RADIC Handbook - 4. Accessibility
Accessibility in Digital Rehabilitation is critical ensuring equitable health solutions in East Africa. This chapter explores the importance, challenges, local opportunities in the region and and provides a guide for creating digital content to support accessibility.
Accessibility goes beyond physical access and encompasses the inclusion of all abilities and backgrounds. However, East Africa faces challenges such as limited infrastructure and varying levels of digital literacy. Despite these challenges, local government and collaborative efforts are driving progress towards accessible Digital Rehabilitation services. Digital accessibility guidelines are also being provided to enable stakeholders to develop inclusive solutions.
This chapter explains the following points:
After you have gone through the content of chapter 4, you can work on the exercises to deepen the content:
Exercise
Exercise 1.
What are some of the factors that may hinder you from accessing Digital Rehabilitation?
Exercise 2.
What do you think can be done in your setting to enable access to Digital Rehabilitation?
Case study 1.
Situation: Strenuous task of lifting your elderly grandmother at home resulted in a disc bulge at your lower back. Following a visit to the closest health center, you were subsequently referred to a teaching and referral hospital for additional treatment. The initial phase of management commenced at the physiotherapy department. Unfortunately, due to geographical constraints, attending daily physiotherapy sessions for the recommended 10 consecutive days, as advised by the therapist, became impractical. Considering these challenges, an agreement was reached with your therapist to pursue remote treatment through digital technology. This alternative approach ensures accessibility despite the physical distance, facilitating the seamless continuation of physiotherapy interventions.
Exercise: Discuss how you will access and continue with your treatment.
Case study 2.
Situation: You realize that your child was unable to sit at the age of one year. A visit to the doctor alluded that the child has delayed milestones and would require therapy to improve his milestones. You’ve attended therapy for several months and feel fatigued and exhausted. A discussion with the therapist suggests that you can do therapy remotely.
Exercise: Discuss how you will actualize you son’s treatment remotely.
Summary
- Accessibility in Digital Rehabilitation services seeks to ensure prevention of physical, social, cognitive and geographical barriers.
- To ensure the accessibility in Digital Rehabilitation interventions in East Africa, a number of factors need to be considered to address the different needs and challenges in the region: inconsistent infrastructure and connectivity for digital interventions, cost of mobile devices, local languages and cultural aspects, user-friendly design of digital interventions, (digital) literacy, digital interventions need to comply with privacy and security regulations.
- Kenya’s enactment of the digital bill enhances visibility and readiness for embracing Digital Rehabilitation.
- Mobile technology is fast upcoming in Tanzania as they look forward to implementing Digital Economy Strategic Framework 2023-2033.
- Rwanda’s Digital Health Strategic plan 2018–2023 sets to improve health service delivery and accessibility through Digital Health.
- Digital literacy, especially in rural areas seems to be the impending challenge across all the three East African countries.
- Universal guidance principles will ensure equitable access of Digital Rehabilitation services in terms of flexibility, simplicity, perceptibility, tolerance for error and low physical effort amongst others.