[A medical view of the rank of technical aids in rehabilitation (author's transl)].

Severe congenital or acquired physical impairments result in disabilities that, in the first instance, entail various disorders of functions the "normal" person has at his or her disposal. These, on the other hand, engender grave disturbances of the interpersonal and social reference systems every human being is fitted into, and which are a premise of existence as a "person". Rehabilitation conceived as an effort towards overcoming such disorders and disturbances must make use of any means and possibilities at its disposal in order to compensate for, or alleviate, these repercussions at all levels of the reference system. Within the entirety of these efforts and increasingly important part falls to the development and utilisation of modern technology. The person's relationship with the environment, and his or her ties with it, are in many respects brought about by the technico-instrumental aids;--communication, handling, locomotion, eating and drinking, food processing, production and reproduction, and many more. The kaleidoscope of technical aids available today is outlined, as is the need for a correct, and above all individualised, approach in the process of procurement and training in their use. The physician as well as the para-medical staff involved require comprehensive factual knowledge but at the same time far-reaching commitment to these tasks to enable them to make optimal use of existing possibilities, and to cope with the difficulties that arise. Special mention must be made in this context of administrative impediments and economic constraints.