Materials : Country/Review Paper
CBR As
a Tool for Poverty Alleviation of Persons with Disabilities
Philippine Experience
The basic impediment to the solution of the disability problem in our
country is the inadequacy, inaccessibility and even absence or limited
rehabilitation services in the rural areas where about 75%-80% of people
with disabilites reside, and it is estimated that more than 20% of them live
in poverty.
In response to the need to reach a large number of persons with
disabilities especially those living in rural areas, a community-based
rehabilitation program was developed.
As early as 1971, the College of Allied Medical Profession of the
University of the Philippines (UP-CAMP) studied the effectiveness of a
community-based approach in one of the provinces in the Philippines and as a
result, a training program in CBR was developed in 1973.
The Philippine government through the Department of Social Welfare and
Development with technical assistance from Helen Keller International
piloted in 1978 a project called "Rehabilitation of the Rural Blind" and has
put the approach into practice in key projects namely "Community-Based
Project for the Hearing Impaired and Community-Based Vocational
Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons." UNDP and ILO provided funding and
technical support in the implementation of the Community-Based Vocational
Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons project.
In 1981, during the international year of Disabled Persons, the National
Commission Concerning Disabled Persons, now the National Council for the
Welfare of Disabled Persons initiated a pilot project in Bacolod City using
the CBR approach/strategy in the delivery of services to persons with
disabilities. The NCWDP partnered with a non-government organization called
Negros Occidental Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. in Bacolod City. The
project was patterned after the World Health Organization model wherein
medical/health rehabilitation was the early point. The Bacolod City CBR
project was so successful that in 1983 it was named as WHO collaborating
center for CBR in Asia-Pacific.
From this Bacolod experience, more non-government organizations have
adopted the CBR as the strategy in service delivery towards the empowerment
of people with disabilities, and their families. The Norfil Foundation CBR
project emphasizes the concept of integration wherein the development of the
community implies the development of all members of that community including
persons with disabilites.
THe Philippines has seen that CBR had major and positive impact on the
quality of life of a large number of persons with disabilities. The country
has seen that CBR as the development strategy for PWD is appropriate to the
social and economic situation of poverty, high rate of unemployment and
limited resources for social services.
For more than two decades, CBR has been utilized as the strategy to
service delivery in the country. Through these years, it has evolved and
followed a shift from an emphasis on medical or educational services to the
issue of equal rights and poverty reduction for persons with disabilities.
International instruments and declarations also helped a lot in the
evolution and shift in focus of the CBR, such as:
- United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for
Persons with Disabilities, which promotes CBR as a development strategy.
- ILO Convention 159 and Recommendation 158 Concerning the Vocational
Rehabilitation and Employment by Disabled Persons
- UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs
Education for inclusive education.
- WHO Alma-Ata Declaration establishing rehabilitative care as part of
Primary Health Care
Studies show that disability has a strong linkage with poverty. Filipinos
living in poverty are more likely to acquire disability than others. They do
not have access to basic services and/or no means to avail of high cost of
services offered in cities/urban centers. This is not to mention the cost of
transportatoin and physical travails a PWD has to go through in undertaking
the trip.
Recognizing these issues and guided by the international declaration, the
Philippines utilized the CBR as a strategy towards socio-economic
development of a person with disability. Government and non-government
organizations not only look at a person with disability, but also the
disabling effects to his family and his environment in which he lives. CBR
as a comprehensive approach helps people with disabilities meet his baic
needs for health and rehabilittion, education, employment and full
participation in whole range of human/community life. These needs are
essentially their inherent human rights.
The comprehensive approach is shown in projects of GOs and NGOs wherein
services/programs include medical, educational, vocational rehabilitation
and social integration of persons with disabilities. In these CBR programs,
persons with disabilities are not only recipients of the services but they
are participants in the identification and solution of their problems. The
"rehabilitation process" of a person with disability through CBR is
implemented with the concerted efforts of the PWDs themselves, their
families and the multi-disciplinary service structures in the community. It
is also the country's experience that CBR is effective in raising awareness
and advocacy for the inclusion of the sector with disability.
In 1995, with the passage of the Local Autonomy Act, one NGO pioneerd the
"transfer" of CBR program to the local government units (LGUs) in 7
municipalities and cities in 2 provinces of the country. Also during this
period organizations of persons with disabilities were empowered to serve as
advocates of their rights and fully participate in the program of the local
government.
Among the social development projects in the country that utilized the
CBR as a strategy is "TAWAG" (Tuloy Aral Walang Sagabal) - a CBR project
that mainstreams 3-4 years old children with disabilities in day care
service program and those of school age in regular or special school. Under
the project, memebers of their families are also given the opportunity to
actively participate in the rehabilitation of their children or siblings.
Coordination with either government and non-government agencis in terms of
administering vocational services, school and job placement is one of the
major features of the project.
In summary, TAWAG aims to develop/enhance the physical, social, mental
and psychological fractioning of children and out-of-school youths with
disability to facilitation their inclusion into school and community life.
This project illustrates that CBR is a comprehensive development strategy
for the rehabilitation, equalization of opportunities, poverty reduction and
social inclusion of Filipinos with disabilities.
It is acknowledged that although CBR has demonstrated its effectiveness
as a developmental strategy to reach out to more PWDs who are poor and often
times excluded in the mainstream of the family, community and human life,
the country-wide adoption of CBR as an alternative approach towards
socio-economic empowerment of the PWDs has yet to be realized. The National
Council for the Welfare of Disabled Persons as the Philippine focal point
for all disability concerns/issues has proposed an Executive Order (EO) to
the Office of the President enjoining all local government units to utilize
the CBR approach in the delivery of services to PWDs. In said EO, the NCWDP
in partnership with other government agencies, non government organizations
and the organization of PWDs/parents of PWDs as well, will provide the
necessary support, (technical and financial support) to LGUs. This EO shall
serve as the National Policy which will define the essential elements of a
comprehensive CBR program for the promotion of the rights of Filipinos with
disabilities which will be adopted by Local Government Units and
incorporated in the Social Development Plans.
CBR is high in the National Plan of Action for the Philippine Decade of
Persons with Disabilities (2003-2012). It is acknowledges that CBR programs
work as effective strategy towards the empowerement of PWDs living in low
income countries like the Philippines because it has the basic interrelated
key components, to wit:
- provides the basic "rehabilitation" needs of both the PWDs and their
families
- develops capability of PWDs, familieis and community as a whole
- creates opportunities for livelihood, health, education and
participation of self-help groups of PWDs
- presents collaboration among multidisciplinary sectors
- involves the whole community, local governments and leaders
- uses the legislation and political systems as basis for implementation
Despite the "success" in the implementation of CBR in the country, the
Philippine government believes that increased efforts in the promotion and
strengthening of CBR as an effective poverty alleviation strategy must still
be done.
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