Assistive Devices

This book gives simple and effective ideas about what can be done to include a child with vision disabilities in a class - for example using symbols, models, questions and listening. Although produced in Australia, the handbook is relevant to countries of the South

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

This component of the CBR Guidelines focuses on health and how to make it inclusive. It describes "the role of CBR is to work closely with the health sector to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities and their family members are addressed in the areas of health promotion, prevention, medical care, rehabilitation and assistive devices. CBR also needs to work with individuals and their families to facilitate their access to health services and to work with other sectors to ensure that all aspects of health are addressed"
It outlines key concepts and then presents the core concepts, examples and areas of suggested activities in each of the following five elements: Health promotion; Prevention; Medical care; Rehabilitation; and Assistive devices. This guideline is useful for anyone interested in health component of CBR

This well-known manual contains a wealth of information that is crucial for therapists, professionals and community groups. It deals comprehensively with all common childhood disabilities including polio, cerebral palsy, juvenile arthritis, blindness and deafness. It provides clear, detailed information and easy-to-implement ideas for rehabilitation at the village level, the development of skills, making low-cost aids and the prevention of disabilities

This report presents tasks for various types of personnel and the guidelines for their training. It also provides information on issues related to training, as well as the distribution of prosthetics and orthotics personnel and services. This report is a useful tool in the national planning of rehabilitation, and prosthetics and orthotics services

Children develop faster in the first five years of life than any other time, and children who are blind need extra help so they can learn how to use their other senses to explore, learn and interact with the world. The simple activities in this book can help families, health workers, and individuals to support children with vision impairment to develop their capabilities. Topics include: assessing how much a child can see; preventing blindness; helping a child move around safely; activities of daily living; preparing for childcare or school; and supporting the parents of blind children. The book is written in an easy-to-read style with illustrations and examples from southern countries

"This joint position paper was developed in response to a meeting about personal mobility and mobility devices, held on 28-29 October 2009 at World Health Organization headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland. This paper aims to guide and support countries, especially those with limited resources, in the implementation of relevant articles of the CRPD associated with the provision of mobility devices"

This report sets out the results of a technology survey that Sense conducted in 2004 where it asked deafblind people about their experiences of using technology. It includes both the answers received and Sense's Agenda for Action. The report is available as a PDF or in text format

"This manual was created as a practical resource for persons with disabilities and health care clinicians who work with these clients. It includes research, clinical expertise, and product information to aid with dialogue surrounding sexual and reproductive issues and disabilities. The information presented here is not prescriptive, and the specific products not recommended per se, but are meant to provide examples and illustrations of some of the potential options that can be introduced into the sexual practices of the individual or be used as an adjunct in the discussions of sexuality and disability by the health care clinician. The devices included are a sampling of what is available (in Canada) in 2009"

This guide contains advice on how to plan and carry out a rehabilitation programme for someone who has had a stroke. The guide is intended for doctors and nurses, therapists who are involved in training mid-level rehabilitation workers, or for people who have had a stroke, their families and members of their communities

This guide suggests ideas for rehabilitation activities with children with cerebral palsy. The book is well illustrated and is written in simple, accessible language. It contains sections on child development, handling and positioning the child, exercises and communication development

This manual is intended for mid-level rehabilitation workers and primary health care personnel as an educational and instructional tool to use for their work with persons who have sustained traumatic brain injury (TBI), their families and members of their communities including teachers and their potential employers. Drawings are provided to help clarify safety guides, training instructions and the steps involved in making specific adaptive devices

This deafblind manual alphabet card has pictorial representations of the manual gestures from A to Z. This card is useful to teach the deafblind alphabet to a deafblind person, family members, carers, community members or professsionals. There is also a deafblind manual online video

This booklet covers basic information on teaching, reading and writing skills for deafblind children which can lead them to express their needs and help them to communicate with other people

"This document attempts to describe the relationship between prosthetics and orthotics services and community-based rehabilitation activities. It shows how the services offered by central/specialized, provincial and district institutions and the community can work together to provide a comprehensive prosthetics and orthotics service across the country. It should be noted that no definitive model of community based rehabilitation in prosthetics and orthotics is available; each country requires to develop its own system according to its needs and the resources available"

The main purpose of the training package is to develop the minimum skills and knowledge required by personnel involved in wheelchair service delivery. An important aim of the training package is to get it integrated into the regular paramedical/rehabilitation training programs such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, rehabilitation nursing
The package contains necessary forms and checklists, manuals and guides including trainer’s manual and set of posters and presentations. First click "Strat.pdf" which will come with four tabs - click tab "Manuals and guides" - open the Trainer’s manual to prepare yourself to deliver the training. Then click the "Timetable and sessions" tab to open the timetable. Click the hyperlinks of each session, which lead you to the exact slides and video location. The best way to deliver the training is to proceed through the lessons in sequential order respecting the timing allotted for each session as much as possible
Note: The whole training package is available on the Website for the training institutes and wheelchair service providers. It is recommended to download the complete package (requires 3 GB space)

This book was written specifically for village health workers in situations where there is no doctor. It provides a holistic view of the determinants of health in villages, using simple language with many illustrations. It maintains its original pagination, adding new information throughout and extra information in coloured pages e.g. new information is on blue pages.
One chapter focuses on health and sicknesses of children, containing information on how to use growth charts and understanding malnutrition and other health issues. Other chapters include: home cures, sicknesses that are often confused, healing without medicines, the right and wrong use of modern medicines, antibiotics and how to use them, common sicknesses, first aid, nutrition, prevention, and serious illnesses that need special medical attention. It is available in more than 80 languages

This resource outlines various means of communication with deaf-blind individuals. It also outlines the challenges facing people with hearing and vision impairments, and the various assistive technolgy available