Community Based Rehabilitation

WHO/ILO define Community Based Rehabilitation as a strategy within community development. Since 1989 Spastics Society of Karnataka has ventured into working in Community Based Rehabilitation programmes. Through these years concept about Community Based Rehabilitation has evolved as our programmes also has evolved.

As of now Spastics Society of Karnataka has a team of professionals consisting of a Pediatrician, Physio/Occupational Therapists; Psychologist, Special Education teacher and the field coordinators ably assisted by the Community Based Rehabilitation workers (CBRWs) have been able to reach out to all the PWDs, educate the parents about the disability and programs and the intervention required. This visit still continues by the professional team and followed up by the CBRWs regularly

This programme is three pronged:

Home based services for children who we are not able to include the children into normal schools or are from distances and who are more severely disabled. Hence the professional team & the CBRWs (More frequently) visit the client to monitor the program given to the client and record the progress. Aids Appliances are given to help the client in their home it self.

Center Based Program. The center based programme has been developed into a sheltered work shop with the Saath-Saath concept being practiced.( We have formed a parent Child partnership programme where parents and children have been trained to produce products which in turn is income generative.) to start off orders are being outsourced from the main centre.

The Government of India has been working towards including all persons with disabilities into mainstream schools through the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan programmes. Hence we have in all our programmes have been including our children into regular schools

Many children with different disabilities have been in included in the regular schools. Our team has identified 16 such schools in and around Harrohalli and have planned a comprehensive programme which include teacher training workshops for identification of persons with disabilities evaluation and remediation keeping them back in school .

A parents association has been organized for all those who have taken up the Saath-Saath programme not only to keep their children occupied, but also use the income generated to make the programme self-sufficient. The parents have periodical meetings where they invite guest speakers to give educative talks and also plan their association activities.

Our Community Based Rehabilitation programmes are at Harrohalli and 16 surrounding Villages, Kempapura Agrahara, and Kadirappa Slum.

There are two Tele-Rehabilitation centres in Kolar and Mayasandra, where doctors in the centres consult Dr Mahadevaiah, Medical Director of SSK.