CHANGES IN ASIA PACIFIC DISABILITY REHABILITATION JOURNAL

Over the past 12 years, the Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal developed a readership base in 91 countries that included not only Asia, but also Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia/Pacific. The journal has attracted a wide range of articles on disability and rehabilitation, with an attempt to focus on community-based rehabilitation. Given the increasing importance of disability issues, in particular human rights and community-based rehabilitation, combined with the fact that the majority of people with disabilities live in low and middle-income countries, the time is right for the Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal to have a more global scope; to continue to be free and openly accessible for readers and free for authors; to reach higher international scientific quality; and to be published more frequently.

The Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal will henceforth be known as Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development.

The journal will address the needs of practitioners in the field (particularly those from developing countries), policy makers, disabled persons’ organisations and the scientific community. The journal will become an open access, on-line publication, which can be freely accessed. The number of print copies will be gradually reduced. Three to four issues will be brought out in a year. The editorial board will be revamped and expanded to include representation from stakeholders with different expertise, from all regions of the world. A secretariat will be established to manage the journal on a day-to-day basis, to reduce delays and speed up the process of review, acceptance or rejection and publication of manuscripts.

The journal will cover the following content themes, with emphasis on perspectives from developing countries:

• Community-based rehabilitation
• Inclusive education
• Women with disabilities
• Inclusive development
• Human rights and self-advocacy
• Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs)
• Policy and legislation related to disability issues
• Health-related rehabilitation and outcomes - perspectives from developing countries
• Assistive devices - perspectives from developing countries
• Accessibility (including inclusive design)
• Disability and HIV/AIDS/reproductive health
• Disability and conflict
• Disability and emergencies

The first issue of the renamed journal is expected to be out by April 2011, with a limited number of print copies. We request readers who are unable to access the journal on the internet, to write to us. Only those who request for print copies will receive them.

The editorial team of the Asia Pacific Disability Rehabilitation Journal thanks all the authors and readers who have been associated with the journal till now, and looks forward to a continued partnership through the Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development.

Dr. Maya Thomas
Editor
Email:editor.dcid(at)gmail.com

African Journal on Disability (AJOD)

Introducing the African Journal On Disability (AJOD) & Call for articles

AJOD will cover all areas of basic, clinical, experimental, preventive and social medicine. The journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts on disability from all disciplines that meets the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence, and will publish:

Original articles in basic and applied research
Case studies
Critical reviews, surveys, opinions, commentaries and essay


AJOD is an Open Access Journal

You can find more information about AJOD at the website of Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation studies based in Kumasi (Ghana)

July 2010 Issue of Asia Pacific Disability and Rehabilitation Journal

Hello every one. The new issue, (July 2010 issue) of Asia Pacific Disability and Rehabilitation Journal (APDRJ) is online. The articles in this issue of APDRJ are:

Volume 21, No 2, 2010

Contents

• Editor’s Comment

GUEST EDITORIAL

• Examining Factors Impacting Community Based Rehabilitation in a Refugee Camp - an Exploratory Case Study, Joy Wee

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

• Quality of Life in People with Spinal Cord Injury – Earthquake Survivors from Sichuan Province in China, Tomasz Tasiemski, Susanne Nielsen, Maciej Wilski
• Teaching Disability and Rehabilitation to Undergraduate Medical Students in two Universities in South Africa, Seyi Ladele Amosuz, NP Taukobong
• Influence of an Introductory Special Education Course on Attitude Change of PGDE Students of University of Botswana, Sourav Mukhopadhyay, Serefete M Molosiwa
• Development of ICF Based Measuring Tool for Inclusive Education Set ups, Amitav Mishra, R. Rangasayee
• User Satisfaction and use of Prostheses in ICRC’s Special Fund for the Disabled Project in Vietnam, Wim H. van Brakel, Peter A. Poetsma, Phan Thanh Tam, Theo Verhoeff
• Beliefs and Attitudes about Leprosy of Non-leprosy Patients in a Reversely Integrated Hospital, Fidelis T. Iyor

BRIEF REPORTS

• A Study of Knowledge, Attitudes And Practices (KAP) Survey of Families toward their Children with Intellectual Disability in Barwani, India, Ram Lakhan, Manoj Sharma
• Stress among Parents of Children with Intellectual Disability, Raj Kumari Gupta, Harpreet Kaur
• Reading Strategies of First Grade Bilingual Children in Hindi and English, Gulgoona Jamal, Tarun Monga

Checkout the latest issue of Asia Pacific Disability and Rehabilitation Journal

January 2010 issue of Asia Pacific Disability and Rehabilitation Journal

The January 2010 issue of Asia Pacific Disability and Rehabilitation Journal (APDRJ) is now available on the AIFO website at the following link: APDRJ January 2010

The online access to the Journal is completely free.

