‘Enabling Access’: A Pilot Study on Access and Use of Assistive Products in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka

Shyamani Hettiarachchi; V Subramaniam; Emil Rajah; Paramaguru Gowritharan; Shamra Nizar; Shakeela Saleem

doi:10.5463/dcid.v30i3.842

Shyamani Hettiarachchi ⁽¹⁾, V Subramaniam ⁽²⁾, Emil Rajah ⁽³⁾, Paramaguru Gowritharan ⁽⁴⁾, Shamra Nizar ⁽⁵⁾, Shakeela Saleem ⁽⁶⁾

(1) Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, LK; School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland,

(2) Organisation for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped (ORHAN), Vavuniya, Sri Lanka,

(3) Caritas-Valvuthaym, Centre for Disabled (CFD), Mannar, Sri Lanka,

(4) Speech & Language Therapist, Mannar Base Hospital, Sri Lanka,

(5) Freelance Speech & Language Therapist, Sri Lanka,

(6) Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

https://doi.org/10.5463/dcid.v30i3.842

Issue
Vol. 30 No. 3 (2019): Autumn 2019

Submitted
September 15, 2020

Published
January 27, 2020

Keywords:

Assistive products, Global South, Sri Lanka, war, priorities the Assistive Products List, Version

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Abstract

Purpose: The need for suitable assistive technology is growing all over the world, not only for people with disabilities but also for the ageing population with functional decline and non-communicable diseases. Access to assistive technology promotes access to education, employment and active societal participation. The aim of this study was to assess the self-reported need by persons with disabilities and by people who were 65 years and older without disabilities in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, for assistive products; and to identify barriers to accessing these assistive products.

Method: This mixed-methods pilot study included 76 participants who were either persons with disabilities or their caregiver or persons 65 years and older, from the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, affected by the now-ended 30-year civil war. To ascertain trends in the local need for assistive products, a translated version of the World Health Organisation's Priority Assistive Products List of 50 items was used. In addition, semi-structured interviews with key participants were conducted, to gain some insights into the barriers to accessing assistive products.

Results: The most widely used assistive products among persons with disabilities were connected to war-related injuries. In contrast, those used by the older age group of persons without disabilities were connected to non-communicable diseases and age-related frailty. The assistive products requested by both groups were aids to promote independence in daily activities and to support access to education and employment. The emergent themes included affordability, employment, independence in activities of daily living, stigma and psychological impact, and a lack of awareness and guidance in the use of assistive devices.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the need for policies and practices to be informed by local socio-cultural, historical and geographical realities.

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Authors

Shyamani Hettiarachchi

Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, LK; School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

shyamanih@yahoo.com (Primary Contact)

V Subramaniam

Organisation for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped (ORHAN), Vavuniya

Emil Rajah

Caritas-Valvuthaym, Centre for Disabled (CFD), Mannar

Paramaguru Gowritharan

Speech & Language Therapist, Mannar Base Hospital

Shamra Nizar

Freelance Speech & Language Therapist

Shakeela Saleem

Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya

Author Biographies

Shyamani Hettiarachchi, Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, LK; School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

Shyamani is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. She is a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland. Her research interests include the intersectionality between disability, gender, culture and poverty.

V Subramaniam, Organisation for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped (ORHAN), Vavuniya

The author is associated with the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Ireland

Emil Rajah, Caritas-Valvuthaym, Centre for Disabled (CFD), Mannar

The author is associated with Organisation for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped (ORHAN) in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka

Paramaguru Gowritharan, Speech & Language Therapist, Mannar Base Hospital

The author is associaated with Caritas-Valvuthaym, Centre for Disabled (CFD), Mannar, Sri Lanka

Shamra Nizar, Freelance Speech & Language Therapist

Shamra works as a Speech & Language Therapist at Mannar Base Hospital in Sri Lanka

Shakeela Saleem, Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya

Shakeela works as a Freelance Speech & Language Therapist in Sri Lanka

1.

Hettiarachchi S, Subramaniam V, Rajah E, Gowritharan P, Nizar S, Saleem S. ‘Enabling Access’: A Pilot Study on Access and Use of Assistive Products in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. DCIDJ [Internet]. 2020 Jan. 27 [cited 2025 Feb. 23];30(3):82-112. Available from: https://dcidj.uog.edu.et/index.php/up-j-dcbrid/article/view/353

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