| Disability resources |
| > Key lists |
| > Disability databases |
| > Discussion groups |
The following list is of databases containing information
about disabilities.
1. CIRRIE
Database Of International Rehabilitation Research
www.cirrie.buffalo.edu
Includes references to over 5000 published materials about research conducted
outside the USA. Around a quarter of the references include abstracts
or links to the full text of the material. The database offers a detailed
search facility allowing users to select broad, narrow or related search
terms from a detailed thesaurus, and to specify geographical region, language,
or year of publication of materials. This is a very useful database -
the materials indexed are mainly articles from a wide range of journals
including Disability and Rehabilitation, Asia & Pacific Journal on
Disability, and International Journal of Rehabilitation Research.
Compiled by: Centre for International Rehabilitation and Research Information
and Exchange (CIRRIE)
2. Disabilities
Information Resources (DINF)
www.dinf.ne.jp
Useful source of online documentation for the Asia Pacific region. Contains
materials on community-based rehabilitation and full text versions of
major policy documents, including all those relating to the Asia Pacific
Decade of Disabled Persons. Easy-to-use search format. Site available
in English or Japanese.
Compiled by: Disabilities Information Resources (DINF)
3. Disability
Information and Resource Centre (DIRC) Library Catalogue
www.dircsa.org.au
Includes references for disability-related materials from Australia and
other countries including Afghanistan, China, Hong Kong and The Philippines.
Offers a fairly basic search mechanism with a word wheel, which helps
identify broad subject areas. Materials include journal articles, books,
conference reports and videos.
Compiled by: Disability Information and Resource Centre (DIRC)
4. Disability
World Community Database
www.disabilityworld.org/
cgi-bin/db/db.cgi?uid=default
Contains abstracts of articles with an international focus on a range
of disability-related topics such as access and technology, independent
living and employment. This database has been developed as part of the
International Disability Exchanges and Studies (IDEAS) Project hosted
by the World Institute on Disability (see website section). Users have
the choice of a quick or advanced search screen, but no specified keywords
to select. This is a new database, it includes journal article references
with short abstracts, relevant to developing countries, from journals
such as Disability International, International Rehabilitation Review
and One-in-Ten.
Compiled by: International Disability Exchanges and Studies (IDEAS) Project,
World Institute on Disability
5. Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Database on the Rural Disabled
www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/
sustdev/ppdirect/rurald
Provides basic information for accessing resource persons, organisations,
projects, publications and photos concerned with the improvement of the
working conditions of rural disabled persons, particularly in developing
countries. Details available on a range of international organisations
working in the disability and rehabilitation field. Also contains statistical
disability information for individual countries in which FAO is working.
Compiled by: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
6. Independent
Living Institute Virtual Library
www.independentliving.org
A virtual library containing references and access to full text documents
on independent living and related themes around the world. Materials cited
include: reports, resource kits, training manuals, conference papers and
journal articles. The database can be searched by author, selecting a
topic from a list of categories such as international development, human
rights or UN documents, or performing a free search. Search results are
ranked to indicate best match to search query.
Compiled by: Institute on Independent Living
7. International
Directory of Libraries for the Blind (4th
Edition)
ifla.jsrpd.jp/default.htm
Provides information about libraries for blind people throughout the world.
A basic search offers the choice of searching by country and/or institution.
An advanced search offers the additional option to select type of materials
held - braille or talking books and magazines - and in which languages.
Maintained by: The Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with
Disabilities (JSRPD), on behalf of International Federation of Library
Associations and Institutions (IFLA) www.ifla.org
8. National
Rehabilitation Information Centre (NARIC)
www.naric.com
Hosts five databases that can be searched by subject. These are: current
research (NIDRR Programme Directory), current literature (REHABDATA 1995-present),
historical literature (REHABDATA Backfile), NIDRR-funded literature (NIDRR
Compendium), and information sources (NARIC Knowledge Base). REHABDATA
is the leading literature database on disability and rehabilitation with
over 12,000 documents covering physical, mental, and psychiatric disabilities,
independent living, vocational rehabilitation, law, employment and other
issues concerning disabled people. Visitors can search each database using
keywords. Alternatively, browse the NARIC databases by choosing a subject
from the list of 47 most frequently requested information topics. Under
each topic users can find various types of information, such as research
literature, magazines, newsletters and journals, websites and Internet
resources, and membership and service organisations. Although much of
the literature referenced originates in the USA, the topic 'International
Rehabilitation' is a good starting point to identify journal articles
and reports relevant to the developing country context. Full text documents
are not available, though NARIC does offer a document retrieval service
for certain journal articles referenced in REHABDATA. The cost for this
service is US$0.50 per page for copying plus shipping and handling.
