INTRODUCTION TO CBR

1. Community based rehabilitation brings rehabilitation to villages and urban

slums and CBR personnel facilitates people to take responsibility for their
own lives.
2. The process of CBR as the name implies, has to have its roots in the
community and has to derive sustenance support from the same.
3. CBR is a systemized approach within general community development
whereby Persons with Disabilities (PWD’s) are enabled to live a fulfilling
live within their own community, making maximum use of local resources
and making the community become aware of its responsibility in ensuring
the inclusion and equal participation of PWD’s. In the process PWD’s are
also made aware of their own role and responsibility as they too are part of
the community.
4. The Joint Position Paper Defines CBR: A strategy within general
community development for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities
and social inclusion of all people with disabilities.
5. CBR is implemented through the combined efforts of the PWD’s
themselves, their families, organizations, communities and the relevant
governmental and non-governmental health, education, vocational, social
and other services.
6. Mainstreaming and Inclusion: It is an effective way to:
 Include persons with disability
 Give equal opportunities
 Provide a non-discriminative environment for their growth and
development.

In practical terms this means persons with disabilities are included in the
programmes and schemes formulated by the government and others, not
as mere beneficiaries but as equal members who can participate with full
recognition and exert their rights.

7. Major Objectives: these are listed by the Joint Position Paper

 To ensure that the PWD’s are able to maximize their physical and
mental abilities, to access regular services and opportunities and to
become active contributors to the community and society at large.
  To activate communities to protect and promote the human rights of
the PWD’s through changes within the community, for example by
removing barriers to participation.

8. Evolutions of Concepts in CBR:

 Disability and Rehabilitation: Disability is no longer viewed a merely
the result of impairment. The social model of disability has increased
the awareness that environmental barriers (attitude, physical and
institutional) to participation impede the functioning of PWD’s has
one.
 Professionals (medical and others) who provide rehabilitation services
have the responsibility to provide relevant information to PWD’s or
their families so that they can make informed decisions to enable them
to lead a fulfilling life.
9. Principles of CBR:
 Inclusion: People who are affected are included in mainstream
programmes and services, participation in society
 Participation: People are involved in programmes themselves at a
decision-making level.
 Self-Sufficiency: People learn to manage their own livelihood
(vocational, training, micro-credit, business creation); autonomy as
far as culturally relevant.
 Self-Advocacy: People learn to speak up for themselves
 Empowerment: People learn to manage their own disability
 Equality: Equal opportunities for everyone
 Social Justice: PWD’s have their equal rights, society has the
responsibility to treat the PWD’s justly.
10. History of CBR:
 One is the practice of CBR. The other involves the formal definition
of CBR. The former is well debatable and the latter is well
documented.
 CBR has probably existed in one form or another for hundreds, if not
thousands of years. Thorbun and Mafo (1994) have found examples as
 early as the 5th century A.D. It has been recently thought that the
actual term of CBR has come into use.
 According to Zambone (1996), CBR was first introduced in the early
1970s in India by Helen Keller to provide services to blind
individuals, in their own community using local people and local
resources.
 It was not a new concept though. As noted by Peat (1991), the idea of
a village worker was promoted for use in the 1950s by the US
International Cooperation Administration, and extensive programs in
a variety of developmental areas were developed in India and the
Philippines. Health workers were selected from people who had
already demonstrated some interest in community welfare.
 These individuals received multi-disciplinary training in the detection
of early signs of disability and our basic rehabilitation procedures. An
experimental program for the training community health aides was
developed in St Lucia and reported in 1969.
 The term CBR was introduced by the WHO in 1979, in a manual
based on the basic concepts outlined at Alma Ata. This concept
initially looked mainly at medical aspects of rehabilitation needs. At
about the same time, UNESCO initiated discussions about the role of
special education for the educational needs of disabled children.
11.Members of CBR team:
 Coordinator
 Social worker
 Physiotherapist
 Speech Language therapist
 Dietician
 Occupational therapist
 Specialist Doctor
 Nurse and Rehabilitation Assistant
 Administration support