title: Exploring the scope of community-based rehabilitation in ensuring the holistic development of differently-abled people.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Globally, it has been estimated that almost 15% of world's population live with some form of disability, of which the majority are from developing nations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the role of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) in the health sector, identify the prevalent challenges, and to suggest measures to facilitate its smooth implementation in community.
  
  
  METHODS
  An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was made using library sources including Pubmed, Medline and World Health Organization. Keywords used in the search included community, community-based rehabilitation, disabled, and public health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The notion of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) emerged in 1978 with an aim to improve the accessibility of disabled people to rehabilitation services, especially in developing countries, by ensuring optimal use of locally available resources. CBR programs support people with disabilities by providing health services at their doorsteps, and thus estalish a strong linkage between people with disabilities and the health-care system.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CBR encompasses a set of interventions that are implemented for a diverse and complex group of disabled people, and thus necessitates careful planning and systematic execution for ensuring welfare of these vulnerable people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Kancheepuram.
authors.forename: Saurabh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shrivastava
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Kancheepuram.
authors.forename: Prateek
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shrivastava
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College & Research Institute, Kancheepuram.
authors.forename: Jegadeesh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003256:Community Participation; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D012111:Residence Characteristics
keywords: Community-based rehabilitation; Disabled; Public health; Rehabilitation
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