Rehabiliatation Services

Director: Ms Barbra Lawrence
Tel #: 592 223 7087

Objective

To provide on a national level a wide range of rehabilitation services for persons with impairments and disabilities, aimed at enabling them to achieve an optimum level of functioning (physical, cognitive, social and emotional), thus affording them the means to change their lives towards acquiring a greater level of independence.

Key responsibilities

• Provide a range for rehabilitative services in response to demand from persons with impairments and disabilities.
• Facilitate programme manager applying the team approach in designing policies and programmes for the respective disciplines.
• Ensure effective and efficient service delivery at all levels by provision of adequate human financial and material resources (train staff, properly maintained and functioning equipment);
• For each sub-programme, provide community-base rehabilitation to widen coverage of rehabilitation services and to facilitate clients remaining in their homes and communities, thus minimizing the need for costly institution-based rehabilitation and re-integration;
• Ensure efficient supervision and accountability for all related rehabilitation facilities of a semiautonomous nature.
• Provide vocational rehabilitation, counseling and training.

Key results

• Appropriately designed policies and programmes in all areas of rehabilitation services (e.g speech therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, audiology, vocational rehabilitation)
• High quality rehabilitation services with increase access by persons with impairments and disabilities in urban and rural areas
• Adequate numbers of trained staff at various levels of service delivery providing efficient and effective rehabilitation.
• Adequately equipped rehabilitation units and centres and effective community-based programmes.
• Greater level of independence and involvement of persons with disability in family and community life.
• Opportunities for skilled persons with disabilities (e.g. national commission on Disability and the Ptolemy Reid rehabilitation centre).

The principal components or activities of the Rehabilitation Services Programme are:

• Regional Physiotherapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Audiology
• National Vocational Training Centre for persons with disabilities.

One of the major arms of this department is the OPEN DOORS CENTRE at Field ‘C’ Sophia, Greater Georgetown. (same compound with the Health Centre).

The open door centre is committed to offering education and vocational training to persons with disabilities in scientific, technical and commercial fields with the view of providing employment and income opportunities to integrate or reintegrate them into the open society.

The centre offers training in several courses including:

• Electrical Installation/Electronics
• Information Technology
• Garment construction
• Carpentry/Joinery