Articles Open Access Vol. 1 No. 3 (2026): September 2026

Attitude of Families of Persons with Disabilities towards Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Programme

  • Md. Mousuf Raza 1 ,
  • Danish Nadim 2 ,
  • Aftab Alam 3 ,
  • Afroz Zaheer 4
1 College of Teacher Education, Darbhanga, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India
2 College of Teacher Education, Darbhanga, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India
3 College of Teacher Education, Darbhanga, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India
4 Department of Education & Training, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India
Received: Revised: Accepted: Published:
doi https://doi.org/10.63960/sp.2026.jtple.1.3.33
Published: 2026-09-30

Abstract

Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) identifies the family as the primary source of support and social inclusion for individuals with disabilities. The degree to which the programme can be effective relies heavily on caregivers’ attitudes and perceived competencies; however, little empirical research has been conducted in urban India regarding caregivers’ perceptions and attitudes toward caring for individuals with disabilities. This study was to assess the attitudes of family caregivers regarding CBR in a metropolitan area and determined whether there were significant differences in caregivers’ attitudes based on gender, age, or type(s) of disabilities. A cross-sectional survey design was used, included 120 primary caregivers selected through purposive sampling from 12 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) providing CBR services. Data were collected using a psychometrically validated self-constructed 30-item Attitude Scale (Cronbach’s α = 0.72) and analyzed using Descriptive Statistics, an Independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post-hoc comparison, and Chi-square testing. The overall mean attitude score was 103.33 (SD = 6.72), indicating that the average attitude of family caregivers fell within the operationally defined negative attitude category. Furthermore, 55.0% of caregivers demonstrated negative attitudes, while 40.8% exhibited neutral attitudes. Only 4.2% reported positive attitudes towards the CBR programme. These findings indicate that favourable perceptions of CBR were relatively limited among the participating families. The gender and age of the caregivers had no significant impact on the overall attitudes (p = 0.19; p = 0.59, respectively). The type of disability had a highly significant effect on overall attitudes toward CBR (F(4, 115) = 8.83, p < 0.001, η² = 0.24) with families of children with ASD (M = 97.33) and Down Syndrome (M= 94.00) having significantly lower mean attitude scores towards CBR than families of children with locomotor or sensory disabilities. The predominance of negative and neutral attitudes reveals a critical implementation gap in urban CBR. These findings highlight the need for several strategies to enhance the overall acceptance of Urban-based CBR and improve the sustainability of CBR programmes, including a specific focus on capacity-building for developmental disabilities, the development of a structured engagement process through which families can support one another, and the establishment of an ongoing diagnosis-specific peer support model.

Keywords

# Community-Based Rehabilitation # Caregiver Attitude, Disability # Persons with Disabilities # Social Inclusion # Special Education

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Author Biographies

Md. Mousuf Raza (College of Teacher Education, Darbhanga, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India)

Dr. Md. Mousuf Raza is an Assistant Professor of Education at the College of Teacher Education (CTE), Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Darbhanga, where he has been serving since March 2020. He earned his Ph.D. in Education (2024) and an M.Ed. in Special Education specializing in Learning Disabilities from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, and has qualified the UGC-NET in Education. An active researcher and educator, Dr. Raza specializes in Inclusive and Special Education, Community-Based Rehabilitation, Pedagogy of Social Studies, Assistive Technology, Artificial Intelligence in Education, and the Sociological Perspectives of Education. His academic output includes 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, 7 book chapters, 1 edited book, 1 patent/design, and 17 research paper presentations at national and international forums. Dedicated to academic mentorship, he has guided 7 M.Ed. dissertations and is currently supervising 2 Ph.D. scholars.

Danish Nadim (College of Teacher Education, Darbhanga, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India)

Dr. Danish Nadim is an Assistant Professor of Education at the College of Teacher Education (CTE), Darbhanga, under the School of Teacher Education and Training, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU). He holds a Ph.D. in Education (2019), an M.Sc. in Mathematics (2013)—for which he was awarded a University Gold Medal—and an M.Ed., alongside UGC NET-JRF and SRF qualifications. An active researcher and pedagogue, Dr. Nadim specializes in Mathematics Pedagogy, Research and Statistics in Education, Measurement and Evaluation, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education. His scholarly output includes 6 peer-reviewed journal articles, 6 book chapters, and 16 research paper presentations delivered across international and national conferences and seminars. Deeply engaged in academic research mentorship, he has guided 7 M.Ed. dissertations (5 awarded and 2 ongoing) and is supervising a Ph.D. scholar.

Aftab Alam (College of Teacher Education, Darbhanga, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India)

Dr. Aftab Alam is currently working as an Assistant Professor (Education) at College of Teacher Education (CTE) Darbhanga, School of Education and Training, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (A central University). He has acquired degrees from renowned universities such Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New Delhi, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, Jamia Milia Islamia (JMI), New Delhi, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. He has a strong interest in teaching-learning and research, with strong communication and interpersonal skills. He has presented about 30 research papers related to education in various international/national seminars/conferences and authored more than 50 research papers which were published in highly indexed, UGC care approved & peer-reviewed international journals in India and abroad as well as authored 3 well known books in Urdu language. He has edited a book in English language and also authored 30 chapters for various edited books as well as written more than 10 units/chapters for various courses (B.Ed., Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education, Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education and Diploma in Guidance and Counselling) as a part of Student Learning Material (SLM) for Centre for Distance and Open Education (CDOE), Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), Hyderabad.

Afroz Zaheer (Department of Education & Training, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India)

Dr. Afroz Zaheer is an academic and researcher in education associated with Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), having contributed to teaching and teacher training initiatives across MANUU CTE Darbhanga and the university headquarters in Hyderabad. He earned his Ph.D. in Education (2020) from the Department of Education and Training, MANUU, where his doctoral research focused on teachers’ perceptions of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and their role in resource development in higher education. He also holds an M.A. in English, an M.Ed., and a B.Ed. Dr. Zaheer specialises in Open Educational Resources (OERS), Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Education, Teacher Education, and Pedagogical Development. His scholarly publications include studies on distance learning attitudes among prospective teachers, digital resource adoption, 21st-century teaching competencies, and the social dimensions of schooling in Urdu-medium and madrasa institutions.

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