Review Article
Part 1: A review of using photovoice as a disability research method: Implications for eliciting the experiences of persons with disabilities on the Community Based Rehabilitation programme in Namibia
Submitted: 07 August 2017 | Published: 01 November 2018
About the author(s)
Tonderai W. Shumba, Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South AfricaIndres Moodley, Discipline of Public Health Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Abstract
Background: Although the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) programme in Namibia was formally adopted in 1997, the effectiveness of the programme, including the experiences of persons with disabilities on the programme, has not been assessed to date.
Objectives: To explore the need for a qualitative evaluation tool for the CBR programme that can elicit the experiences of persons with disabilities.
Methods: A scoping review was conducted on the use of photovoice as a disability research method and its potential use in eliciting the experiences of persons with disabilities participating in the CBR programme. A comprehensive literature search was conducted on electronic databases as a part of the scoping review.
Results: Twenty-one studies were selected for review. Six studies followed the exact steps of the traditional photovoice process, and the remaining 15 studies modified the process. Seventeen studies used photovoice as the only research method, 3 combined photovoice with a qualitative method and only one study combined photovoice with a quantitative method. Seven studies had a sample size ranging from 6 to 10 participants as suggested by the traditional photovoice process. The duration of the studies ranged from 2 weeks to 2 years. Thirteen studies investigated life experiences of persons with various disabilities and 17 studies suggested that the photovoice process increases empowerment.
Conclusion: Photovoice is a versatile research method and has the potential to be utilised in effectively eliciting the experiences of persons with disabilities on the CBR programme in Namibia.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 5551Total article views: 184889
Crossref Citations
1. Exploring biosecurity education through photovoice: student teachers’ perspectives on pests and diseases
Sang Putu Kaler Surata, Ida Bagus Ari Arjaya, I Gusti Agung Sri Rwa Jayantini, I Gusti Agung Paramitha Eka Putri
Research in Science & Technological Education vol: 44 issue: 1 first page: 1 year: 2026
doi: 10.1080/02635143.2024.2412027
2. The use of photovoice in evaluating a community-based rehabilitation (CBR) program: experiences from CBR volunteers in Namibia
Tonderai Washington Shumba, Desderius Haufiku, Hans Amukugo
Journal of Health Research vol: ahead-of-print issue: ahead-of-print year: 2020
doi: 10.1108/JHR-10-2019-0224
3. Therapeutic benefits and limitations of participatory photography for adults with mental health problems: A systematic search and literature review
Catherine A. Buchan
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing vol: 27 issue: 5 first page: 657 year: 2020
doi: 10.1111/jpm.12606
4. A scoping review of the use of photo-elicitation and photovoice with autistic and neurodiverse people. Moving towards more inclusive research?
Isabelle Courcy, Ioulia Koniou
Disability & Society vol: 39 issue: 5 first page: 1317 year: 2024
doi: 10.1080/09687599.2022.2137391
5. Adapting photovoice to explore identity expression amongst people with intellectual disabilities who have limited or no verbal communication
Emma Krisson, Maria Qureshi, Annabel Head
British Journal of Learning Disabilities vol: 50 issue: 1 first page: 41 year: 2022
doi: 10.1111/bld.12373
6. Hear my voice: understanding how community health workers in the Peruvian Amazon expanded their roles to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic through community-based participatory research
Tina Samsamshariat, Purnima Madhivanan, Alexandra Reyes Fernández Prada, Eva M Moya, Graciela Meza, Stefan Reinders, Magaly M Blas
BMJ Global Health vol: 8 issue: 10 first page: e012727 year: 2023
doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-012727
7. The use of photovoice in research with adolescents living with HIV in Africa: A scoping review
Yolanda R. Mayman, Brian van Wyk
Journal of Public Health in Africa vol: 16 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.4102/jphia.v16i1.625
8. A visual report on what is of value for people with intellectual disabilities in a Flemish care organisation
Toon Benoot, Wouter Dursin, Bram Verschuere, Rudi Roose
Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability vol: 46 issue: 4 first page: 375 year: 2021
doi: 10.3109/13668250.2020.1847977
9. A review of the framework and strategy for disability and rehabilitation services in South Africa
