Exceed Trustee Elaine Boyd named to Shaw Trust's Disability Power 100 for 2022

Elaine Boyd, one of Exceed Worldwide’s Trustees, has been named to the Shaw Trust's Disability Power 100 list for 2022.

Speaking before the event, Elaine said “I am delighted to be part of the Board at Exceed Worldwide. I have personal experience of the difference that an orthotic can make and hope that I can use my finance skills to contribute to the fantastic work that Exceed do.”

The Shaw Trust are one of the UK’s largest charities, helping hundreds of thousands of people every year by delivering a diverse range of not-for-profit public services focusing on care, education, work and wellbeing.

Quality Front and Centre in Cambodia

Exceed Worldwide services in Cambodia are certified by the ISO9001:2015 QMS (Quality Management System).

Membership of ISO9001:2015 QMS is subject to an annual, independent surveillance audit. This audit has just been completed, confirming that our operation in Cambodia complies fully with this international standard.

Commenting on this achievement, Thearith Heang of Exceed Cambodia said, ‘We are proud of the high service standards we provide for clients in Cambodia and it is good to have these standards verified by this prestigious organisation.’

ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is an independent, non-governmental, international organization that develops standards to ensure the quality, safety, and efficiency of products, services, and systems. ISO9001:2015 QMS refers to company level certification for quality assurance in installation, production and service provision.

The Swedish Research Council grants €250k to Exceed Research Network researchers.

The Swedish Research Council grants €250k to Exceed Research Network researchers - supporting mental health of people with physical disabilities in Cambodia

An international group of researchers from Sweden, Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Cambodia have now received funding from the Swedish Research Council to their work in supporting mental health of people with physical disabilities in Cambodia.

The research project in Cambodia aims to implement mental health screening at the three Exceed Worldwide Comprehensive Physical Rehabilitation Centres in Cambodia and to support clients’ mental health through peer support programs. Cambodia has had the highest proportions of disabled people in the world because of political conflicts that left the country with a high number of landmines in the 1960s and 70s. These have since remained for decades and injured a large part of the population.

“Individuals with disabilities face many obstacles in low- and middle-income countries. There may be limited access to care, education, and other employment opportunities in either the mainstream labour market or in self-employment. Together, these obstacles pose a greater risk for poverty,” Nerrolyn Ramstrand explains.

People with disabilities also have a greater risk of experiencing a secondary health, physical or mental health problems. These people are often among the poorest of the poor. Therefore, researchers will address the poorest and most vulnerable individuals who have a combination of physical and mental disorders.

“Our overall objective is to develop and implement a sustainable screening and support program for people with physical disabilities who also have mental health problems and thereby improve their health and well-being. We believe that the project can increase the opportunity for them to participate in society in a more equal and equitable way and reduce the risk of them living in poverty. At a later stage we also want to be able to transfer the program for use in other low- and middle-income countries. Then more people can be helped,” says Nerrolyn Ramstrand.

Recipients of the grant are:

Professor Nerrolyn Ramstrand, Jönköping University, Sweden
Dr Nil Ean, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Sisary Kheng, Exceed-Worldwide, Cambodia
Dr. Alan Maddock, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Dr. Paul Best, Queen’s University, UK

Exceed CEO’s Work Recognised by ISPO

Carson Harte, Chief Executive is the first recipient of the prestigious Sepp Heim Award.

This award was created by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) at its 2019 World Congress, to honour and commemorate the life and work of Mr. Sepp Heim. Mr. Heim made major contributions to ISPO; the development of prostheses, orthoses and wheelchairs; Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) education and mobility services in poorly resourced locations and was a prominent member of the P&O community.

The Award reflects this work by highlighting the contribution that an individual or organisation has made to the development of mobility device education and services in less resourced settings. Most importantly, it recognises the impact of this work upon the lives of persons with disability, by ensuring that high quality mobility devices and services are accessible, affordable and sustainable.

Commenting on the Award, Carson said, ‘I am humbled and honoured to receive this award, especially as it comes from my peers. Sepp was a valued friend, colleague and mentor and I hope that I have been able to add to his considerable legacy. I accept this award on behalf of Exceed, as it recognises the work of the organisation over the many years. I happen to lead Exceed, but I’d like to thank the many colleagues and friends who have contributed to the work of the organisation over so many years.’

Carson joined Exceed Worldwide in 1993 - when it was known as The Cambodia Trust - and has led the organisation since 1999.