The efforts of Sight Savers, a service program of the Royal Commonwealth for the Blind, to stem the outward flow of hard currency from developing countries are described. Sight Savers furthers program sustainability by emphasizing local manpower development, selecting equipment that requires less and cheaper maintenance, and using local currency…

The document describes a research and demonstration project to identify and develop information about rehabilitation programs for handicapped people in African countries. Initial chapters deal with introductory information (need for the project, project objectives, summary of work plan); a description of the project; project procedures; and…

The Christoffel-Blindenmission helps support 26 schools, centers, and rehabilitation programs for individuals with visual impairments in South America. This article discusses the organization's limited use of foreign specialists to discourage overdependency on the agency and to encourage local personnel to establish their own programs. (Author/JDD)

This paper examines the magnitude of the problem of disability facing developing countries; the traditional response to this challenge and its ineffectiveness; the emergence of community-based rehabilitation (CBR); its underlying assumptions and effectiveness in terms of staff training, interagency partnerships, and parental and community…

The paper describes issues involved in a project to assist providers of services for the visually impaired to plan and initiate programs directed toward Nepal's low vision population. Discussed are demographic factors; organization of prevention, education, and rehabilitation programs; development of a systematic and coordinated national plan; and…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that about 10% of the world's population has some kind of disability (Poverty and Disability, 2000), yet many of the individuals who live in developing nations lack access to rehabilitation services. In this paper the authors share their concerns and rationale regarding the role of the United…

The article traces the experiences of the Malaysian Association for the Blind in developing rehabilitation services for rural blind persons. It explains the rationale for a community-based approach to rehabilitation and concludes that center-based and community-based approaches to rehabilitation complement each other in bringing services to rural…

This report examines why parents of visually impaired children in India sometimes fail to assume appropriate roles in the rehabilitation process. It describes the media available to educate parents and discusses two direct training programs in rural villages, which teach rehabilitation techniques to parents and children. (Author/DB)

Establishing community-based rehabilitation projects for visually impaired populations in developing countries in the South Pacific presents challenges in communication, logistics, security, and other factors. Program development must consider differences in geography, population distribution, resources, cultural and religious values, and needs.…

Describes the prevalence and patterns of vision impairment in the Sultanate of Oman. Reviews the types of special education and rehabilitation services offered and future priorities. Concludes that, although at present, few visually impaired children are receiving services, a special education system is evolving into a community-based approach to…

This paper reviews research and evaluates information gathered on disabilities and service development in South Asia, especially India and Pakistan. The concept of "community-based rehabilitation" (CBR), which stresses the need for rehabilitation efforts rooted in the context of local cultural concepts, is discussed. The paper emphasizes…

UNICEF's 1984-85 program review describes ongoing child health and nutrition programs and other community-based services for children. Specific attention is given to primary health care, child survival and development, and child nutrition, as well as to safe water supplies and sanitation, formal and nonformal education, urban community-based…

This paper describes video training packages that have been developed in Guyana as part of Hopeful Steps, a program which uses the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) model of service delivery for training rehabilitation workers and volunteers and now serves children with disabilities and their families in five rural regions of the country. (DB)

In Nepal, the estimates of the prevalence of disabilities vary, and there is sparse information specifically about people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Existing data suggest higher rates of prevalence of ID in the more remote northern area due to use of non-iodized salt, lack of health facilities, and extreme poverty. Superstitious beliefs…

Describes the training strategy developed by the Community Based Rehabilitation Programme in Guyana. The strategy has three components: the identification of training needs of families and support workers, the production of video-based training packages on specific topics, and the utilization of available personnel to act as local tutors.…