Advocacy & Awareness
Advocacy to raise awareness of the value of access to high-quality assistive health technologies and need for trained multidisciplinary professionals to provide prosthetics and orthotics services are strategic priorities for ISPO.
The ISPO Advocacy and Awareness Committee is striving to increase recognition of the need for rehabilitation and technical professionals in prosthetics and orthotics; drive policy development in the prosthetics, orthotics, and rehabilitation field; and develop and implement prosthetics and orthotics standards. These goals are to be achieved through key strategic advocacy measures.
ISPO’s Advocacy Strategy
Awareness-raising activities
Targeted advocacy
Facilitating strategic collaborations
International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day
On November 5, 2023, ISPO launched the first International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day. This date corresponds to the date ISPO was established in 1970. International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day is aimed at highlighting and raising awareness of the importance for those needing prostheses and orthoses and the need to provide further resources to ensure equitable and appropriate access to prosthetic and orthotic services.
The theme for the International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day was "Enabling and Empowering"
Enabling
Access to prosthetics and orthotics services allows people to live healthy, productive, independent, and dignified lives and to learn, work and take part in society and the development of their countries.
Empowering
Access to prosthetics and orthotics services provides the opportunity to determine their own future and fully participate in community life.
International Day of Persons with Disabilities
The International Prosthetics and Orthotics Day will be celebrated each year on November 5th and each year, ISPO campaign will highlight the importance of one of the four pillars (Policy, Products, Personnel and Provision) that need to be addressed to ensure access to equitable, appropriate and high-quality prosthetics and orthotics services.
