Communitybased rehabilitation - discussing action strategies in the sociocultural contex

Abstract

This paper aims to introduce the Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) as an interconnected theme to the development ofmultisector actions (health, education, work and social action) carried out with the community participation. To make easy the access for disabled people to the rehabilitation services, the International Health and Rehabilitation Organizations suggested a (CBR), as one of their enlargement strategies of aid coverage ffom local resources management mainly to the Third World. In the light of this proposition, purposes are discussed for the implantation ofrehabilitation actions with community participation from an experience in progress in São Paulo city-Brazil. In this case there is an emphasis on territorial labor with the local people's mobilization, including the disabled. By changing the "place" of the rehabilitation actions the professionals will face another subject, now integrated into the sociocultural context. The professionals reviewing and establishing new means/looks to decode the pertaining leveis of the disabled, form a differentiated view of the subject. They transfer part of their knowledge of the fíeld simplifying it, making it public and democratized. The experience in progress counts on the occupational therapists participation (professionals and graduate students) from social organizatiofrs representatives (school, day care center and health unit) from pastoral sections connected with the Roman Catholic Church, the local Child and Juvenile Protective Council, from relativos and the disabled, as well as volunteers. The project is being developed by a management group and plenary meeting for planing and assessment. Disabled people are followed up and general population in income generation activities for adults, group familiarity and sociocultural activities and local discussion of the disabled people^ needs and the general population in a particular sociocultural context. That would be a way to know the sociocultural context to locate subjects and knowledge about that group and their problems. Far more complex than increase the aid coverage or create services and rehabilitation actions at a low cost, it is to contribute to the production of the emancipation process and the self-management for the disabled.