Index of January 2010 issue of APDRJ

GUEST EDITORIAL

Personal Perspectives on Vocational Rehabilitation in Singapore and Sweden, Bodil J. Landstad, Inger Olsson, Patrick Millet, Stig Vinberg

DEVELOPMENTAL ARTICLES

Backbone Principles of the CBR Guidelines and their Application in the Field of Leprosy, Johan P. Velema, Huib Cornielje

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Perspectives of Development Assistance: A Case Study of Thai Disability Policy, Naoko Ito

The Way Women Experience Disabilities and Especially Disabilities Related to Leprosy in Rural Areas in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Ilse Schuller, Wim H. van Brakel, Inge van der Vliet, Kerstin Beise, Laksmi Wardhani, Sani Silwana, Marianne van Elteren, Yamin Hasibuan, Andi S. Asapa

The Application of Community Neurorehabilitation Using a Family-Centred Approach to Persons with Disability: A Case Study in Stroke Survivors, Nomjit Nualnetr, Waroonnapa Srisoparb, Wichai Eungpinichpong

BRIEF REPORTS

Psychosocial Disorders Among Disabled Children and Some Epidemiological Correlates, Ananya Ray Laskar, V.K. Gupta, Dharmendra Kumar, M.M. Singh, Nandini Sharma

Perseveration in Right Hemisphere Brain Damaged Individuals, Jayanti Ray, Shyamala Chengappa

A Retrospective Analysis of Disability Evaluation Findings in Persons with Physical Disabilities: Experience of Occupational Therapists from an Indian Perspective, Punita Vasant Solanki, Stephen Brian Austin Sams, Indira Ramesh Kenkre, Sapna Gulabrao Wankar


Read the January 2010 issue of APDRJ.


You can also check the old archives of this journal.

S-PARK/CBR Research in Mandya (Karnataka, India)

S-PARK/CBR Research Initiative (Samagama Participatory Action Research & Knowledge in CBR) is being conducted in Mandya district (Karnataka, India). This initiative is coordinated by AIFO/Italy nad part of joint plan of work between Disability & Rehabilitation team of World Health Organisation (WHO/DAR) and AIFO/Italy.

S-PARK/CBR is looking at impact of 10 years of CBR activities in a district (Mandya) with a population of 1.8 million persons. The CBR programmes in Mandya reach to 22,000 persons with different disabilities.

It is composed of three main research components, that are inter-linked, and in part, parallel. These 3 field research components are:

(1) Quantitative research component (2009-10) is based on structured interviews through a questionnaire of a stratified sample of about 2,300 persons from areas covered by CBR projects and another 600 persons (control group) from a neighbouring area not covered by the CBR projects. In addition, this research component also includes structured questionnaires for key informants including care givers, village council representatives (Gram Panchayats), nursery school teachers (Anganwadi workers), village rehabilitation workers, and representatives of organisations of persons with disabilities (DPOs). Identification of persons with disabilities for this research component is on the basis of difficulties in functioning and daily living activities.

(2) Emancipatory research component, (2010-11) looking at impact of CBR from the point of view of persons with disabilities: The CBR programme area has about 230 self-help groups of persons with disabilities and more than 100 community level DPOs (organisations of disabled persons) that are organised in a district DPO federation. This component of research involves all these self help groups and DPOs and is being conducted principally by persons with disabilities from Mandya district.

(3) Specific qualitative studies through participatory methodology: The third component of the research, will aim at in-depth understanding of key issues resulting from the first two research components. (2011-12)

Reports of the Scientific Advisory Groups for Quantitative and Emancipatory components of this research, questionnaires used for community survey, progress reports and other documents are available on the AIFO webpage by clicking here.

As we start with the Emancipatory research component, this blog will also be used over the next 12 months to share ideas, achievements and challenges related to implementation of emancipatory research.

