THE IMPACT OF PHYSICAL DISABILITIES ON THE LIVILIHOOD EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE CASE OF JIGJIGA CITY ETHIOPIA.

<strong>ABSTRACT: </strong>Livelihoods can help individuals and their families to secure the necessities of life and improve their economic and social situations. It is therefore imperative to support individual with physical disabilities and their families through community- based rehabilitation (CBR) programmes and other livelihoods components to reduce the impacts of the physical disability. To reduce the influence of the physical disability on the individuals and their families, it is essential to provide the needed mechanisms to promote the livelihoods of individual with physical disabilities and their family members. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of physical disability on the livelihood experience of individuals with physical disabilities and their families at Jigjiga city Somali regional state Ethiopia. The study aimed to identify how individual with physical disabilities and their family members manage the influence of the disability on their livelihoods and also examine mechanisms needed to promote the livelihoods of individual with physical disabilities and their family members. This study adopted qualitative research methods using phenomenology as a research design; the investigator used qualitative questions to gain deeper understanding. it was limited to the Jigjiga city. The researcher adopted non-probability sampling procedure, that is, purposive sampling, in the data collection. The study focused on individual with physical disabilities and their family members as participants. The instrument used was semi structured interview and focus group discussion schedules. The data was obtained 12 interview participants six individual with physical disabilities and 6 family members, one each from individual with physical disabilities’ family. And one FGD hosted for seven individuals with physical disabilities and their family members from Daryeel disability organization which is founded at jigjiga city. The data were analyzed directly by performing thematic analysis. The study concluded that, physical disability adversely impacts individual with physical disabilities and their family members’ livelihoods. The major impacts on the individual with physical disabilities were limited educational opportunities, unsuitable physical environment, low income level, limitation on employment opportunities, lack of career development, and lack of access to credit and effects on personal well-being. Also, the influence on family members such as financial challenges and emotional stress were also identified as a major problem. Another key finding from the study was that, both individual with physical disabilities and their family members developed coping mechanisms to handle the impacts on their livelihoods. Individual with Physical disabilities adopted financial management and membership of people with Disabilities’ Organizations as mechanisms to manage the influence on their livelihoods while, financial management, savings and collective effort of family members were used by family members to mitigate livelihoods challenges on their livelihoods.