SHOULD VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION BE AN 'ACTIVE THERAPY' FOR THE DISABLED INDIVIDUAL, OR SHOULD IT RESULT IN 'ECONOMIC SELF SUFFICIENCY'?

DISCUSSION LED BY
C. Antony Samy, Worth Trust, 48 New Thiruvalayam Road, Katpadi, Tamil Nadu - 632 007 The importance of vocational rehabilitation in the total rehabilitation of persons with disabilities need not be stressed.

Vocational rehabilitation provides an opportunity for an individual to become self sustaining and so gain self respect and independence. In a rural situation, sometimes people with minor disabilities are rehabilitated in various rural occupations, without any serious attempt. But persons with severe disabilities from an early age tend to be neglected and often meet with premature death.

Generally, vocational rehabilitation involves vocational training, although it is not absolutely essential. Vocational training can be 'non-formal' or 'formal'. As to whether vocational training is essential for rehabilitation or not, the situation may vary. Very often, for vocational rehabilitation, vocational training becomes necessary and for appropriate vocational training, basic education can be very useful.

For many non-disabled people, the occupations they are involved in are not based on the vocational training that they had received. There are also cases where high levels of training has not led to employment in the area of training. If this is the case for non-disabled people, for persons with disabilities, the situation can be the same except that usually a lot more is demanded of persons with disabilities, than in the case of some one who is not disabled.

Many companies employ persons who are not disabled and they go through on-the-job training and grow up with the organisation, sometimes reaching up to the management levels. However, the very same organisation would demand prior training and make the disabled persons go through a screening process including the administration of psychological and dexterity tests.

Vocational rehabilitation means that a person has been well rehabilitated and merged into the community to become an independent income generator. 'Occupational' therapy may in some cases lead to employment, but vocational training should lead a person to economic self sufficiency.