We Support Each Other: Lived Experiences of Natural Support among Persons with Disabilities in Ethiopia

Getachew Gebeyaw; Solomon Mekonnen; Nicole Bobbette; Heather M. Aldersey

doi:10.20372/dcidj.957

Getachew Gebeyaw Tadese ⁽¹⁾, Solomon Mekonnen ⁽²⁾, Nicole Bobbette ⁽³⁾, Heather M. Aldersey ⁽⁴⁾

(1) 1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2. International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada 3. University of Gondar, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Social Work, 196, Gondar, Ethiopia, Ethiopia,

(2) University of Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health, Ethiopia,

(3) 1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2.International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada, Canada,

(4) 1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2. International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada, Canada

https://doi.org/10.20372/dcidj.957

Issue
Vol. 36 No. Special Issue (2025): System of Support to Enable Community Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities and their Families

Submitted
December 16, 2025

Published
August 6, 2026

Keywords:

Disabilities, Natural Supports, Informal Supports, Community Supports, Reciprocity

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Abstract

Aim: Evidence suggests that natural support plays a crucial role in promoting the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Despite its significance, the community’s role in providing natural support remains underexplored in Ethiopia. This lack of exploration may obscure the importance of such support, resulting in it being undervalued and underutilized in a context where formal support systems are already limited. This study sought to understand the breadth, impact, and value of natural support for persons with disabilities, and to identify factors that could enhance it.

Method: We employed an exploratory-descriptive qualitative design, semi-structured interviews for data collection, and a reflexive thematic analysis. The study utilized Ethics of Care, Dependency, and Disability, and Appreciative Inquiry as theoretical lenses. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 21 participants. Persons with disabilities were recruited through the University of Gondar’s community-based rehabilitation program, while neighbours were recommended by those persons with disabilities and/or their caregivers.

Results: Persons with disabilities receive food, clothing, school supplies, transportation, emotional support, information, and advocacy support from family, friends, and neighbours. They reciprocate by offering emotional support, helping with household tasks, and financial and material support. Improving community awareness, expanding social networks for persons with disabilities, and providing livelihood support for caregivers can strengthen natural support.

Conclusion: In the Ethiopian context, where formal support is limited, the government and its partners must recognize the importance and value of natural supports within communities for persons with disabilities and design community-based programs that effectively enhance these supports.

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Authors

Getachew Gebeyaw Tadese

1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2. International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada 3. University of Gondar, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Social Work, 196, Gondar, Ethiopia

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1448-4109

20ggt@queensu.ca (Primary Contact)

Solomon Mekonnen

University of Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health

Nicole Bobbette

1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2.International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada

Heather M. Aldersey

1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2. International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada

Author Biographies

Getachew Gebeyaw Tadese, 1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2. International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada 3. University of Gondar, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, Department of Social Work, 196, Gondar, Ethiopia

Getachew Gebeyaw Tadese is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Rehabilitation Sciences program at Queen's University, Canada. Getachew received a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a master's degree in Social Work from Haramaya University and Addis Ababa University, respectively. Getachew is interested in disability and caregiving research.

Solomon Mekonnen, University of Gondar, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Public Health

Solomon Mekonnen Abebe (Ph.D.) is a distinguished Professor of Public Health and Human Nutrition at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, with over three decades of academic, research, and leadership experience. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Health, an MSc in Exercise Physiology, and a bachelor’s in health and physical education. His research expertise spans non-communicable diseases, nutrition, epidemiology, maternal and child health, disability, and community-based rehabilitation, with more than 170 peer-reviewed publications. Currently, he has served as Director of the Institute of Public Health, Director of the Community-Based Rehabilitation Program, and Editor-in-Chief of the DCIDJ. He actively supervises 14 Ph.D. candidates and contributes nationally by evaluating professorship credentials for major Ethiopian universities.

Nicole Bobbette, 1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2.International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada

Dr. Nicole Bobbette is an assistant professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy. Nicole received a Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Science from Queen's University, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Queen's University, and a Bachelor of Arts, Honours in English Language & Literature & Psychology from Queen's University. Nicole's research primarily focuses on supporting the health and well-being of adults and older adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, as well as caregivers.

Heather M. Aldersey , 1. School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada 2. International Centre for the Advancement of Community-Based Rehabilitation, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3L3, Canada

Heather Aldersey is a Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy and Canada Research Chair (Tier 2), Disability Inclusive Development. A recipient of the Morehead-Cain Scholarship, she completed her Bachelor's degree at the University of North Carolina. She completed her MSc and PhD at the University of Kansas at the Beach Centre on Family and Disability. Following her PhD, she held a CIHR-funded postdoctoral position at McGill University's Douglas Research Centre. She joined Queen's University in 2014 as a Queen's National Scholar in International Community-Based Rehabilitation. Many of her current research projects are affiliated with the International Center for the Advancement of Community-based Rehabilitation, which she has directed since 2015.

1.

Gebeyaw G, Mekonnen S, Bobbette N, Aldersey HM. We Support Each Other: Lived Experiences of Natural Support among Persons with Disabilities in Ethiopia. DCIDJ [Internet]. 2026 Aug. 6 [cited 2026 Aug. 12];36(Special Issue):4-24. Available from: https://dcidj.uog.edu.et/index.php/up-j-dcbrid/article/view/957

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