A survey of rehabilitative services and people coping with physical disabilities in Uganda, East Africa

The impact of physical disability in the developing world is a tremendous health issue. The developing world presents many challenges in the lives of these people, many who cope without rehabilitative care. To determine how disabled people manage in this setting, 49 mobility-impaired Ugandans were interviewed. Functional capacity was assessed by determining the severity of lower extremity impairment and identifying the use of assistive devices and personal assistance needed in activities of daily living. Males appeared to have greater access to rehabilitative equipment, namely wheelchairs, and to personal assistance. The use of assistive devices was indicative of greater mobility, which subsequently provided greater opportunities, such as formal education or employment. Subjects with severe impairments without access to rehabilitative equipment were dependent upon crawling for mobility and begged for economic survival. Although there were a mix of responses towards perceived attitudes towards disabled subjects, more reported being viewed in a positive than in a negative light. Findings suggest that gender-related issues may limit access to rehabilitative equipment, due to limited financial resources of women living in the developing world. Uganda utilizes a viable political organization of people with disabilities to raise awareness and to empower its citizens coping with disability.