Community-based rehabilitation & UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities

An international workshop on "Community-based Rehabilitation (CBR) and UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities" was held in Bangkok (Thailand) in February 2009, as part of the first Asia Pacific CBR Congress. About 80 persons from more than 20 countries participated in this workshop.

The final recommendations of this workshop were as follows:

1. CRPD is a legal instrument and it reinforces the CBR programmes. CRPD is based on the human rights approach and the CBR principles fit in with the CRPD.

2. CBR approach places special importance on working with poor, disadvantaged and discriminated persons in both rural and urban areas and is a key tool in promoting empowerment of persons with disabilities.

3. CBR is a strategy for inclusive development and should be promoted as part of all development efforts. CBR programmes should have a critical self-appraisal if their own activities, organisation and implementation are in line with CRPD. Persons with disabilities should play central role in all the processes of CBR, from planning to implementation to monitoring and evaluation.

4. CBR programmes should work to disseminate CRPD in all communities and among other stakeholders. For working with CRPD, CBR programmes also need to network among themselves.

5. CRPD and other rights-based instruments should be incorporated in all training programmes related to CBR. The regional and national CBR strategies, millennium development goals, other strategies should keep account of CRPD.

6. DPOs and CBR programmes should work together. CBR programmes should facilitate, promote and strengthen DPOs at all levels, with appropriate empowerment activities and instruments. CBR programmes should support networking between DPOs at grassroots level and national level. At the same time, DPOs should support strengthening of CBR programmes.

7. To develop concrete policies on disability, at local and national level, it is necessary building a Disability Action Plan, based on CRPD and involving DPOs in all phase of the process. CBR should be one of the components of Disability Action Plan.

8. Persons involved in CBR programmes, in collaboration with DPOs & disability movements, should continue to advocate in their respective countries for signing and ratifying of UN CRPD and its Optional Protocol.

9. CBR programmes should work together with persons with disabilities & DPOs in advocacy for making the governments accountable in implementation of UN CRPD. CBR programmes have a role in promoting advocacy for making sure that national laws are in line with CRPD.

10. CBR programmes can also support monitoring of implementation of CRPD in the programme areas, based on principle of the art. 33 of CRPD.

11. CBR can play important role in reaching more discriminated groups of persons with disabilities such as women & children, emigrants with disabilities, persons with complex dependency needs, persons who can’t represent themselves, etc. for ensuring that benefits of CRPD reach them.

You can download the full report of the International Workshop on "CBR and UN CRPD" as well as presentations made during this workshop from the AIFO website.

Community-based Rehabilitation and Mental Health

An international workshop on "CBR and Mental Health" was organised just before the First Asia-Pacific CBR Congress held in Bangkok in February 2009. 50 persons coming from 20 different countries had participated in this workshop.

The full report on CBR and Mental Health can be downloaded from AIFO website in Word and PDF formats.

The main conclusions of this workshop were as follows:

Persons with mental illnesses are often surrounded by strong stigma and prejudice. Persons with mental illness and their families are often marginalised. Their human rights are often violated, they may be put into prisons like criminals and many countries have laws that violate their human rights. Some times, persons with mental illness are closed in old institutions and kept in inhuman conditions.

There are few mental health referral services and professionals in many developing countries. Similarly, community mental health programmes are very few and limited. Often persons with mental illness lack access to mental health services and face barriers including difficulties of accessing regular medication.

Many CBR programmes do not include persons with chronic mental illness in their work. There is lack of understanding, knowledge and skills about management of mental illnesses.

There are positive examples of CBR programmes showing great deal of convergence with community mental health programmes. Both are based on human rights approach. CBR is an effective and empowering approach for reaching persons with disabilities including persons with chronic mental illnesses.

There is need to develop capacities of persons with mental illness, their families, communities, primary health care workers and CBR workers about mental illnesses and how can persons manage them more efficiently at community level. CBR can be the vehicle to extend and support the community mental health services. CBR programmes have to make efforts to promote inclusion of persons with mental illness in their work.

CBR programmes work through active participation of persons with disabilities, who are supported to form user groups, self-help groups, peer groups and DPOs. Supporting and promoting user groups of persons with mental illness is an effective way to promote their active participation in the CBR programme. If user groups can play decision making role in all stages of CBR programme from planning, to implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities, programmes can answer their real needs and it is empowering.

Download the full report from AIFO website.