Naeema A.R. Hussein El Kout, Sonti Pilusa, Khetsiwe Dlamini Masuku
African Journal of Disability vol: 11 year: 2022
doi: 10.4102/ajod.v11i0.893
10. The Lens of Change: A Study About the Participation of People with Disabilities in Institutional life Using Photovoice
Catarina Gaspar, Élia Costa, Sónia Guadalupe, Vanessa Nunes
Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Mental Health year: 2025
doi: 10.1007/s40737-025-00479-7
11. ‘Every Voice Matters’: A Photovoice Study on the Personal Impacts of Co‐Production in Recovery Colleges
Lisa D. Hawke, Shelby McKee, Holly Harris, Amy Hsieh, James Svoboda, Maral Sahaguian, Gail Bellissimo, Melissa Hiebert, Kelly Lawless, George James, Sean Patenaude, Jordana Rovet, Sophie Soklaridis
Health Expectations vol: 28 issue: 5 year: 2025
doi: 10.1111/hex.70441
12. The evolution of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programmes: a call for mixed evaluation methodologies
Tonderai Washington Shumba, Desderius Haufiku, Kabwebwe Honoré Mitonga
Journal of Health Research vol: 34 issue: 6 first page: 505 year: 2020
doi: 10.1108/JHR-08-2019-0183
13. Perceptions of Clinical Connectedness Among Hospital Environmental Service Workers
Nicholas Allis, Zhi Chen, Leah G. Jones, Timothy Kohanski, Zane Suttmore, Samantha Turnquest, Joyce Appiah-Asare, Stephen Appiah-Asare, Kendell Battle, Terry Frayer, Fateen Gilkey, Sherry D. Jones, Kelvin Little, Susan Murphy, Michelle Robinson, Anita Rouse, Jason Rupert, Moustapha Salawu, Zoreslava Osiv, Scott Rosas, Telisa Stewart
JAMA Network Open vol: 8 issue: 1 first page: e2453775 year: 2025
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.53775
14. Rapid Qualitative Approaches in Pandemic Research: Protocol for an Exploratory Qualitative Multimethod Study (VERDIQual) on Mpox in Italy, Nigeria, Thailand, and the United Kingdom
Chinye Osa-Afiana, Marthe Le Prevost, Emily Jay Nicholls, Davide Bilardi, Thomas E Guadamuz, Esekwe E Soje-Amadosi, Grace I Adebisi, Chibueze Adirieje, Adeyosola A Adetunji, Karima Yusufu, T Charles Witzel, Worawalan Waratworawan, Nattharat Samoh, Tom May, Sarah Denford, Willian Gomes, Uzodinma Adirieje, Shema Tariq, Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu
JMIR Research Protocols vol: 15 first page: e77321 year: 2026
doi: 10.2196/77321
15. Experience-based investigation and codesign of approaches to prevent and reduce Mental Health Act use (CO-PACT): a protocol
Roisin Mooney, Karen Newbigging, Rose McCabe, Paul McCrone, Kristoffer Halvorsrud, Raghu Raghavan, Doreen Joseph, Kamaldeep Bhui
BMJ Open vol: 12 issue: 2 first page: e060086 year: 2022
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-060086
16. Using photovoice to engage underserved children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their caregivers in health research: a mixed methods systematic review
Miriam Gonzalez, Paul Y. Yoo, Samantha E. Noyek, Brooke MacLeod, Michelle Kee, Michelle Phoenix, Samantha K. Micsinszki, Marion Knutson, Christine J. Neilson, Roberta L. Woodgate
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences vol: 6 year: 2025
doi: 10.3389/fresc.2025.1638513
17. Stintino (Sardinia, Italy): A Destination Balancing Tourist Gaze and Local Heritage
Sonia Malvica, Valentina Arru, Nicoletta Pinna, Andreea Andra-Topârceanu, Donatella Carboni
Sustainability vol: 17 issue: 12 first page: 5650 year: 2025
doi: 10.3390/su17125650
18. Perceptions of Paratransit Accessibility Among Persons With Disabilities: An Adapted Photovoice Study
Kathleen C. Sitter, Jennifer Mitchell
Health Promotion Practice vol: 21 issue: 5 first page: 769 year: 2020
doi: 10.1177/1524839919888484
19. ‘It's Not Like a One‐Way Street’: Using Photovoice to Understand How College Students With Intellectual Disability Experience Interdependence
Jessica N. Hoyle, Jan Warren‐Findlow, Lauren Wallace, James N. Laditka, Sarah B. Laditka
Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities vol: 37 issue: 6 year: 2024
doi: 10.1111/jar.13297
20. Afrocentric Student Agency, Negotiating “Third Space,” and Higher Education: A Photovoice Study of Emergency Remote Learning During COVID-19 in Malawi and Zimbabwe
Pempho Chinkondenji, Nyaradzai Changamire
Comparative Education Review vol: 69 issue: 2 first page: 205 year: 2025
doi: 10.1086/735703
21. Catching feelings in nature: experiential insights about access and inclusion in parks, protected and other conserved areas
Mikhaila Carr, Mark Groulx, Nancy Harris, Heather Lamb
Journal of Sustainable Tourism vol: 33 issue: 10 first page: 2261 year: 2025
doi: 10.1080/09669582.2024.2442618
22. Racialised experience of detention under the Mental Health Act: a photovoice investigation
Kamaldeep Bhui, Roisin Mooney, Doreen Joseph, Rose McCabe, Karen Newbigging, Paul McCrone, Raghu Raghavan, Frank Keating, Nusrat Husain
BMJ Mental Health vol: 28 issue: 1 first page: e301655 year: 2025
doi: 10.1136/bmjment-2025-301655