eSight Community News

The Rehabilitation Services Community is dedicated to improving services for people with disabilities through the research, development and distribution of better, more affordable prosthetics, orthotics and wheelchairs and through the delivery of quality education programs for rehabilitation service providers. Community projects include the development and dissemination of appropriate technologies, such as wheelchairs and artificial limbs, and a Train-the-Trainer program designed to improve the reach and quality of prosthetics training.

The Disability Rights Community is dedicated to promoting and protecting the human rights of people with disabilities by increasing awareness of disability as a human rights issue, building the capacity of grassroots disability organizations and promoting the implementation and monitoring of legal protections. Community projects include the development of standards for including people with disabilities in emergency response plans and ConventionYES!, a campaign in support of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The IDEAnet website is designed to serve these two communities and to facilitate communication and collaboration within and between them. Through tools such as discussion forums, chats and document sharing, the IDEAnet website enables community members to share ideas and knowledge, enhance their skills and generate strategies and innovations that will help to improve the situation of persons with disabilities around the globe. In addition, the flexible structure of the site allows members to collaborate on ongoing projects and, if they wish, start their own.