This summer, 32 perople with spinal cord injuries participated in the active rehabilitation programs held by Motivation Romania Foundation in Văratec, Neamț County and in Bragadiru, Ilfov County. The 23 adults and nine children learned about protecting their health and leading an active life as wheelchair users. Under the guidance of the multidisciplinary team at Motivation, they participated both in practical session on wheelchir handling and adapted sports, and in informative sessions and debates on independent living, accessing the rights of people with disabilities and inclusion. The Motivation camp at Văratec hosted four active rehabilitation camps, while the camp at Ilfov hosted three sessions on independent living and sports.

 The active rehabilitation program includes peer group independent living training, physiotherapy
 and counseling sessions. These services are provided to persons who have recently become wheelchair users or who haven’t had the occasion to find out how to live independently yet, after the accidents they had. The impact of the program is given especially by the involvement of independent living trainers who are wheelchair users themselves, who overcome the barriers they had met and who are now successful models for the ones who have recently become wheelchair users.

The active rehabilitation sessions are hosted at the Motivation camps in Văratec, Neamț County, and Bragadiru – Ilfov County and the services are provided free of charge. The locations are accessible for wheelchair users and they can be a model for the ones who need to make their own homes accessible. The Motivation camp in Ilfov was inaugurated in July 2021 and it was built with the support of our partners from Mosaic International and of the financer – Timken Foundation.

Until the next series of active rehabilitation series, starting in 2022, people with spinal cord injuries can keep in touch with the Motivation teams by participating in online sessions on active wheelchair living, organized on Zoom, and by individual training during home visits.

A useful resource for maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle is the MotiActiv mobile application. #MotiActiv can be downloaded for free from GooglePlay, for devices with Android operating system: http://bit.ly/MotiActiv and from the AppStore, for devices with iOS operating system: https://bit.ly/AppStore_MotiActiv

For more information about the active rehabilitation programs, we are available at comunicare@motivation.ro or call the Wheelchair User’s Phone, 0800.030.762, toll-free, available from Monday to Friday, between 09.00 -16.00