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Development of a Community-based Rehabilitation Programme in an Indigenous Mexican Village
Abstract
A non-governmental organization (NGO), working in an indigenous Mexican village with few services for people with disabilities, has developed different programmes to improve the quality of life of villagers, one of which was the Special Needs Program (SNP). The focus of a six month fieldwork intervention project was the daily management and planning of the SNP. This thesis describes factors influencing quality of life of people with disabilities and reports on the daily management the SNP, including the training of therapy promoters and the development of tools for the SNP (e.g. child development and management of SNP). Participatory observation, individual interviews and document consultation were utilized throughout the fieldwork to collect data and to gain a better understanding of village life. Environmental and socio-cultural factors that had a negative effect on the quality of life of people with disabilities and the life of the community in general are water contamination, lack of access to education, belief in Evil Eye and negative self image. These factors should be addressed in the future by the SNP. Targeting these factors would not only improve the quality of life of people with disabilities but of every villager.
Submitted by
Chantal Camden
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the M.Sc. Degree in Community Health, rehabilitation option, Graduate Division of the Faculty of Medecine, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada.
Email: Chantal.camden.1@ulaval.ca
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