Project Description:
The Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTCCL) at the Institute on Community Integration requested a grant from the CEHD Global Signature Program Grant to support the conduct of a two-day in-person training on Community-Based Rehabilitation methods and approaches for parents and family members of adults and children with disabilities in Liberia. The training benefited community social workers and volunteers from community-based civil society organizations who currently work with people with disabilities.
This grant supported Macdonald Metzger, a staff at the RTCCL who has an extensive experience in supporting people with disabilities to travel to Liberia along with Mikala Mukongolwa to conduct the training. Mikala Mukongolwa is a staff at the Bauleni Special Needs Project in Zambia, who is also an Alumni of the RTCs Disability Certificate program and has worked with the RTCCL on a similar project in Zambia for the last three years. The RTCCL would like to expand the reach of this program to Liberia and has agreed to support Macdonald and Mikalas travel to facilitate the two-day training sessions in two communities in rural Liberia. The workshops will teach parents, family members and community volunteers about community-based rehabilitation methods and approaches, including the rights of persons with disabilities.
Community-Based Rehabilitation, or CBR, has been recognized by the World Health Organization and UNESCO as an appropriate model for community rehabilitation and the provision of therapeutic supports to people with disabilities in rural and remote communities, with particular relevance for remote and rural indigenous communities. CBR is built on the principle of supporting persons with disabilities in their own communities, including delivery of services and supports that improves their overall quality of life, especially in the areas of mobility, special education, and vocational rehabilitation. The CBR model promotes equal opportunities and social inclusion for all children and adults with disabilities. The CBR approach is built on a social, community-focused framework, as opposed to traditional medical models of support. The CBR approach is designed to address barriers (medical, social and cultural) that affect a persons ability to engage in daily activities that may improve their personal quality of life and builds on the capacity of remote and rural communities.
Our hope is that the participants will utilize the practical skills, knowledge and experiences gained from the training, to implement the CBR approach in their own communities, with the combined efforts of people with disabilities themselves, their families, volunteers, and representatives of local government entities that represent the health, education, and social services sector. The concept of CBR is based on decentralizing supports and services for people with disabilities. Most of the current supports for people with disabilities in Liberia are not decentralized. Supports are clustered in and around major cities and towns with a good road network. Family caregivers often travel with their loved ones by foot or on motorbikes to the nearest rural health center which is often hours and hours away from their towns and villages. The absence of much needed social services in these rural communities places an economic burden on families who have to dig into their little savings in order to get care and support for their loved ones. Proving training to people from these rural communities will give them the opportunity to live with their loved ones in their own homes and still get the best support possible from family caregivers and community volunteers.
The benefits of CBR for people with disabilities in rural communities is that;
It increases the availability of needed services and supports to persons with disabilities in rural communities, and gives them the opportunity to live in their own homes while receiving therapeutic services and supports.
It builds on the human, social, and economic capacity of the community.
Four primary goals drive this program idea:
1. Participants will become more informed on issues related to home-based education (principles, methods, and approaches) in community settings.
2. Participants will learn more about mobility supports, special education, and vocational rehabilitation for children and adults with disabilities.
3. Participants will gain valuable lessons and experiences about community-based supports strategies and the integration of people with disability in community settings.
4. Participants will learn about the difference between social modules and medical based approaches to care and support, thereby enabling them to make informed decisions about supports that promote community living.
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas
