Disability Concept, Chermahadevi, India
The current SCAD project, to run for two years, involves the construction of a disability resource centre to cater for the various needs of people with disabilities and those around them. SCAD have considerable experience in the field of disability. It is a cross-cutting area that is gaining an importance within the development sector and there is considerable potential for gorta to learn from this project.
Children and persons with learning and physical disabilities are excluded from life opportunities in various ways. In the Tamil Nadu region alone there are approximately 300,000 disabled persons. The nearest centres that would be able to assist are in Chennai and Bangalore, over 650 km away. This project targets them, their families and educational professionals.
SCAD aims to set up this disability resource centre in the Chermahadev area. The centre itself will have various units including physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, orthotic, prostethics and hydrotherapy. It will serve mainly as a centre to which people can come for treatment or for learning. Teachers from mainstream schools will be brought to learn more about integrating children with mild disabilities into their classes. Untrained teachers from schools for the physically challenged will receive training. The centre will also provide more intensive care for children with more severe disabilities, including residential care when required. SCAD also plans to run an outreach programme from the centre which will target those living with disabilities in remote areas. The essence of the project to enable the disabled to lead a self-sufficient life and to empower them at the grassroots level. It also aims to change the mindsets among the community and to ensure the continuous mainstreaming of the disabled within the community.
