Disability Care and Rehabilitation

  • Disability Care and Rehabilitation

The experience of work with rural community in primary health care services had prepared a cadre of committed health staff. This team took up the challenge to work for the control of blindness, that was endemic in the region. The community based rehabilitation started in Chohtan in 2001, in Sam, Jaisalmer in 2004 and expanded to Sindhari block, Barmer in 2008. This programme experience made them realize many specific challenges facing care and rehabilitation of disabled in the desert, the relation between drought and disability.
The main objectives of this programme have been to create awareness among community, identification of blind, eye care treatment and community rehabilitation. The team has been able to access state schemes meant for disabled, especially those relating to their social and economic rehabilitation and inclusive education for blind children. Programme core team has been innovative to develop its own processes of community involvement, designing survey formats for outcome monitoring.

The Project “Inclusive Education” (IE) with the support of Sight Savers International has been working towards Education and Rehabilitation of deprived visually impaired children. This project is benefiting disable children in eight blocks of Barmer district and three blocks of Jaisalmer district.

OBJECTIVES

  • To build capacity of government, Non government agencies and parents for appropriate planning and implementation of the inclusive education programme.
  • To advocate to government for ensuring provision of appropriate educational, health and social benefits to visually impaired children.
  • To facilitate provision of early interventions services and education of visually impaired children as per their need.
  • To generate awareness among all stakeholders about inclusive education of children.
  • To advocate to government for support for the current model of the programme and replication of its best practices.
  • Advocate to government for adopting better policies & practices for implementation of the IE Programme.
  • To create infrastructure for education services e.g. Braille library, computer education facilities etc.
  • To collaborate with other INGOs/NGOs working on education, inclusion and community development projects in the area.

Work on care and rehabilitation of disabled in a region where recurrent droughts and social apathy had made rehabilitation practically unthinkable has facilitated communities to understand their responsibility towards disabled. Participation in the programme interventions have made community aware of the existing state schemes and given them confidence to access them.

Shri Satya Sai School for Deaf Dumb and Blind

Generous support by Embassy of Japan and contribution by GoI. and Cairn Energy have helped SURE develop a unique and only rehabilitation centre for disabled children in the entire region. This school for children with special needs, completed in 2011 has a capacity to house 200 children. Besides this, it also has residential training facility for 50 participants.

Some of the interventions planned for future are:
  • Rehab centres for Mentally Retarded children
  • District level rehabilitation centres
  • Training centres for visually impaired children
  • Vocational training centre
  • Training centre for development of special teachers
  • Integrated education programme at secondary education level

All these programmes have been approved by Social Welfare department, GoR, NAB, GoI, Ministry of Human Resource, GoI and other concerned departments. Efforts are being made to create a core programme team as well foster networks with resource persons and agencies.

Target Group

target-group

Women

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Youth

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Children

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Informal Sector Workers

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Associations