Vocational reintegration of people with spinal cord lesion in Bangladesh - An observational study based on a vocational training project at CRP

The employment situation for disabled people in Bangladesh has been demonstrated to be extremely poor. CRP (Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed) recently engaged in a new rehabilitation initiative, aiming at bringing people with spinal cord injury back to their previous occupations.

This article outlines the components of this initiative and assesses its success on the basis of an observational study completed at the end of the threeyear programme. The study focuses in particular, on a number of critical issues surrounding disability, poverty and vocational rehabilitation in Bangladesh. An estimated 50% of the participants successfully reintegrated into paid employment, of which three quarters returned to occupations very similar to their previous ones. Serious financial struggles and inaccessible workplaces were reported as the most common obstacles. There is an urgent need for comprehensive rehabilitation programmes for all people with disabilities, particularly since the government fails to recognise its responsibilities in this regard.