Disability studies in Sri Lanka: priorities for action

Experiences of Gendered Norms and Mobilizing for Rights of Women Living With Disabilities in the Post-war Context in Sri Lanka

This paper juxtaposes existing legal/policy frameworks, national and international, with narratives of women living with disabilities in the post-war context in Eastern Sri Lanka. These narratives highlight their lived experience and needs. The paper draws from a process of consultations among women living with disabilities and the authors, who are long standing allies of this struggle in their capacity as activists and researchers. It focuses on key aspects of myriad gendered norms that were articulated during the consultations and describes the structural discrimination that emerges from such norms, as experienced by women living with disabilities. The paper ends with some thoughts and key proposals of women living with disabilities for the future of this struggle for justice.

Controlling an Anatomical Robot Hand Using the Brain-Computer Interface Based on Motor Imagery

More than one billion people face disabilities worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In Sri Lanka, there are thousands of people suffering from a variety of disabilities, especially hand disabilities, due to the civil war in the country. The Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka reports that by 2025, the number of people with disabilities in Sri Lanka will grow by 24.2%. In the field of robotics, new technologies for handicapped people are now being built to make their lives simple and effective. The aim of this research is to develop a 3-finger anatomical robot hand model for handicapped people and control (flexion and extension) the robot hand using motor imagery. Eight EEG electrodes were used to extract EEG signals from the primary motor cortex. Data collection and testing were performed for a period of 42 s timespan. According to the test results, eight EEG electrodes were sufficient to acquire the motor imagery for flexion and extension of finger movements. The overall accuracy of the experiments was found at 89.34% (mean = 22.32) at the 0.894 precision. We also observed that the proposed design provided promising results for the performance of the task (grab, hold, and release activities) of hand-disabled persons.

An in-depth understanding of the impact of the environment on participation among people with spinal cord injury

PURPOSE

To identify environmental factors associated with participation and gain an in-depth understanding of relationships between environmental factors and participation among people with spinal cord injury.

METHOD

Six focus groups (n= 30) with individuals with spinal cord injury were conducted. Two independent coders thematically analyzed the transcribed data.

RESULTS

Twenty environmental factors were identified, all of which were classified into eight categories: built environment; natural environment; assistive technology; transportation; information and technology access; economics; social support and social attitudes; and systems, services and policies. While all factors had direct impacts on individuals' participation outcomes, factors within the categories of societal attitudes, policies and economics also affected participation through affecting other environmental factors. Some factors together also showed cumulative or countering effects on participation. Accordingly, a conceptual model of the relationships between environmental factors and participation was constructed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlighted key environmental factors and their impacts on participation of people with spinal cord injury. The findings support previous research findings but also suggest that different factors may have different levels of impact on participation. Based on our findings, rehabilitation practitioners and policymakers can prioritize intervention plans to optimize the environment for people with spinal cord injury and improve their societal participation. Implications for rehabilitation Environmental factors are critical contributors to participation among people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and need to be addressed in rehabilitation programs. Factors with broader impacts on participation, such as societal attitudes and policies, should be treated as priorities in intervention plans aimed at improving participation among people with SCI. Rehabilitation practitioners should not only consider how the community supports people with SCI but also consider how rehabilitation programs change the community.