You rehabilitation professionals and therapists can play an extremely important role
in ‘community-directed rehabilitation’. By simplifying and sharing your knowledge and
skills, you can reach many more children. But to do this you will need to go out of the
large city rehabilitation centers and into neighborhoods and villages. You will need to
meet and work with the people on their terms, as learners, teachers, and information
providers. You can help disabled persons, parents, and other concerned individuals
to organize small, community-directed centers or programs. You can teach those
who have the most interest to become teachers. You can help local craftspersons to
figure out or improve low-cost designs for rehabilitation aids (and they can help you).
You can encourage village leaders to improve paths and entrances to schools and
public places. You can help local people to understand basic principles and to avoid
common mistakes, so that they can be more effective leaders and participants in
home and community rehabilitation.
IMPORTANT: R ESPECT THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS OF THE PEOPLE
Villagers are often much better than city persons at figuring out how to do
things, at using whatever happens to be available, and at making and fixing
things with their hands. In short, they are more ‘resourceful’. They have to be
to survive! This ‘resourcefulness’ of village people can be one of the most
valuable ‘resources’ for rehabilitation in rural areas.
But for this to happen, we need to help people understand basic principles
and ‘concepts’—not just tell them what to do. Above all, we need to respect
their intelligence, their knowledge of the local situation, and their ability to
improve on our suggestions.
Whenever possible, arrange for village workers to learn to use this book with
guidance from experienced rehabilitation workers. Those rehabilitation workers
should be able to listen to the people, respect their ideas, and relate to them as
equals.
For best learning, the teacher, or
‘guide’ should stay as much in the
background as possible, offering
friendly advice when asked, and
always asking the learners what they
think before giving instructions and
answers.
It is our hope that this book may
help disabled persons, their families,
village workers, and rehabilitation
professionals to learn more from
each other, and to help each other
to become more capable, more
caring, human beings.
A visiting therapist at PROJIMO teaches
the older brother of a disabled girl how
to do stretching exercises of her hip to
correct a contracture.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
A 11