| Media Note Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC December 10, 2007 Adaptive Technology Catalog to Aid Survivors of Landmines and Explosive Remnants of WarThis 107-page illustrated catalog offers a practical choice of household, automotive, computer, maintenance, agriculture, fine carpentry, and personal care tools to enable the disabled to take up or re-learn practical skills. All of the tools identified in the catalog were selected based on the job requirements specified in the Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA®) Questionnaire on Survivors Needs Research for Social Integration and Rehabilitation that was developed by the Azerbaijan Mine Action Center (www.anama.baku.az/). The catalog is available at no cost in PDF or compact disc formats at www.maic.jmu.edu. The commissioning of this Catalog is but one facet of the inter-agency U.S. Humanitarian Mine Action Program, the largest in the world. This United States program, in conjunction with those of other donor nations and groups, has reduced the annual landmine casualty rate from approximately 26,000 a year four years ago to approximately 5,000 worldwide, restored dignity and mobility to thousands of landmine survivors, and returned mine-affected land to safe, productive use. Together, the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (www.state.gov/t/pm/wra) at the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development's Leahy War Victims Fund (www.usaid.gov/our_work/humanitarian_assistance/the_funds/lwvf/), and the U.S. Department of Defense's Humanitarian Demining Program (www.dsca.osd.mil/programs/HA/HA.htm), along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are helping to resolve the global landmine problem. The non-governmental Mine Action Information Center, which publishes the Journal of Mine Action (http://maic.jmu.edu/journal/index/), is contributing to this progress by serving as an objective information clearing house and resource center for all. 2007/1115 |
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The Mine Action Information Center at James Madison University has released the "Adaptive Technology Catalog: Tools for Survivors of Landmines and Explosive Remnants of War," which is designed to assist with the physical, social, and economic reintegration of those injured by persistent landmines and explosive remnants of war. Published through a grant from the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, the catalog will benefit those suffering from a permanent injury, regardless of cause, and serve as a resource for governments and organizations involved in rehabilitating victims of conflict.
