Rehabilitation: In the Community or with the Community?

Abstract

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is an approach that could usefully be applied by occupational therapists working towards access to occupation for all. CBR happens with, rather than in, the community. It allows communities to identify their problems and the causes, including the sociopolitical underpinnings of disability, to locate their needs and to take control of strategies that address those needs. A recent subproject of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists revealed a lack of consensus as to what constitutes CBR and a perceived overlap with community rehabilitation. This opinion piece aims to clarify the connection between the two approaches and to explore the implications for occupational therapists.

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