinshasa. It finds that understandings of causality are generally either biomedical or metaphysical, or a combination of the two. Chapter 3 is a study of the factors that contribute to the construction of personhood of individuals with IDD in Kinshasa. These factors are organized under the O'Connor et al. (2007) framework of subjective experience, the interactive environment, and the socio-cultural context. Chapter 4 is a study of support for families that have members with IDD in Kinshasa. It identifies available and needed family support and highlights a parent self-help association, ANAPEHMCO, as an example of a strong and innovative support provider.