University of Toronto
International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation

ICDR-Kenya

About

Purpose

To improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in Kenya through rehabilitation-focused education, service provision and research.

History

ICDR-Kenya is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities in Kenya through rehabilitation-focused education, service provision and research. In partnership with the Disability Service Programme (DSP) ICDR-Kenya has been sending Canadian physiotherapy and occupational therapy students to Nyanza Province in Western Kenya for clinical placements since 2004.

Leadership

Chair(s): Megan Yang & Danielle Brown

Vice-Chair Education: Ellen Leung

 

Partners

  • Disability Service Programme, Nyzanza, Kenya – The DSP is a non-profit community based program employing community health workers who provide rehabilitation services to individuals living with a disability throughout Nyanza Province.
  • Yellow House Health and Outreach Services, Kisumu, Kenya – Yellow House provides speech and language therapy services in Western Kenya in collaboration with local community-based organizations. 
  • Kenya Medical Training College, Homa Bay

Education

Student Placements

In partnership with the Disability Service Programme (DSP) the KWG has been sending Canadian physiotherapy and occupational therapy students to Nyanza Province in Western Kenya for clinical placements since 2004. The DSP office and clinic is located in Opapo, a village outside Homa Bay in Nyanza Province. The DSP clinic is in operation Tuesdays and Thursdays with the remaining days of the week spent in the surrounding districts doing home visits, outreach clinics, and school visits.  Within the context of a community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programme, students will work with a wide variety of clients, patient populations and clinical presentations. Children comprise a large percentage of clients seen.

The placement with Yellow House Health and Outreach Services provides a unique opportunity for students who are at the end of their training to put into practice the clinical skills they’ve developed throughout their training in a supportive environment that empowers students to start working as an independent clinician. Yellow House provides services across different government sites (education and health) as well as within the community. Yellow House is the only speech and language therapy service provider in the country that works within the public sector. Students have the opportunity to work within different MDTs and learn and develop the soft skills required to be a culturally competent, adaptable and resourceful clinician.

Please click on this link for more information on both these international placements in Kenya: About ICIs in Kenya

 

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Research

Publications

Haro A, Knight B, Cameron D, Nixon S, Ahluwalia P, & Hicks E. Becoming an occupational therapist: Perceived influence of international fieldwork placements on clinical practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2014; 81(3):173-82.

Nixon SA, Cameron C, Mweshi M, Nkandu E, Okidi C, Tattle S, Yates T. 2016. “It is an eye-opener that there’s a relationship between rehabilitation and HIV”: Perspectives of physiotherapists (PTs) and occupational therapists (OTs) in Kenya and Zambia on the role of rehabilitation for adults and children living with HIV.Physiotherapy Canada. 68(3). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/ptc.2015-42GH.

Contact Us

For more information, please contact Megan Yang or Danielle Brown.

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