CBR introductory resources and experiences

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is one of the key inclusive community development strategies for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, as well as contributing to the Millennium Development Goals and forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.

The CBR matrix presents a framework with five key components of Health, Education, Livelihoods, Social and Empowerment, and each component has a further four to five related elements. Increasingly CBR programmes have shifted from medical rehabilitation model to more holistic social model of disability. The CBR approach aims to change attitudes and behaviours, promote social inclusion, make services accessible and remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully enjoying their human rights.

This key list contains key resources that provide a CBR introduction to resources, manuals and guides, and CBR experiences. It was produced in collaboration with the IDDC CBR Task Group. We welcome your suggestions: please send comments or suggested additions to sourceassistant@hi-uk.org

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Selected resources

CBR : a strategy for rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities, poverty reduction and social inclusion of people with disabilities - joint position paper 2004

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
et al
2004

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In 1994 the ILO, WHO and UNESCO published the first version of this joint position paper. Since then progress has been made in several fields. Nevertheless many disabled people are still not reached or included in the fields of rehabilitation, employment or education - particularly disabled women, people with mental health problems or HIV/AIDS and poor disabled people.
This paper underlines that community-based rehabilitation is a strategy promoting multi-sectoral collaboration to reach different community groups. CBR has to be based on the principles of equal opportunities, participation and human rights.

CBR as part of community development : a poverty reduction strategy

HARTLEY, Sally
Ed
2006

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Contents: 1. Community-based Rehabilitation Africa Network (CAN) 2. CBR as part of community development and poverty reduction 3. CBR as part of social, cultural and political developement 4. CBR and economic empowerment of persons with disabilities 5. Community-based rehabilitation as part of inclusive education and development 6. CBR as part of community health development 7. HIV and AIDS, and disability 8. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and CBR 9. CBR research as part of community development 10. Information sharing and community-based rehabilitation 11. The Malawi directory of disability organisations

CBR guidelines as a tool for community-based inclusive development

INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIUM (IDDC)
Ed
2012

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This document presents the CBR Guidelines as a tool for community-based inclusive development. It provides an introduction to CBR, community based inclusive development, and the CBR guidelines. It then highlights partnerships between stakeholders in CBR and the CBR guidelines as a framework for monitoring and evaluation using an example from Cambodia

CBR policy development and implementation

HARTLEY, Sally
OKUNE, Joan
Eds
2009

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This book provides an overview of current community-based rehabilitation (CBR) knowledge and shows how this information has been interpreted and implemented in the African context. It has been developed from conference presentations and discussions that took place in South Africa in 2007. It is useful for people interested in general CBR information and CBR in Africa

Community based rehabilitation and the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities

INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIUM (IDDC)
Ed
2012

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This document explores the linkages between community based rehabilitation (CBR) and the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD). It presents introductory information about the CRPD, CBR and the linkages. It then details CBR as a strategy for implementing the CRPD by highlighting experiences and principles

CBR stories from Africa : what can they teach us?

COLERIDGE, Angela
HARTLEY, Sally
Eds
2010

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"Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) is an evolving concept. Its effectiveness depends on continuous reflection, debate and learning. This book aims to facilitate this process through the stories of five CBR programmes in Africa, told by those involved with the programmes and reflected on with honesty...Each of the five programmes has been invited to document their work, describing how its programme started and assessing the effectiveness of the approach it has chosen. They were asked to identify their successes and challenges, and to reflect on how difficulties are being overcome. Life stories illustrate the impact each approach can have on individual lives. The book offers itself as a reflective tool, to be used by practitioners. Each chapter asks specific questions of its readers, inviting them to draw comparisons with their own programme. The concluding section of the book outlines ideas for evaluating and developing their CBR programmes"

CBR: a participatory strategy in Africa

HARTLEY, Sally
Ed
2002

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This resource provides an important contribution and understanding of how community-based rehabilitation (CBR) operates in Africa. It contains the experiences and reflections of key stakeholders within CBR from 14 African countries. It will contribute to a more mutual and holistic understanding of the concept of CBR and bring about the development of new initiatives. This book is useful tool for CBR planners, policy-makers and managers

