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| Sunday, 21 November 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Beyond disability by Carol Aloysius Disabled. Until recently, it was a word that only conjured up a series of negative images: Of men and women confined to their beds or else imprisoned in uncomfortable wheel chairs; children, afflicted by cerebral palsy lying supine in their cots gazing vacantly at the ceiling above them; Handicapped people totally dependent on their care givers for every basic need. Now, thanks to an intensive and sustained campaign of awareness raising by organisations working for the disabled, a much more positive image of the disabled is emerging. People with mobility disability are now being recognised as no longer being dependent on others. Given the means to move around freely on their own, they cannot only improve their quality of life, but also make a meaningful contribution to society as a whole. One of the organisations that has been in the forefront of that attitudinal change is Motivation, which focuses on sustainable programs that will allow mobility disabled persons to get back their independence and self respect. A development organisation working with several other organisations at both national and international levels, its objectives are clear and simple; Create projects that can enhance the lives of people with mobility problems and help to integrate them back into the mainstream society from which their disability has ostracised them. "We believe that mobility is an essential human right that enables people to achieve what they want in life. So what we're looking at, is a world free of the obstacles that make this goal difficult for disabled persons to achieve. A world where disabled people, especially those with mobility disability, can enjoy their fullest rights, realise abilities and their ambitions simply by being able to be mobile", says Shehan De Tissera, the PRO of the locally based Motivation office in Sri Lanka. Motivation's programs to provide mobility to the disabled, are spread across several countries; from Central America, East and Central Europe, South East Asia, East and Southern Africa and the Indian subcontinent, and in 1999 in Sri Lanka, where the organisation commenced its work with the disabled with funding from the USAID. The Disability Support Program (DSP) is now in its third year of a five year program. The end goal is to enhance the equipment and rehabilitation service provision for people with different types of mobility disabilities in Sri Lanka, explains De Tissera. The organisation addresses five main areas that currently hinder a mobility disabled person from coming in his own, namely; Poverty, Rights, Capacity, Services, and Products. In an interview with this writer, De Tissera explains why these five have been selected as areas of priority concern, He says, "Poverty is the cause and consequence of most mobility disabilities in low income countries. We believe that an effective way of tackling poverty is to ensure that we provide appropriate equipment and services to these people which can have a positive economic impact on their lives". According to recent statistics, nearly 90 percent of the global burden of disability occurs in low income countries where so little is spent on rehabilitation, that anyone with a disability is automatically disadvantaged because disability makes their poverty worse, because it increases the economic strain for the affected family and thereby isolates them from mainstream society. Statistics have also shown that children with disabilities are more likely to die young become malnourished or neglected, while disabled persons denied education end up unemployed thus making the cycle of poverty more vicious. As De Tissera points out, "Disabled people can start to break this cycle of poverty that denies them access to income and basic human rights, only if we give them the right opportunity." Which is why, Motivation now works with mainstream employers and local partner organisation to give vocational training to the disabled thereby giving them a chance to be able to generate an income of their own. Explaining how mobility or the lack of it affects the Human Rights of an individual he says, "There is an important and fundamental difference between disability and other forms of disadvantage. Disabled persons can only organise themselves to claim their rights when their practical needs such as mobility aids, have been met". Equally important to enhancing the quality of life of the mobility disabled, is capacity building of disabled people's organisations. By listening to what these organisations really need, Motivation works with partners to enhance organisational competence and sustainability of their respective programs. Says De Tissera," Local organisations understand their needs better than anybody. But sometimes they need support to develop their products and services to disabled people, which is when we step in to help". Training key staff in mobility equipment services is another important area of work in which Motivation is involved. A notable feature about its training programs is that it harness the skills of already trained disabled persons - to train others. As the Motivation spokesman points out, "Peer training has proved to be very successful. Disabled trainees respond better to trainers who have similar problems of mobility". The organisation is currently working with six existing centres which run disability support programs. These centres located in Jaffna, Kandy, Colombo, Galle, Ragama and Tangalle provide prosthesis, tricycles and low cost wheel chairs, all of which are turned out by trained disabled persons. "These mobility aids are customised and made to fit the individual's particular needs" stresses the Motivation spokesman. Before fitting on a prosthetic an amputee is given an assessment test, and trained in using the limb once it is fitted. Gait training is an essential feature in an amputee's independence and all amputees who have their artificial limbs fitted at the centres that produce them, will have to undergo this training. Motivation also recruits and trains local staff( most of them are disabled persons) with the help of expatriates to use the new technology that is now being used to turn out some of its most important products, namely, wheel chairs and limbs. One example is the use of polypropylene, a thermoplastic in prosthetic and orthotic production. The new technology, developed by the International Committee of the Red Cross expected to eventually replace the Jaipur technology that has been used for nearly two decades, is lighter and made of non porous plastic so that it is not affected by moisture. It is also easily moulded to create a proper socket for the amputee's stump to fit into,allows for alignment of the prosthesis , an important feature to ensure that the socket is correctly aligned to the foot. The low cost custom tailored wheel chair designed for the individual user, is perhaps the organisation's most outstanding contribution towards enhancing the mobility of a mobility disabled person. As Motivation's spokesman says: "The design of a wheel chair is not a one off process. Wheel chair users have vastly differing needs. The wheel chairs we design take into account such factors as the nature of the disability, the age of the person and the environment he lives. This has meant developing wheel chairs with different designed including three wheel tricycles and special seating for children with cerebral palsy." The result is an 'active' wheel chair that has made life simpler for the user due to its capacity for flexibility and freer movement. Once fitted into these chairs, with specially designed seating, the user does not need to be pushed around and has complete freedom to go anywhere he wants, even up a hill. An added bonus is that they are made of hundred percent local components and plenty of spare parts obtainable even in a remote village at a low price. "Anyone who wants a wheel chair or prosthetic made to his/her requirements can contact us directly." say de Tissera. Motivation is also supporting the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) in Sri Lanka, headed by Priyantha Peiris, himself a victim of spinal injuries, in a Special Seating project to help children with cerebral palsy. It does not stop there. It also trains disabled parsons in job skills and organises Job Fairs to help put them in touch with potential employees. MOTIVATION Sri Lanka can be contacted at No. 5/21, Sulaiman Terrace, Colombo 5, or telephone 25378230-3. |
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