Therapeutic Enhancements and the view of Rehabilitation Educators

Abstract

So far, the meaning of health and therefore treatment and rehabilitation is benchmarked to the normal or species typical body. Therapeutic interventions increasingly have the potential to generate beyond the "˜normal"™ bodily abilities (therapeutic enhancements) The field of rehabilitation, the desire for certain especially beyond species-typical body abilities and the direction and governance of science and technology are becoming increasingly interrelated. How we judge and deal with bodily abilities, or the lack of them, among others influences the direction and governance of science and technology processes, products and research and development and influence the meaning and scope of health and rehabilitation, the identity and job description of health and rehabilitation professionals, the desires of health and rehabilitation clients. This paper presents the results of an exploratory, non-probability survey of National Council of Rehabilitation Educators (USA) members seeking their views on issues of bodily enhancement and their impact on health and rehabilitation professions. The majority surveyed perceived human enhancements beyond the "˜normal"™ and the attached changes as unavoidable. The results indicate that it is high time that the enhancement discourse moves outside the ethics realm and that impact analysis of beyond the normal enhancement is performed that includes so far mostly invisible health and rehabilitation professionals, their clients and disability policy scholars.