Research Officer
Richard (Phd) has a Psychology background obtaining his Masters Degree in Counselling and Research Psychology from UCT in 1995. After many years of doing counselling work in various contexts, lecturing psychology and research subjects at tertiary institutions and involved in a number of research projects, he completed his PhD in Disability Studies in 2016 from Stellenbosch University. He now has over 10 years experience in disability research including 5 years experience working on a multinational disability project looking at access to health care in four African countries. He has been Research Officer for IDEA for the last couple of years and oversees the research component of the Research Unit. ORCID: 0000-0002-8461-7969
Research Areas
- access to healthcare, education and employment for persons with disabilities,
- sport and disability
- community development
Professional Memberships
- Health Professions Council of South Africa
Publications
Vergunst, R. & McKenzie, J., (2022), ‘Introducing the Including Disability in Education in Africa Research Unit at the University of Cape Town’, African Journal of Disability 11(0), a946. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod. v11i0.946
Karisa, A, Samuels, C, Watermeyer, B, McKenzie, J, & Vergunst, R. (2022). Priorities for access to early childhood development services for children with disabilities in South Africa. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 12(1), 1-7. https://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v12i1.1119
Vergunst R, McKenzie J, Hansen A. (2021). Capacity building for quality care and education for children with severe to profound intellectual disabilities in South Africa. Journal of Intellectual Disabilities. doi:10.1177/17446295211018584
Vergunst R & Swartz L (2021) ‘He doesn’t understand that he’s struggling with the way I felt’ – university students, psychosocial disability and disclosure in the Western Cape, South Africa, Disability & Society, 36:2, 226-239, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2020.1730159
Vergunst R & Swartz L (2020) Experiences with supervisors when students have a psychosocial disability in a university context in South Africa, Teaching in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2020.1730784
Vergunst R & Swartz L (2020) A Report on the Impact of the Living Conditions Studies (LCS) on disability in southern Africa, Development Southern Africa, 37:2, 247-258, DOI: 10.1080/0376835X.2019.1628709
Vergunst R, Swartz L, Hem K, Eide A, Mannan H, MacLachlan M, Mji G& Schneider M (2019) The perceived needs-access gap for health services among persons with disabilities in a rural area within South Africa, Disability and Rehabilitation, 41:22, 2676-2682, DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2018.1478001
Vergunst R (2018) From global-to-local: rural mental health in South Africa, Global Health Action, 11:1, DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2017.1413916
Vergunst, R., Swartz, L., Hem, KG. et al. (2017) Access to health care for persons with disabilities in rural South Africa. BMC Health Serv Res 17, 741 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-
Vergunst R, Swartz L, Mji G, Kritzinger J & Braathen S (2016) Beyond the checklist: understanding rural health vulnerability in a South African context, Global Health Action, 9:1, DOI: 10.3402/gha.v9.33272
Vergunst R, Swartz L, Mji G, MacLachlan M & Mannan H. (2015) ‘You must carry your wheelchair’ – barriers to accessing healthcare in a South African rural area, Global Health Action, 8:1, DOI: 10.3402/gha.v8.29003
Mji G, Schneider M, Vergunst R & Swartz L (2014) On the ethics of being photographed in research in rural South Africa: views of people with disabilities, Disability & Society, 29:5, 714- 723, DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2013.844103
Braathen S, Vergunst R, Mji G, Mannan H, Swartz L (2013), Understanding the local context for the application of global mental health: a rural South African experience, International Health, Volume 5, Issue 1, Pages 38–42, https://doi.org/10.1093/inthealth/ihs016