THE University of Santo Tomas partnered with the Thomas More University of Applied Sciences and the Katholieke Universiteit for a telerehabilitation research project empowering Persons With Disabilities in the country.

The initiative will address the regional challenges due to the lack of interprofessional telerehabilitation services for adults living in Binangonan, Rizal.

“This project aims to pave the way for capacity-building opportunities for societal stakeholders that will enable them to support, provide the said services, and take on leadership roles in the community to develop local policies,” UST said.

“On the University’s behalf, the College of Rehabilitation Sciences is the key academic unit involved in the project. The College formed the UST-CRS Research Group to lead and conduct disability profiling and seek facilitators and barriers in working telerehabilitation in the said area,” it added.

The CRS Research Group is enhancing its capacity through training supported by Thomas More University’s expertise in telerehabilitation and KU Leuven’s proficiency in digital education and technology through collaborative efforts.

In terms of academics, the project is expected to produce an evidence-based introduction and design of an effective telerehabilitation program for PWDs; demonstrate interprofessional collaboration in the implementation of a telerehabilitation program; and integrate the development of e-learning tools in conducting research related to disability profiling and telerehabilitation in the curricula.

Moreover, it will equip and enrich the PWDs’ understanding of telerehabilitation services and access.

The project is expected to be completed on August 31, 2025.