Researching disability rights in Tanzania from Washington, D.C.
Savannah Nivin interviewed journalists, clinicians, and educators about disability stigma and services in Tanzania, and learned R along the way.
Spending the summer in Washington, D.C., immersing myself in research I carry such a passion for, was a lesson in perspective. As an intern with the Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF), I primarily researched disability rights issues, including the stigma surrounding disability in Tanzania, the factors that drive this stigma, the availability of social services for people with disabilities, and how Tanzanian media covers disability issues.
During our first office hours session of Comparative Politics, Professor Groves asked me about my family; I mentioned that I had a twin sister with Down Syndrome and Autism. I never could have imagined that our initial conversation would lead to developing a long-term research project about disability rights. Because of my involvement in the disability community, it was easier to assume that my experiences and understanding of disability were relatively complete. However, this summer has emphasized that there is always more to learn. I was able to interview and learn from healthcare professionals, journalists, and a special education specialist. For example, my conversation with Dr. Syriacus Buguzi, a health journalist and the editor of the MwanaSayansi newspaper, revealed a gap in incentives for journalists to cover disability issues. Bijal Lal, the deputy principal of the Al Muntazir Special Education Needs School, described the gap in implementing policy that encourages inclusive education. Through these interviews, as I embarked to learn more about the lives of people with disabilities in Tanzania, I learned that there is no blanket answer to questions about such a diverse community. Every individual I interviewed had a different perspective on the quality of protection provided to people with disabilities, or what is most needed to improve the lives of people with disabilities. Along with interviews, I also used R, a data visualization program, to manipulate Afrobarometer and DHS data to understand how the experiences of people with disabilities may vary by demographic factors.
Along with the disability rights research, I began working on a paper about the impact of distributing radios on public health and HIV/AIDS knowledge. Athena, a friend with whom I worked closely, and I have been learning R.While the process has been occasionally frustrating - our texts prove this fact - acquiring this skill has proved incredibly useful to understand and visualize data for this paper. We also worked together to learn how to build a map on GQIS for further skill-building.
Although I was unable to travel to Tanzania, I was moved by the kindness and openness of those in Tanzania whom I had the privilege of meeting virtually. As I conducted background research and began holding conversations with individuals with a variety of expertise, I was struck by how eager everyone was to help a random undergraduate student. Additionally, having never stayed in D.C. before, I was unsure what to expect. What most stood out was the sheer passion that everyone held for their work. Being surrounded by people who cared so much and are so dedicated pushed me to work harder, and one of the reasons I fell in love with the city.
I am incredibly grateful for meeting and working with such kind and intelligent people, including Zakayo Zakaria, a research fellow and Monitoring and Evaluation Expert at ESRF. I look forward to continuing to work with Zakayo and Professor Groves, taking what I learned this summer to build and field a survey about how to address the stigma around disability. Publishing a paper exploring the impact of radio distribution of HIV/AIDS and public health knowledge is another goal I am excited to complete in the coming year.
Interning with ESRF and spending the summer in D.C. solidified my passion for international affairs, and I have faith that continuing the work we developed will make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities.