International Rehabilitation Forum Commemorates National Disability Independence Day on July 26, 2024
Middlebury, Vermont — July 19, 2024
The International Rehabilitation Forum (IRF) is proud to join the global community in celebrating National Disability Independence Day on July 26. This significant day commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act into law in 1990, a landmark legislation that transformed the lives of millions of people with disabilities.
While the nonprofit has working on disability issues since 1999, IRF is now poised to further advance rehabilitation of persons with disability in lower income countries through its recent partnership with the International Society for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) to build medical rehabilitation programs in lower income countries, especially in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The agreement culminates over a decade of the IRF’s work to bring medical rehabilitation to people who have childhood disabilities, spinal cord injuries, strokes, amputations and other disabling conditions, especially those living in lower income countries. ISPRM, recognized globally as the leading organization for specialists in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the official World Health Organization agent for rehabilitation medicine, seeks to leverage the IRF’s expertise in strategic planning, disruptive innovation and sustainable local leadership to expand services worldwide.
The relationship includes:
- Joint outreach: Fundraising, public support and education for governments, industry, healthcare systems and consumers.
- PMR Training: Onsite and virtual training in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine for medical students, residents, practitioners, faculty and leaders.
- Facilitation: Recruiting, identifying and deploying international mentors, teachers and researchers to advance medical rehabilitation, especially in regions with unmet needs.
- Communications: Telling the stories of the medical professionals and patients who showcase the success of PMR efforts.
“IRF is thrilled to collaborate with ISPRM as we unite in our commitment to globally enhancing rehabilitation care and education. Together we envision a future where every individual has access to the highest standards of rehabilitative services, fostering a world where all can reach their full potential,” said Dr. Andrew Haig, IRF co-founder.
“ISPRM aims to strengthen PRM services across the globe through training and education, and international exchange. This new partnership with IRF will facilitate the synergistic efforts of both groups, which share the same goal of bringing people and institutions together in building rehabilitation medicine capacity in low-resource and isolated countries,” said Dr. Gerard Francisco, president, ISPRM
IRF’s first major campaign is to build a replicable 20-bed rehabilitation hospital in Kumasi Ghana. This facility will be Africa’s first training center for specialists and serve as an affordable model for other countries to emulate. Other ongoing projects include the continent’s sole training program in the specialty, involving doctors in four countries, and the establishment of an American National Center for Global Rehabilitation Research.
About International Rehabilitation Forum (IRF)
Founded by Dr. Haig and his brother, Tom Haig after Tom’s spinal cord injury, the International Rehabilitation Forum (IRF) is a non-profit organization committed to fostering expertise and collaboration in the development of relevant rehabilitation medicine practices in low-resource countries. Through its emphasis on capacity building, knowledge-sharing, and advocacy, the IRF aims to ensure that individuals with disabilities and rehabilitation needs, particularly those who are most vulnerable, receive the necessary care to regain their independence. IRF Media helps local rehab teams around the world document and promote their work.
About the International Society for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
ISPRM serves as the global agency for Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. As a non-governmental organization (NGO) in relation with the World Health Organization (WHO), as an international umbrella organization of PRM physicians, and as a catalyst for international PRM research, ISPRM has a humanitarian or civil societal, professional and scientific mandate. www.isprm.org
About Andrew Haig M.D.
Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, Haig is president of the IRF and leads Haig Consulting LLC, which works with governments, industries and insurers on medical rehabilitation programs. He practices Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Middlebury and Williston Vermont, co-lead the $21 M Vermont RETAIN grant to keep Vermonters at work after disability, and mentors University of Vermont and Dartmouth College medical students interested in his specialty. Author of over 150 peer-reviewed research papers, his work has received top honors from the leading international organizations in Rehabilitation, pain, and neurophysiology. www.haigetal.com
About National Disability Day
In the United States, July 26 marks National Disability Independence Day, recognizing the ADA’s passage. The ADA, initially introduced in 1988, built upon the progress of the Rehabilitation Act. Its purpose was to expand the rights of the disability community by ensuring freedom from employment discrimination and access to government services, public establishments, transportation, and communication. The bipartisan effort that led to its passage acknowledged centuries of discrimination faced by people with disabilities and fundamentally changed their quality of life. https://idpwd.org/
Contact Miriam Chun to arrange for interviews with:
- Dr. Andrew Haig: IRF Co-founder; Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan and leading researcher in physical & rehabilitative medicine.
- Tom Haig: IRF Co-founder; Author, disability advocate and wheelchair athlete.