Georgian children with
disabilities gain greater access to adaptive equipment
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Mate, 3, visits Rehabilitation Centre in Kutaisi every day and enjoys adaptive table made specially for
him
World Vision MEERO, http://meero.worldvision.org
World Vision MEERO, http://meero.worldvision.org
Over 450 children living with disabilities now have access to specially adaptive and adjustable equipment in their region with the recent opening of two workshops to manufacture the
equipment by World Vision Georgia.
The new workshops in Kutaisi and Batumi towns of West Georgia will produce special adaptive and adjustable equipment for children aged 3-12 at affordable prices within the framework of Improved Social and Economic Conditions for Disabled Children and their Families (ISEC) project of World Vision Georgia.
"Adaptive tables and chairs as well balancing boards and standers are some of the most widely used adaptive equipment that help to increase mobility of children and their participation in social life," – says Ms. Marina Mchedlishvili, Manager of ISEC project. "This expansion into two more regions of Georgia will allow us to reach more children with disabilities and families that cannot afford travel to Tbilisi for their physical rehabilitation courses".
The ISEC Project will cover the combination of medical/technical, social, economic and advocacy areas of the issue of disability, which has traditionally been dealt with from a purely medical support level by other organisations in the country.
Together with production of adaptive equipment, the project is planning to conduct medical assessment of 800 children as well as integration of around 60 children with disabilities into integrated pre-school classes of ordinary kindergartens, create/strengthen associations of parents of children with disabilities and training the parents on their children's occupational activities and on advocacy.
ISEC expands its activities into regions and offers assessment and rehabilitation of the children with disabilities together with provision the adaptive equipment they need to enable gaining more independence in basic daily living activities and increasing self-esteem.
"Diversity of the services proposed by the project was made possible through the help of the local governments that funded rehabilitation courses for the children with disabilities," – says Ms. Mchedlishvili. "This will enable some of the most impoverished families to ensure physical rehabilitation of their children and learn how to do it themselves."
During the second year of the project World Vision Georgia is also planning to expand activities in Kakheti Region of East Georgia that will provide services.
According to The World Bank statistics, there could be about 400,000 persons with disabilities in Georgia, out of which 16% are disabled since birth, of which 10,722 are under the age of 18.
Improved Social and Economic Conditions for Disabled Children and their Families (ISEC) project is funded by World Vision Switzerland.
The new workshops in Kutaisi and Batumi towns of West Georgia will produce special adaptive and adjustable equipment for children aged 3-12 at affordable prices within the framework of Improved Social and Economic Conditions for Disabled Children and their Families (ISEC) project of World Vision Georgia.
"Adaptive tables and chairs as well balancing boards and standers are some of the most widely used adaptive equipment that help to increase mobility of children and their participation in social life," – says Ms. Marina Mchedlishvili, Manager of ISEC project. "This expansion into two more regions of Georgia will allow us to reach more children with disabilities and families that cannot afford travel to Tbilisi for their physical rehabilitation courses".
The ISEC Project will cover the combination of medical/technical, social, economic and advocacy areas of the issue of disability, which has traditionally been dealt with from a purely medical support level by other organisations in the country.
Together with production of adaptive equipment, the project is planning to conduct medical assessment of 800 children as well as integration of around 60 children with disabilities into integrated pre-school classes of ordinary kindergartens, create/strengthen associations of parents of children with disabilities and training the parents on their children's occupational activities and on advocacy.
ISEC expands its activities into regions and offers assessment and rehabilitation of the children with disabilities together with provision the adaptive equipment they need to enable gaining more independence in basic daily living activities and increasing self-esteem.
"Diversity of the services proposed by the project was made possible through the help of the local governments that funded rehabilitation courses for the children with disabilities," – says Ms. Mchedlishvili. "This will enable some of the most impoverished families to ensure physical rehabilitation of their children and learn how to do it themselves."
During the second year of the project World Vision Georgia is also planning to expand activities in Kakheti Region of East Georgia that will provide services.
According to The World Bank statistics, there could be about 400,000 persons with disabilities in Georgia, out of which 16% are disabled since birth, of which 10,722 are under the age of 18.
Improved Social and Economic Conditions for Disabled Children and their Families (ISEC) project is funded by World Vision Switzerland.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
