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Community Based Rehabilitation Projects

Community based rehabilitation projects equalize social opportunities for people with disabilities. Projects of this kind help to avoid placing individuals in institutions when rehab can occur at home or at community centers. This is beneficial in ensuring a better quality of life for those in need of care, while showing community members that these citizens are also vital parts of society.

  1. History

    • These types of projects started with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies of the United Nations during the 1980s. The groups focused on developing countries where access to rehabilitation was limited or did not exist. In 1978, the Alma Ata Declaration proved to be a major influence on the issue. It proposed a larger view of health and disease with an emphasis on individuals as well as local communities making health policies.

    College and University Training

    • Colleges and universities offer programs, and in some cases, degrees that directly involve this type of rehabilitation. Some of these programs may not follow the WHO guidelines. Courses feature subjects such as disability management, public relations and independent living. Students learn federal and state regulations in addition to methods for implementing each one.

    Volunteers

    • If you do not have a degree in community based rehabilitation or related subjects, many agencies welcome volunteers to assist with various activities. Communities have their own agencies that work with these projects, so check out your own local agencies to see opportunities that best fit your abilities. Some require as little as a short form of information to join and no additional education.

    Groups and Organizations

    • Community groups or larger organizations can oversee any community based rehabilitation project. For example, Italian volunteer organization AIFO has two groups of activities, one in developing countries and the other in Italy itself. Both go beyond rehabilitation to primary community health care.

      India's work with the blind is another illustration of local projects. There are no welfare organizations in the country, so local agencies were sought out to help and given training. Fieldworkers broke down areas of 25000 people each into curable blindness and incurable blindness. Curable cases were able to receive services related to eye care while incurable cases received rehabilitation with a focus on mobility and day-to-day living.

      The Vibha is another example of a group that works on both a local and international level with 15 action centers in the United States. This organization's focus is on underprivileged children in many forms of mental or physical handicaps in both American and India.

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