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Mobility is a birthright. Majority of people with disabilities have
problems with
mobility. To offer solutions to mobility problems they would
require the interventions of Physiotherapist/ Occupational Therapist
& Prosthetist/ Orthotist to suggest assistive devices and make them.
A wheelchair is another commonly used assistive device for people
with disabilities to enhance mobility. Fundamental to all these
issues is the approach to disability rehabilitation; through
community based rehabilitation programmes, an approach
designed to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities
through community initiatives.
Present Scenario-
An estimated 10% of the world’s population*-
approximately 650 million people, of which 200 million are children
- experience some form of disability. 80% of people with
disabilities live in low- income countries. Most are poor & have
limited or no access to rehabilitation services. In
India itself, there are 200 million** people with disabilities who
constitute 2.13 % of the total population. In addition, natural
disasters and man –made conflicts result in disabling conditions
like loss of limbs and other disabilities. Other health conditions
like diabetes, arthritis, stroke, geriatric care etc. require
rehabilitation intervention.
India has so far developed only 5% of the required human resource.
Of the few professionals being trained in the country many choose to
work abroad, at the national level & to some extent at the state
level. Not many people prefer the district or the taluk level where
most people with disabilities reside.
India and other low –income countries of Asia & Africa require
trained rehabilitation personnel.
Mobility
India ‘s Initiative
Set up in 1994, the organization has made a significant contribution
to enhance the quality of rehabilitation services in rural and urban
areas. Working in partnerships with NGO’s having strong roots in
communities of Southern, Eastern & North Eastern regions of India
has facilitated provision of assistive devices and setting up
rehabilitation workshops in these areas. To sustain these programmes
the organizations require trained personnel and Mobility India
responded to the need by training the local staff through various
short term programmes in repair and maintenance of assistive
devices. To address the larger picture of having trained personnel
at the community level Mobility India started the training
programmes in 2002.
Networking with
national & international agencies and regulatory bodies like the
Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), Orthotics & Prosthetics
Society of India (OPSI), International Society for Prosthetics &
Orthotics (ISPO), World health Organization (WHO) & Motivation, UK
(specifically for Wheel Chair Courses) Mobility India has designed
and developed
various
training programmes
The training programmes are aimed at creating professionals to work
at the grass root levels, who can bring about a positive change in
the disability scenario. The primary goal is to provide learning
opportunities which promote basic knowledge, skills, values and
behaviours that will enable them to implement tasks, under
supervision and direction, within a variety of health care and
community settings. The main focus of these programmes is in
adopting a community-based approach that meets the needs of the
people with disability, especially from the urban slum areas, rural
areas and low-income countries.
*(WHO
-World health Organization), World Report on Disability and
Rehabilitation
**http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/disabled_population.htm
Currently there is a wide gap between the need and the
availability of rehabilitation services and the right kind of
human resources in the rehabilitation sector. Fundamental to all
these issues is the approach to disability rehabilitation;
through community based rehabilitation programmes, an approach
designed to enhance the quality of life for people with
disabilities through community initiatives
Human Resource Development in
Rehabilitation
Mobility India started the training programmes in 2002. The
objectives of the training programmes are-
-
Develop appropriate
rehabilitation personnel to provide prosthetics/orthotics/
wheelchair and therapy services
-
Develop personnel to promote
community based rehabilitation (CBR)
-
Train health and other
allied personnel in rehabilitation
The
training programmes are aimed at creating professionals to work
at the grass root levels, who can bring about a positive change
in the disability scenario.
An
Overview …
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