News

Volume 2 Issue 12 - June 15, 2004

Bangalore offers rehab courses at a distance

DNIS News Network - In collaboration with the Rehabilitation Council of India, Bangalore University is to begin offering post-graduate diploma, diploma and certificate courses in the field of Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR).

CBR uses locally available resources to speed up the rehabilitation of disabled people. This cuts down on the need for expensive, specialised - and often unavailable - equipment. Motivated volunteers within the community are trained to play a part in the rehabilitation of disabled people. In addition, communities are taught that they have a role to play in helping disabled people and their families become aware of the services available to them. They are encouraged to help such people get access to the appropriate facilities. Perhaps more importantly, communities are made aware of the potential benefits of enabling disabled people to become useful members of society.

Bangalore is offering one-year diploma courses and two-month certificates, as well as one-year post-graduate courses in community based rehabilitation of people with mental, visual, hearing, locomotor, physical or neurological impairments.

The distance learning approach will open up the field of CBR to many more people, in line with the basic intentions of CBR. The field is an increasingly important one in India. Growing numbers of government jobs are being made available, in addition to those provided by foreign development aid programmes and NGOs.