Deepalaya - Enabling Self-Reliance

Mentally or physically challenged children often face social stigma and ostracism. The problem gets compounded by poverty. Deepalaya strives to change this.

The program “Mainstreaming the differently-able” is aimed at developing positive attitudes among parents and communities. The agenda is to help the parents see their children not as “disabled” but more as “differently-able”.

Children with special needs are mainstreamed into the general education and healthcare system. Deepalaya is also providing special education and physiotherapy and vocational training to facilitate this process.

Mission

Our mission is to develop positive attitude among parents and communities towards physically and mentally challenged, though otherwise talented, and mainstreaming them to improve their quality of life.

Strategy

In this sector the methodology will be to limit the number of special need centres to the current level and to mobilize human and other resources to identify as many disabled persons from all 76 locations so that the issue becomes a focal point of intervention for each and every project of Deepalaya. In this approach the concept of “key personnel” will be vital:

• Key persons will be identified and trained from each project location.
• Key persons will be responsible for identification of disabled people from the respective locations.
• Key persons will talk to the sector team after identification and chalk out a plan of action, link with local resources, both governmental and non governmental, for possible rehabilitation.
• Key persons will initiate need based activities like therapies, income generation etc., counsel the parents and participate in advocacy rallies.
• They will also be responsible for the survey towards accessibility in government schools.