| Abstract: | This article discusses the community-based vocational rehabilitation (CBVR) of persons with disabilities. In 1991, a pilot project was instituted by the International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Development Programme in conjunction with Oyo State Government in Nigeria. The aim was to facilitate the reintegration of persons with disabilities into their communities after a vocational rehabilitation programme. This project has resulted in the successful training of about 155 individuals with disabilities since its inception and a number of the trainees have benefited from a revolving loan scheme. The initial seven areas of vocational training have, over the years, expanded to 24. Recently, the project has been introduced to six other states in Nigeria. Various problem-solving strategies have been employed in the course of the project as the need arose and the community-based vocational rehabilitation programme has proved to be a success in Nigeria so far. In this paper, Eunice Alade, associate professor in the Department of Special Education, Kenyatta University, Kenya, provides an evaluation of an innovative alternative approach to vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities. She discusses some of the problems experienced in Nigeria and offers suggestions about how to sustain the work. Her ideas will be of direct interest to those seeking to promote social inclusion in developing countries and elsewhere around the world. |