Community based rehabilitation for people with disabilities in low and middle income countries : a systematic review

IEMMI, Valentina
et al
September 2015

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This Campbell Collaboration systematic review assesses the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) for people with physical and mental disabilities in low- and middle-income countries, and/or their family, their carers, and their community. This review identified 15 studies that assessed the impact of community-based rehabilitation on the lives of people with disabilities and their carers in low- and middle-income countries. The studies included in the review used different types of community-based rehabilitation interventions and targeted different types of physical (stroke, arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and mental disabilities (schizophrenia, dementia, intellectual impairment). The authors conclude that the evidence on the effectiveness of CBR for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries suggests that CBR may be effective in improving the clinical outcomes and enhancing functioning and quality of life of the person with disabilities and his/her carer and recommend future studies will need to adopt better study designs, will need to focus on broader clients group, and to include economic evaluations

Campbell Systematic Reviews 2015:15

Disability, CBR and inclusive development (DCID)

2016

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"Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development aim to enhance knowledge in the field of disability, addressing the needs of practitioners in the field (particularly those from developing countries), policy makers, disabled persons’ organizations and the scientific community. The journal encourages publication of information that is evidence-based, to improve current knowledge and programmes implementation, and will be openly and freely accessible to all readers" ”Published four times a year, previously published two times per year
Free

Linking CBR, disability and rehabilitation

MUSOKE, Grace
GEISER, Priscille
Eds
2013

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This 4th book in the series can be used as a basis for future action throughout the African continent. The content provides an overview of present day CBR knowledge, and also details how this information has been interpreted and implemented in the African context. The writers are predominantly of African origin and provide insightful views of the dynamic nature of CBR and its capacity to respond to contextually different challenges. Examples are provided from their own CBR experiences and case studies of their programmes, highlighting the problems they face and how they were overcome

The content of this book has been developed from conference presentations and discussions, and some chapters have been reinforced with additional information from discussions or relevant literature. The end of each chapter provides references to the academic literature used by the authors

4th CBR Africa Conference

Abuja, Nigeria

26th-29th October 2010

Community-based rehabilitation : CBR guidelines

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2010

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These guidelines provide an overview of key CBR concepts, indentify goals and outcomes that CBR programmes should be working towards, and provide suggested activities to achieve these goals. The guidelines are presented in seven separate booklets: Introductory booklet, Health component, Education component, Livelihood component, Social component, Empowerment component and Supplementary booklet. This resource is useful for people interested in inclusive community-based development for people with disabilities
Note: Links are provided to the CBR Matrix and MP3 audio files

Count me in - Include people with disabilities in development projects | A practical guide for organisations in the North and South

BRUIJN, Paulien
et al
November 2012

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"People with disabilities are often amongst the poorest in the developing world. Yet they are usually left out of development projects. This is not because of ill-will. Development organisations simply do not know how to include them. This book offers suggestions based on the experience of organisations that participated in a two-year learning programme. It is full of useful tips on how to launch inclusive programmes and projects, how to prepare your staff for working with people with disabilities and how to adapt your organisational processes and systems"

Available in Braille, high resolution, low resolution and word formats.
Available in Portuguese: "Inclusão de pessoas com deficiência nos projectos de desenvolvimento: Um guia prático para organizações do Norte e do Sul".
Available in French: "Tiens compte de moi - L'inclusion de personnes en situation de handicap dans les projets de développement"
Available in Spanish: "Cuenta conmigo - Incluir a las personas con discapacidad en los proyectos de desarrollo"

Disabled children’s rights : a practical guide

SAVE THE CHILDREN
May 2006

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This guide looks at how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) relates to disabled children in developing countries.  Illustrated with examples of good practice from around the world, it makes the case for taking action to promote disabled children's rights