Proceedings of the World Disability & Rehabilitation Conference

THE ACADEMIC STUDY OF REHABILITATION: PRIORITIZING UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM FOR THE PREPARATION OF PRACTITIONERS IN THE INTERNATIONAL FIELD

Abigail Akande — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0530

This conceptual paper expounds on the reflections from the author’s plenary speech and addresses the educational underpinnings of the limitations in rehabilitation services globally, but particularly in the Global South. There are disparities in the availability of post-secondary training programs in graduate and undergraduate rehabilitation disciplines all over the world, as compared to the plethora of medical training programs within universities internationally. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) provides a framework that is a vital reminder of the intricate, interdisciplinary nature of disability interventions. These treatment interventions constitute collaborations between preventative, curative, and rehabilitative health professionals within in-patient and outpatient settings. Yet rehabilitation professionals such as occupational therapists, physical therapists, mental health counselors, and physiatrists are inadequate in number in many parts of the world – making it impossible to meet the global health needs of patients who would benefit from their services. Social, cultural, political, and institutional barriers to the proliferation of rehabilitation practitioners, as evidenced by the research literature from these parts of the world, are addressed. In particular, an argument is made for more entry-level rehabilitation clinicians that are trained at the undergraduate level because of their unique preparedness to meet a variety of patient needs competently and promptly. Some foundational principles, global rehabilitation services issues, and future research implications of undergraduate rehabilitation education program development internationally are discussed.

APPRAISAL OF ACCESSIBLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IN ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION INSTITUTES IN INDIA

Meenu Varshney, Professor — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0530

India has ratified The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR, 1948) and the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, 2006). It is committed to bringing people with disabilities to the mainstream, ensuring their human rights. India has taken many steps on legislative and executive fronts to address the needs of persons with disabilities post United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Article 24 of the UNCRPD provides for accessible, quality, and inclusive education to persons with disabilities as their right so that they can develop their full potential and talent to live independently and with dignity. Education for people with disabilities has been a challenge. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 in India, provides for an inclusive education and accessible built environment on educational campuses. Adopting inclusive approaches is imperative to achieve the 'education for all' goal, yet existing built environment fails to provide an inclusive and accessible built environment in India. Non- implementation of existing guidelines for accessible built infrastructure may be the cause behind this state. Architectural education institutes make a strong case to study, these institute as living labs, sensitize students about design solutions for the accessibility needs of all users in classrooms, laboratories, library, washrooms, canteen, hostels, parking facilities, etc. This paper investigates the status of accessibility in built environment in select institutes of architectural education in India by recording user response for provisions, level of service, satisfaction, etc. to appraise the on ground situation of architectural institutions. The outcome of research includes set of interventions for old and new architectural education institutions to make the built environment universally accessible.

SOCIAL INCLUSION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN THE NORTHERN CHARS (RIVER ISLANDS) IN BANGLADESH: FRIENDSHIP’S EXPERIENCE

Rahman AT, Shihab AM, Zerin N — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0530

The riverine northern ‘Chars’ (river islands) of Bangladesh are not static & have minimal connectivity with mainland areas. Superstition, lack of education, lack of infrastructure and adverse climatic conditions make life difficult for the inhabitants in these hard to reach areas where persons with disabilities are far behind to get their citizen rights and live a dignified life. Still they are excluded from mainstream activities and basic services due to remoteness, such as – health, education, livelihood, empowerment, social safety schemes etc. offered by the government and other non-government service providers. With the aim to improve the living condition of persons with disabilities in chars, Friendship Inclusive Citizenship launched a pilot project with support from the Ineke Feitz Stitching & Friendship Netherlands in 15 chars of Gaibandha and Kurigram in 2020. Friendship is implementing the ‘Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR)’ approach through sensitization, need-based therapeutic interventions, assistive devices, build capacities of caregivers/community volunteers/staff, form self-help groups (SHG) of persons with disabilities, inclusive education, livelihood training, referral and advocacy with local and national level stakeholders. Positive changes started to get visible around awareness among communities to realize their roles/responsibilities towards persons with disabilities, rights and available services for persons with disabilities etc. Persons with disabilities are receiving disability cards, allowances, assistive devices and therapies at government disability service centers with support from Friendship. Children with disabilities are enrolling in mainstream schools, SHGs are learning advocacy & leadership skills and govt. authorities are realizing their roles to serve these people in chars. These interventions are empowering persons with disabilities in remote chars to get their rights and services through concept of “Reaching the unreached” and “Leave no one behind”.