The Importance of the Provisions of Significant Assistive Devices for Persons with Disability

(PWD) in selected Barangay in Alfonso, Cavite: Case Analysis

Introduction

Background of the Study

A radical is a man with both feet firmly planted in the air. A conservative is a man with

two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned to walk forward. A reactionary is a

somnambulist walking backwards. A liberal is a man who uses his legs and hands at behest of

his head (F.D. Rossevelt, n.d.). Politics and welfare of the disabled persons or most-commonly

known as Persons with Disability are both intertwined in the aspect of governance. Moreover,

in a disability trivia where the history of United States was governed by best Presidents who

were later on found persons with disability (Ability Center, 2019). Persons with Disability in the

Philippine context and society where as there were such discrimination in various field such as

employments, education, sports, medicine, etc. In the report of the Department of Social and

Welfare and Development, whereas the said agency provided services for three-thousand three

hundred seventy-four (3,374) PWDs in 2018 was significantly more than the estimated figure in

2017, but only sixty (60) percent of local governments units had an office dedicated for PWDs

(news.abc-cbn., 2019).

With regards to the Philippine definition of the said PWDs, in accordance to the

provision of Republic Act 10524, which reflects to, “Persons with Disability (PWDs) refers to

individuals who suffer long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which

upon interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society
on an equal basis with others”. While Republic Act 7277 as been amended by the former

substantially provides Section 4 which refers to definition of terms of act, paragraph (k),

“Marginalized Disabled Person refer to disabled person who lack access to rehabilitate services

and opportunities to be able to participate fully in socioeconomic activities and who have no

means of livelihood or whose incomes fall below poverty threshold”, which only implicates the

necessity of further governmental assistance especially in the field of provisions of significant

assistive devices. Provisions of the significant assistive devices especially to marginalized PWDs

as to accommodate assistance to daily routines, work-related activities, and/or healthy lifestyle

concerns are very fundamental in the maxim, salus populi est suprema lex. This Latin legal

maxim further adheres to provide especially on the people with disabilities as they are as well

part of the Philippines society as stated in Republic Act 7277, Section 2 paragraph (a), Disabled

persons are part of the Philippine society, thus the Senate shall give full support to the

improvement of the total well-being of disabled persons and their integration into the

mainstream of society. Thus, the necessity of such provisions especially the significant assistive

devices to people would put improvement and enhancement to the total well-being of PWDs.

As of February 24, 2021, the Municipality of Alfonso Cavite, have recorded 1,558

Persons with Disability (PWDs) coming from the recent statistics of Person with Disability Affairs

Office (PDAO). The Municipality of Alfonso which had the land area of 6,998 hectares or 64.60

sq. m., conducted a various projects and procured bidding and awards for the last two years,

however, there was nothing in the exercise of provisions of the significant assistive devices for

persons with disability (PWDs) as published in their official website. Thus the researcher would
like to examine the importance of the provision of the assistive devices in selected Barangay of

Alfonso Cavite.

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on the social model of disability theory adopted by Joan Gilmour

where under this model disability is caused by socially constructed barriers which only means

that when disability is identified society ought to exclude persons with disability socially,

physically, and politically. In this theory as well, the main focus of disability is not as an

individual problem but a collective one.

Moreover, the study also made us of bio-medical approach where it assumes that

disability is caused primarily by impairment such as a disorder, disease, mental or physical

condition that is not normal or aberrant. The approach also suggested that different disability

needed different kinds of treatment and/or therapy.

Review of the Related Literature

There are certain effects of the assistive devices to the Persons with Disability

(PWDs) where question lies should people consider these devices important or hazardous.

Assuming that there are two main courses when provisions of significant assistive devices on

Persons with Disability are implemented as it is for others where there are certain advantages

and disadvantages.
Disadvantages of Assistive Devices

The study conducted by McMillen and Söderberg with the thesis title “Disable Persons’

Experience of Dependence on Assistive Devices shows that the participants' experience of being

dependent on assistive devices included possibilities such as gaining a better quality of life and

being able to live a normal life. The dependence also led to obstacles like a fear of injuring

oneself when utilizing assistive devices, difficulties in accepting them and worry about future

needs for devices. The participants experienced a changed reception from other people and

problems imposed by society or the community. They felt that they were treated in a different

way and were in the way. A lack of access to public places and a feeling of helplessness when

faced with the power of the authorities were other experiences of the participants (A. McMillen

& S. Söderberg, 2009).

