SUVA - WHO provides guidance on community-based rehabilitation (CBR) to support people with disabilities and their families, to meet basic needs and enhance their quality of life. The WHO Collaborating Centre in Health Workforce Development in Rehabilitation and Long Term Care at the University of Sydney supports development of a CBR workforce, training and resources in the Pacific where rehabilitation service and its workforce are scarce.
The Centre works with partners based in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Cook Islands, to promote and enhance CBR in the Pacific. In Fiji, these partners include Fiji National University (FNU), Fiji National Council of Disabled Persons, and the Spinal Injury Association. In Solomon Islands, partners include the CBR Unit at the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Solomon Islands National University (SINU), Bethesda Disability Training and Support Centre and People with Disability Solomon Islands. The Centre also works with Te Vaerua Rehabilitation in Cook Islands and the Pacific Disability Forum.
The videos will be used in educational materials in CBR, CBID, allied health and community development and developing CBID strategies for communities across the Pacific. People with disabilities co-designed and developed the videos and there is interest in expanding the range of stories and extending profiling to other Pacific island countries. The videos show that CBR education needs to extend beyond the current narrow focus on health and rehabilitation. Overall, storytelling is an innovative tool in CBR and CBID education.
The next step for the centre is to develop the diversity of case studies into complex learning activities and resources for FNU, SINU and ensure they are scalable for use elsewhere. In the future and with support from WPRO, learning modules will be made available for free through WHO Pacific Open Learning Health Net (POLHN). The learning activities will cover core concepts of CBR and CBID service, education, governance, sustainable development, disability inclusive development, and empowerment. The curriculum will be used to support or extend cross-cultural learning experiences and the development of cultural safety, humility and competence.
Learn more: Collaborating 4 Inclusion