Peer Mentors are former patients who have learned how to manage their condition and navigate resources in the community to pursue life goals. This includes issues like returning to school, living independently or work after injury. IHIF has partnered with ESCIP Trust India (www.escip.org) to introduce wheelchair users with various ambulatory disabilities — including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury — to such Peer Mentors. ESCIP Peer Mentors teach wheelchair and independent home living skills as part of a transitional living program, whose participants also make use of the IHIF Rehab Centre in DCWA. ESCIP Peer Mentors also introduce Mentees to various adaptive sports communities and online support groups. To date, this collaboration has resulted in 55 patients transitioned to become Peer Mentors and active community citizens.
To make these peer mentoring opportunities more discoverable online by patients, IHIF and ESCIP also collaborate with More Than Walking Incorporated (www.morethanwalking.com) to publish and distribute videos of Peer Mentor stories and spreading skill sets across the social media.