JOURNAL OF THE NIGERIA SOCIETY OF PHYSIOTHERAPY – V OLS. 18 & 19 (2011) Evolving Opportunities for People Living with a Disability and the Need to Prepare Physiotherapists for Community-based Rehabilitation AM HAMZA Center for Population Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia AS NABILLA Center for Population Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. SY LOH Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Building, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. YA MISAU Center for Population Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Correspondence: Ashiru Hamza Mohammad (PT, MMedPH, MNSP), Centre for Population Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia •Email: physioash@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This paper discusses the relevant issues regarding the role of physical therapists in a community-based rehabilitation (CBR) model that seeks to improve the quality of life of persons with disabilities and their families by meeting their basic needs. CBR focuses on the needs of the individual and the wider population, and extends beyond purely medical interpretation. The traditional institutional-based medical model approach to rehabilitation —which is frequently driven by health care professionals rather than the needs of people with disabilities, their care givers and communities— is often inappropriate, inefficient. Moreover, recog- nizing the global significant shortfalls in the number of physiotherapists available to provide services, coupled with the increasing global economic constraints, there is an urgent need to develop innovative ways to utilize physiotherapists in the community. In addition to the need for reorganization and reconceptualization of the philosophies under- pinning therapy, preparing physiotherapists to change practice from traditional institutional services to community services requires a major change in attitude to both service delivery models and to their roles as therapists under these different models, especially in developing countries. Key words: Physiotherapy, disability, people living with disabilities, community-based rehabilitation (CBR) INTRODUCTION Public health policy has shifted from institutional to community care as a consequence of the Ottawa Charter in 1986 and the earlier introduction of community- based rehabilitation (CBR) by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the 1980s, as a strategy to accomplish ‘health for all’ by the year 2000 1 . The Alma Ata Declaration in 1978 on Primary Health Care (PHC) created a new vision for providing 34