In collaboration with National Institute of Mental Health, an Early Identification Intervention Centre is promoted by RASS at Tirupati. Through the intervention, the parents can identify the status of their child’s growth (normal or stagnated growth). The children between 0 and 5 years are supported through the centre.
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The differently abled children are a neglected lot in the rural communities as they are perceived as a burden to the family. RASS, realizing the complex nature of problems of the disabled children, has undertaken the task of initiating a programme for the integration of the disabled children with the mainstream. The programme is called Vikas Vihar and was initiated in 1992. As many as 06 Vikas Vihar centers were established in Chittoor, Kadapa, Proddutur, Tirupati, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh and one in Tiruttani, Tiruvallur Dt., Tamil nadu. Each center caters to 60 children. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India is extending support to these centers.
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A residential school for children with acute challenges – mental, physical, hearing problems etc - was established with the funding support of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. The main objective of the programme is to rehabilitate these children through direct institutional care on the campus itself. The improvement in the child’s performance is regularly monitored on the basis of important monitoring variable like speech, gait, psycho-motor development, and vocational therapies. These interventions help the children become normal. Involvement of the child’s parents is an important component of the rehabilitation process. Parent meetings are held regularly to update them on the child’s progress and their supportive role.
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To provide education facilities for all types of disabled is one of the aims of RASS. As part of this, RASS promoted an Integrated School for disabled children along with normal children. To sensitize the normal children and to improve the confidence levels of various disabled children, the school has been promoted in Renigunta Mandal, Chittor district, Andhra Pradesh. The school is catering both to the normal and differently abled children with a suitable curriculum adopted by the Govt., of Andhra Pradesh. The total intake of the school is 150.
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The physically handicapped are considered as a drain on the limited resources of the poor families. Very often, they are treated as a liability and in some cases they receive inhuman treatment. Also, these children are disadvantaged in terms of access to education, essential civic amenities and fulfillment of basic needs for a normal human living.
In order to promote self-reliance among those sections of persons with disabilities, RASS has promoted a model village concept named as SAHAYA GRAM on a 20-acre campus near Tirupati. The mission of the project is to establish ‘Sahaya Gram’ on a sustainable basis with the cooperation of all sections to handicapped persons.
The project is providing health services on wheels. It creates awareness regarding importance of education to children and preventive and curative health service activities. It lays emphasis on immunization and child care, medical identification and disability assessment, corrective surgery and mobility aids and also physiotherapy and occupational therapy services. These interventions of rehabilitation and economic support to the children enhance their self-esteem. AWO, a West Germany funding agency, has provided assistance for recurring and non-recurring expenses for a period of 5 years. Now it is being run with Grant-in-Aid of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.
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While all poor children need special attention for their development, the children with special needs deserve utmost care, concern and priority. Provision of medical relief and rehabilitation to these children outside their social environment has certain inherent limitations and the family environment provides best opportunities to them.
The Community Based Rehabilitation Programme, Sahaya CBR was initiated to cater to the specific needs and the requirements of disabled children in select areas of Chittoor district. It was launched initially with the support of Action-Aid and, later, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. The objective of the programme is extending services for disabled children through rehabilitation, appropriate treatment and vocational training, creating community awareness on disability, conducting training camps, providing health and medical access through outreach activities etc. The organisation provides aids and appliances to needy children on the basis of medical prescriptions.
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RASS identifies the poor disabled, screen them and evaluate the specific problems of the handicapped by conducting the camps in selected villages. If necessary, they will be referred to the institutions concerned.
Experts in the socio-economic, physical and medical rehabilitation of the specific department will be pooled to the camp to evaluate the specific needs and to identify the disabled. Camp doctors, project director, engineers, medical professors, field officers, project officers, physiotherapists, central government and other volunteers etc. will be attending the camp. Their services will be utilized with the following objectives.
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Rashtriya Seva Samithi (RASS) has started one month bridge course in the area of mental retardation and its associated disabilities. Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) has given permission to RASS to start one month bridge course. This course is meant for those persons who are working/serving with disabled persons without any recognized qualification prior to June 1993. The objective of this course is to give one time opportunity to all those serving people with disabilities to become eligible to register them with the council by attending one month bridge course. We have completed 5 batches in the area of MR and its associated disabilities. Diploma in Special Education DSE and Special B. Ed course have been conducted by RASS since 1993. More than 300 candidates received training and passed out of the institute.
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The disabled in urban areas are isolated and the services for them are very inaccessible. With the support of Mission for Elimination of Poverty in Municipal Areas (MEPMA), commonly known as Urban Velugu, RASS promoted self help groups for the disabled in Municipal areas. These groups are also institutionalized through federation of SHGs into Town Vikalangula Samakya (TVS). These activities are adopted in Chittor, Kadapa, Srikalahasthi, Puttur and Nagari municipal areas of Andhra Pradesh. District Coordinators are deputed to coordinate and facilitate the services for the disabled in urban areas in Chittor and Kadapa districts.
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