‘Enabling Access’: A Pilot Study on Access and Use of Assistive Products in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka
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.
Keywords
Authors
How to Cite
Download Citation
License
Copyright © 2020 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License By-NC-ND 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access ).
Similar Articles
- Tangeni Velikoshi , Daniel Ashipala, Tongai Chichaya, The Perceptions of State-Owned Enterprises on the Employment of People with Disabilities and Special Needs in Namibia: A qualitative study , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 36 No. 4 (2025): Winter Issue
- Augustina Naami, Breaking the Barriers: Ghanaians’ Perspectives about the Social Model , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 25 No. 1 (2014): Spring 2014
- Marieke Boersma, Protecting Children with Disabilities from Violence in CBR Projects: Why we need to work with a different form of child protection policy for children with disabilities , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 3 (2013): Autumn
- Hester M van Biljon, Bianca Salie, Jancke C van Wyk, Jessica Daniel, Lize-Mari Kersop, Michaela Naidoo, Lana van Niekerk, Access to Public Healthcare Rehabilitation Services by Persons with Disabilities in South Africa: a Scoping Review , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 33 No. 3: (Autumn) - 2022
- Saul Cobbing, Bernhard Gaede, Verusia Chetty, Theresa Lorenzo, Pushing Down the Walls: Advocating for “Rehabilitation for All” in South Africa , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 33 No. 3: (Autumn) - 2022
- Jessica O'Dowd, Hasheem Mannan, Joanne McVeigh, India’s Disability Policy – Analysis of Core Concepts of Human Rights , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 4 (2013): Winter 2013
- Natiara Mohamad Hashim, Noor Ayuni Che Zakaria, Abdul Halim Abdullah, Rohana Ngah, Mohd Ali Bahari Abdul Kadir, Creating an Inclusive Ecosystem through Healthcare in Disability Management: Malaysians’ Experience , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 33 No. 1: (Spring) - 2022
- Jo Durham, Vanphanom Sychareun, Phonevilay Santisouk, Kongmany Chaleunvong, Users’ Satisfaction with Prosthetic and Orthotic Assistive Devices in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: A Cross-sectional Study , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 27 No. 3 (2016): Autumn 2016
- Nomjit Nualnetr, Anpatcha Sakhornkhan, Improving Accessibility to Medical Services for Persons with Disabilities in Thailand , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 23 No. 1 (2012): Spring
- Meng Ee Wong, Libby G. Cohen, Access and Challenges of Assistive Technology Application: Experience of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments in Singapore , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 26 No. 4 (2015): Winter 2015
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Shyamani Hettiarachchi, Gopi Kitnasamy, Effect of an Experiential Dysphagia Workshop on Caregivers’ Knowledge, Confidence, Anxiety and Behaviour During Mealtimes , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 3 (2013): Autumn
- Shyamani Hettiarachchi, Mahishi Ranaweera, R.M.W. Rajapaksha, /t/ before /ʈ/ or /ʈ/ before /t/: Emerging Trends from a Preliminary Study of Consonant Acquisition in Typically developing Sinhala-speaking Children aged 3 to 6 years , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 32 No. 3 (2021): Autumn 2021
- Shyamani Hettiarachchi, Gopi Kitnasamy, Raj Mahendran, Fathima Shamra Nizar, Chamara Bandara, Paramaguru Gowritharan, Efficacy of a Low-cost Multidisciplinary Team-led Experiential Workshop for Public Health Midwives on Dysphagia Management for Children with Cerebral Palsy , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 29 No. 3 (2018): Autumn 2018