title: The rehabilitation of disabled people: towards a framework for future developments.
abstract: Structural changes in the economic and social climate require rehabilitation and other social provisions to review their values, goals and strategies in order to maintain relevance and effectiveness and improve "productivity". This raises the need for conceptual and operational frameworks of rehabilitation policies and practices to take account of foreseeable social and economic trends, needs and opportunities in society. The study set out to outline frameworks for future developments and to assess the feasibility of their implementation in a specific rehabilitation system in a Member State of the European Economic Community. It examined national and european assessments of short term economic, demographic and technological trends and their implications for the disabled and their rehabilitation towards economic and social integration. A limited survey of the existing system identified strengths and potentials which were used as a basis for an operational framework and a plan of action for changes and extensions to the system. The study revealed that the system has the capacity to change in the direction indicated by the framework which is expected to improve quality and "productivity" of the provision.
mesh_terms: D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005060:Europe; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000639:trends*; D006113:United Kingdom