| 英文摘要 |
Prosthetic devices are pivotal in improving quality of life for individuals with amputations. Over the years, Taiwan has progressively developed policies surrounding persons with disabilities, including a notable change to assistive devices policy in 2012. This change, centered around a social model of disability, was made to prioritize the individual needs of those with disabilities and offer specialized assistive device services. However, despite good intentions and significant funding, this welfare policy is perceived by service users as problematic and at odds with its purported goals. Therefore, to better understand Taiwan’s prosthetic subsidy program, impacts, and defects, this study used qualitative research methods to examine the perspectives of lower limb prosthetic users through indepth interviews with eight prosthetic subsidy service users, one prostheses assessor, and two prostheses sales representatives. Findings from these interviews indicate systemic deficiencies throughout the subsidy application process, the needs assessment, the determining of subsidy scope, and reimbursement procedures. Such deficiencies were shown to negatively impact service users in four significant ways: 1. by imposing limitations at work and in daily activities; 2. by causing physical, mental, and cosmetic harm; 3. by pressuring users into committing welfare fraud; 4. by subjecting users to unequal power dynamics. Finally, this study offers user-centered policy recommendations to address the aforementioned issues and create services that effectively cater to the needs of people with disabilities. |