Moreover, the research of Batavia and Hammer which examines the assistive devices in

the criteria of disabled persons as consumer-based development found interesting problem

between newly-disabled persons to disabled persons. This research is entitled ”Towards the

development of consumer-based criteria for the evaluation of assistive devices” where the

study evaluated the assistive device for economic purposes only. This also means that the

assistive devices which are evaluated based on the criteria of marketing and treated only as a

mere product. Thus the research found that the researchers recognized a common of pattern of

adaptation and abandonment of such devices, particularly by persons who are recently disabled

or who are new users of a device. As the pattern typically follows:

 1)the disabled individual is provided an assistive device (e.g ., motorized wheelchair)

through a clinicallyaided or personal selection process;

2) the individual uses the device and recognizes that it is inadequate to meet his or her

needs for one or more reasons, even after attempted modifications;

3) the individual either continues to use the device, remaining dissatisfied with it until it

is no longer usable, or abandons the device at an early stage ; and,

4) the individual then chooses another device that satisfies the needs the previous device

failed to satisfy (but often fails to meet other needs) (A. Batavia & G.S. Hammer, 1995).

Hence, as the study shows that even there are provisions of significant assistive devices

as fit for Persons with Disability (PWDs) it would not make sure that the device would help

improve the daily lives and routines of the former.

Furthermore, Agree E.M. (1999) substantially provided in her study with the dissertation

of “The influence of personal care and assistive devices on the measurement of disability” that

there are certain advantages and disadvantages in comparison to the assistive devices and on

personal care among persons aged 70 and older in the community. The goal was to promote

personal care than of using assistive devices as the two being measured through the

independent variable which would be the elderly.

Emmett & Alant (2007) argued in their dissertation with the topic title “Women and

disability: exploring the interface of multiple advantages”, that In general, women with
disabilities are more discriminated against and disadvantaged than men with disabilities. In the

industrialised countries there are consistent, although not necessarily large, gender differences

in income, employment and education for people with disabilities. Poverty and deprivation

magnify these inequalities, and can determine access to food, care and social inclusion, and

even threaten survival. Women with disabilities are also at greater risk of physical, mental and

sexual abuse, and because of stigmatisation have lower marriage prospects. There are more

barriers to access and participation for women than for men, and mothers and caregivers in

particular face enormous challenges when raising children with disabilities or chronic illnesses,

especially within the context of women-headed households and early pregnancy (T. Emmett &

E. Alant., 2007).

Advantages of Assistive Devices

In the study of Brose et. al. entitled ”The role of Assistive Robotics in the Lives of

Persons with Disability” found that robotic assistive devices are used increasingly improve the

independence and quality of life persons with disabilities. Devices as varied as robotic feeders,

smart-powered wheelchairs, independent mobile robots, and socially assistive robots are

becoming more clinically relevant (Brose, 2010).

One cannot deny that even there are certain disadvantages of assistive devices, the

effect and the contribution of the advantages of the said devices exceed far more than the

understanding of humanity. For example in the article of Kumar, Rahman & Krovi (1997), where

it was entitled “Assistive Devices for People with Motor Disabilities”, which includes the

generally developed prosthetics wherein that very same article indicated that this device was
derived from earliest prosthetic limbs dating back to 500 B.C. (Kumar, et., al., 1997). The article

articulated as well the benefits of technology to prosper the invention and development of

prosthetics and other assistive devices for persons with disabilities.

Thus, the researcher would like to examine the importance of assistive devices through

the illuminative information source coming from the participants of Alfonso, Cavite.

Statement of the Problem

The researchers pray to answer the following questions:

1. What is the demographic profile of the participants in terms of;

a. age;

b. sex;

c. educational attainment; and

d. disability?

2. What are the assistive devices to be provided?

3. How significant to the participants are the assistive devices?

4. Is there a significant relevance to the participants in relation to their daily lives?

Scope and Limitations

The research would like to focus on the importance of the provision of significant

assistive devices to the Persons with Disability (PWDs) as the independent variable of the study
residing in the Municipality of Alfonso, Cavite and a bonafide citizen of the Republic of the

Philippines. The researcher would like to exclude Persons with Disability not residing the same

municipality and not of citizen of the Republic.

The research as well would like to focus on the selected significant assistive devices to

be provided as a research material. The inclusion of such is the exclusion of another, whereas

the researchers would like to exclude devices not fit to the disability of the participants.

Significance of the Study

The research is significant to the following sector and agency.

Persons with Disability (PWD). This refers not only to the PWDs in the Municipality of Alfonso

but to the PWDs as well to the whole archipelago. The study would give an insight on to the

importance of the provisions of assistive devices to the Persons with Disability.

Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO). This refers to the Office of the PWDs affairs

instated at each of the municipality. The research might give a guide to the office on to handle

such importance including the assistive devices to the PWDs.

Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD). The research would like to expound the

idea of the importance of the provisions of the assistive devices to the Persons with Disability as

fit to each and every found disability.

Political Science Students. The study would like to greatly contribute to students who seek

profound understanding of the Legal Latin Maxim Salus populi Est Suprema Lex which refers to

the general welfare of the people as the supreme law.

Future Researchers. The research would like to give an opportunity to do follow-up research to

young and future researchers where the future study is to be found and recommended from

the scope and limitations.

Definition of Terms

For purposes of clarity and better understanding, the following terms are defined

operationally and conceptually.

PWDs. Persons with Disability refer to the individuals or persons who suffer from long-term

physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, upon interaction with various

barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with

others. In this study this term as well refers to the independent variable which would be the

source of the primary data.

Assistive Devices. The devices used by the Persons with Disability to aide their impairments,

while in this study, the term would like to refer to the dependent variable which would likely to

depend on the primary data to be gathered.

Disability. Under RA 7277 there are seven types of disabilities as mentioned on the same act

are psychosocial disability, disability due to chronic illness, learning disability, mental disability,

visual disability, orthopaedic disability, and communication disability. In this study the term

would like to refer to the control variable as subject to qualification of assistive devices that

would be measured as significantly important.

 Method

Method of Research to be Used

The researcher would like to employ narrative research design and interview method.

Narrative research design and analysis is employed because it is perfectly combined with case

studies as it concerns with the responses from the questions that includes the lack of

predetermined findings based from the interview. Moreover, the method that would also be of

used to presenting the profile of the participants in ethical manner where there is significance to

the relations of each variable as stated in the statement of problem.

Participants of the Study

The participants of the study would like to refer to the Persons with Disability in the

selected Barangay of Municipality of Alfonso, Cavite. The participants are responsible for being

the independent variable as for they are the source of the illuminative and rich data due to

their locus standi where their disability is considered in this paper as their capacities and

capabilities.

Material

Set of interview of questions would be asked to the participants as the instrument or

the material needed for the gathering of data. The material would like to have its three parts

respectively as; Part I consists of participant’s profile including age, sex, educational attainment

and disability. Part II is the importance of assistive devices in accordance to the variables cited

in Part I. Part III will be the relevance of the assistive devices to the participants with regards to

their daily-lives and leisure.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers would like to take the following steps for the gathering of data as well

as for the completion of the study. First, the researchers will send a letter to the Municipality of

Alfonso, Cavite for permission and for formality purposes noted by the Dean’s Office in Arellano

University to conduct a case study on the provisions of significant assistive devices for Persons

with Disability in the selected Barangay of Alfonso. Second, would like to send letters to the

families of the participants for ethical considerations and for permission purposes in order for

the researchers to gather necessary data. Finally, after securing such necessary procedures, the

researchers would like to conduct the interview to the participants based on their accessibility

and availability. The researchers then will personally ask questions to the participants for the

interview via voice recording. The collected data will be transcribed and presented by the

researchers.

Sampling Method

The sampling procedure that the researchers would like to employ in this study is the

purposive sampling method. This method is used to qualify the participants’ illuminative rice

information source. Furthermore, purposive or selective sampling methods are usually used for

kinds of researches such as case studies where the judgement of the researchers is realized.

Ethical Considerations
 The researchers would like to impose ethical consideration in conducting the study due

to the concern that most of the data that would be gathered would be coming from the

participants which refers to the Persons with Disability (PWDs) in the selected Barangay of

Alfonso, Cavite. Hence the researcher is entitled to observe the following ethical considerations

in respect to the moral and/or legal obligations of the participants in relation to the research as

follows.

Privacy. The respondents or participants of the study are entitled to their own privacy. In this

research paper, the researcher would like to ask for their permission if ever the questions

raised are beyond their limit of expectations where in accordance to their own point of views,

offensive and degrading to them. To honor that respect, the researcher beforehand would like

to ask for their consent whether or not before performing such task is ethically and morally

acceptable.

Free Will. In accordance to our Constitution, a person of vitiated will is not capable of

performing any neither valid contracts nor agreements. Hence, the researcher would like as

well to second the motion of inquiring whether or not the opinions coming from their

experiences are relevantly given by their own free will.

Benevolent Neutrality. As the researcher is entitled as well to be neutral, the researchers as

well would like to consult the participants whether or not they are capable of benevolent

neutrality. Meaning that when it comes to the evaluation and examination of the variables, the

researchers would observe unbiased neutrality for the integrity of the paper and of the study.

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