Compiled by: National Rehabilitation Information Centre (NARIC)
Health and development databases with a disability component
9. African
Index Medicus (AIM)
www.who.int/library/country/
regional/aim/index.en.shtml
Produced by the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa
(AHILA) with the technical support of the World Health Organization, this
is an international index to African health literature and information
sources. It is a compilation of national databases into print and electronic
forms. Materials indexed - with a short abstract - include conference
proceedings, journal articles and reports covering subjects such as rehabilitation,
leprosy and epilepsy from a medical and practical perspective.
Compiled by: Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa
(AHILA)
10. Combined
Health Information Database (CHID)
www.chid.nih.gov
Contains more than 104,000 references and abstracts relevant to people
with disabilities, the general public, health professionals and health
educators. Topics include arthritis, deafness and other communication
disorders, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS and Alzheimer's disease. Provides references
to journals, articles, reports, videos and links to other organisations
that are relevant to developing countries. Easy-to-use or more detailed
search facilities are available, with the option to view records in short
or long formats. Also includes an educational materials subset of more
than 16,000 items in many formats, including brochures, pamphlets, directories,
fact sheets and posters.
Compiled by: National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
11. India
Development Information Network (indev) Databases
www.indev.org
Users can search four databases. These databases comprise: Organisations
Database containing a list of institutions and agencies working in development
in India; Projects Database giving an inventory of projects undertaken
by organisations; Documents Database containing annual reports of different
organisations, key policy papers, project reports and legal documents;
and Statistics Database of current statistical indicators. Disability
and rehabilitation are both listed as specific sectors for search purposes.
The Organisations Database contains details of, and links to, 222 organisations
working in the field of disability in India.
Compiled by: India Development Information Network (indev)
12. Latin
American and Caribbean Literature on Health Services (LILACS)
www.bireme.br
Contains articles from 670 well-known journals in the medical field. Approximately
150,000 references including books, theses, technical and scientific reports,
and government publications. It is a small but useful source of disability-related
references in the region, easy-to-use with basic or advanced search option.
Available in English, Spanish or Portuguese (enter database by clicking
on section headed 'Scientific Information').
Compiled by: Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Services
(LILACS)
13. MEDCARIB
www.bireme.br
Produced by CaribbeanNet, this database contains information on health
services from Caribbean English-speaking countries. It indexes all types
of documents such as books (and chapters of books), theses, technical
reports, journal articles and conference proceedings. Relevant (though
academically focused) disability articles have been indexed from West
Indian Medical Journal, Caribbean Medical Journal and Child Care Health
and Development. Includes abstracts.
Compiled by: Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Services
(LILACS)
14. MEDLINE
www.nlm.nih.gov
MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's database of references to
more than 11 million articles published in 4300 biomedical journals. Most
references include abstracts and some link to the full article. Although
this database concentrates on biomedical information from major journals,
there are useful references to disability and rehabilitation issues in
developing countries. Disability articles have been referenced from International
Journal of Rehabilitation Research and International Disability Studies.
Users can simply type in search terms, or run very detailed searches using
the advance searching mechanism. There is an extensive help facility.
Compiled by: National Library of Medicine (NLM), USA
15. Source
International Information Support Centre
www.asksource.info
Provides details of over 20,000 materials on international health and
disability issues, including books, manuals, reports, posters, videos
and CD-ROMs. Many of the materials are unpublished literature produced
in developing countries, and much is not recorded in other databases.
Details of resources include subjects, keywords, price, publisher and
distributor. This database references the Source collection which has
been developed from the merger of the resource centres of Healthlink Worldwide
and the Centre for International Child Health, and in partnership with
Handicap International, UK, to produce Source, an international information
support centre, which aims to support health and disability activities
worldwide.
Compiled by: Source International Information Support Centre.
See key lists in this section for more infomation on Source's disability resources
16. WHOLIS
www.who.int/library/database
This is the World Health Organization (WHO) library catalogue. It allows
users to search for WHO documents and press releases relating to disability,
produced by various WHO programmes, including the Division of Hearing
Impairment and Deafness. Click on 'Library database', then choose 'Access
the library database (WHOLIS)' to search the WHO library catalogue. Simple
or detailed search facility is available.
Compiled by: World Health Organization (WHO), Library & Information
Networks for Knowledge (LNK)
