A message from our CEO Carson Harte:

Reflecting on International day of Prosthetics and Prosthetics we concentrate on the enormous asset we have created at Exceed.

Expert personnel.

Investing in a young person and giving them solid clinical skills equips them to apply biomechanics, tissue mechanics, psychology and solid hand skills. Prosthetist Orthotists and PO Technicians are the most critical part of this health care pathway. Without knowledgeable and dedicated professionals, nothing works. Apple and Microsoft discovered that good software creates solutions. Such is it for PO. Our people ARE our software. They have to be compassionate, professional, efficient and - above all else - 'user friendly'.

And they are!

As I watch my young colleagues as they interact with clients young and old. I see the outworking of international training standards, hard fought for and hard won. We have a great operating system. So lets put this international day into our diary every year, and use it as a moment to recognise and celebrate our profession and the impact it makes in the world.

P&O professionals trained by Exceed have supported 3 million people with disabilities across 30 lower income countries.

Losing mobility, through limb loss or other reasons, can have devastating social and economic impacts, dramatically limiting access to work, social interaction, livelihood and independence. In poorly resourced countries, treatment and support services are not available to the vast majority of those who need them and these challenges are amplified.

The Exceed organisation has worked in Southeast Asia since 1989, to support people with disabilities, restore mobility and enable dependents to become independent contributors to society by:

Equipping – our NGO, Exceed Worldwide, trains local Prosthetic and Orthotic (P&O) professionals to provide high quality services.

Enabling – Exceed Worldwide provides accessible services for the most disadvantaged and supports people with disabilities in their communities to access education, training, employment or self-employment.

Empowering – advocating for disability rights and using research by the Exceed Research Network to find innovative ways to increase access to sustainable P&O services based on patients’ preferences and choices.

Research & innovation - comes from listening to patients and the P&O workforce and being aware of wider social and economic trends. Feedback from research has led to the launch of Exceed Social Enterprises and public private partnerships, which offers P&O patients choice and creates sustainable funding streams to support service provision for the most disadvantaged and increase access to services for all.

In countries where 90% of those who need P&O support cannot access services, the future is about new thinking and innovation. A growing P&O sector will come from a developing mix of philanthropic, private and public services and partnerships and Exceed is leading the way.